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Hyperbole and Hoopla -- That Works! Jul 24, 2009
This CD is a 1999 reissue of Jennings's classic country recording from 1974, the first recording on which RCA cut Waylon some creative slack to let him do his own thing. What he did with his hard-won artistic freedom was to lay down a bunch of cuts by writer Billy Joe Shavers. The end result was a recording that still sounds fun more than 25 years later. Most of the lyrics indulge in all sorts of "outlaw" hyperbole and hoopla, but Waylon delivers them as though he believes every word. The instrumentation is sparse, the lyrics are vivid, and Waylon's voice booms out in all its splendor.
The only thing I can find to gripe about is that even with a couple of bonus tracks added to the original 10, this CD checks in at a meager 32:34. But it's hard to play this CD without immediately playing it again (the devil may make you do it the first time, but the second time you'll do it on your own), so maybe you can pragmatically pretend that it times out at 65:08.
The one Feb 17, 2009
I have most of waylons albums...If I should choose one album,,this is the one, it simply does not get better than thins.
The wonderfull album "dreaming my dreams" do have a more polich sound,,this one is raw, that is just the right sound for Waylon.
The songs are all superb, they all stand together, They are abouth the modern cowboys, and the different 'stages of teir lives. From "ride me down easy" "black Rose" to "we had it all"
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
The real McCoy Jan 04, 2009
Back in my younger days I listened to quite a bit of country music. Mind you this was back before country had come into fashion, so I recieved more then my share of guff for doing something so uncool. Then I got lead away by the siren call of rock, country got popular, and I got guff for not listening to it.
As I've gotten older my musical appetite has grown broader and I found myself looking to revisit country, but I ran into the issue of where to start. Honestly most of the stuff I heard on the radio was really just pop music with twang and cowboy hats, which had little resemblence to the music I was looking for, and after a bit of digging around I found this album. Jennings was one musician that still stuck in my head. Maybe it was just all those episodes of The Dukes of Hazard I watched as a kid, but he seemed like a good place to start.
Honky Tonk Heroes is about as genuine and album as I have come across in my entire life. You can smell the beer and cigarette smoke in every note, but it never becomes cliche or hokey. Jennings voice is warm, but just rough enough to be truly satisfying, and lacks the over-exagerated twang that many contemporaries have. The musicians are clearly all top-notch; the playing is nothing fancy, for the most part, but solid and honest. In short this is an album that any counrty fan should own, and for those looking to get acquainted with the genre, it's a perfect place to start.
Great Jan 03, 2008
These items were send quickly and they were in great condition. Shopping at Amazon was a great experience.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
RUGGED AND FREE-SPIRITED ! (Waylon does it his way) Sep 10, 2007
Honky Tonk Heroes (1973) is an album of tough free-spirited road songs that have recorded with economic arrangements and instrumentation. They're sung by a man who believes in the songs enough bring them all to life. They were all written by Billy Joe Shaver, and the lyrics are simple, but thoughtful in the way they express an honest and moving witness to the unconventional world of free living. In Willy The Wandering Gypsy And Me, Waylon sings:
Willy, you're wild as a Texas Blue Norther
Ready rolled from the same makings as me
Well I guess we're gonna ramble till Hell freezes over
Willy The Wandering Gypsy And Me
The songs cover misadventure and regret (Ain't No God In Mexico, Black Rose), traveling (Omaha, Low Down Freedom), love (You Asked Me To, We Had It All), and reflections on life (Old Five And Dimers, Ride Me Down Easy). Then there's the wild and rowdy barroom fun of the title song, Honky Tonk Heroes.
Piano rolled blues, I danced holes in my shoes
There weren't another, other way to be
For lovable losers, no account boozers
And Honky Tonk Heroes like me
If you like your country music on the rugged side, you really can't go wrong with this one. This was Waylon's first time recording without any interference from the Nashville establishment, and he had said that he had more fun on this album than any of the others. It's a classic, and one of his best, too.
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