Buck's Move to Country Pop
Old T.B. | Cheyenne, Wy USA | 02/20/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For those of us who are fans of the late Buck Owens, the story leading up to these recordings is well-documented. Buck's best friend and right-hand man, Don Rich, died in a motorcycle accident in 1974, sending Buck into a major depression. Andy Wickham of Warner Brothers signed Buck away from Capitol. Buck recorded two albums for Warner's, 1976's Buck 'Em and 1977's Our Old Mansion, plus numerous singles and (as it turns out) some unreleased material. But, Buck's heart just wasn't in the recording game anymore, the country-pop didn't work, and he called it a day.
Well, most of that is true. I consider Buck's early Sixties through mid-Seventies Capitol recordings essential; compared to them, the Warners material is lesser. But, to say it "didn't work" is simply too harsh. I bought the album "Our Old Mansion" in 1977, when I was eleven years old. I have a clear memory of working on a Star Wars jigsaw puzzle while listening to Our Old Mansion over and over. Even at eleven, I was somewhat disappointed by the album, but it had a few tracks that led me, thirty years later, to buy this deluxe set from Rhino Handmade. I'm glad I did.
All of Buck's Warners recordings are represented on two discs. Disc One includes the albums Buck 'Em and Our Old Mansion, with one unreleased outtake from the latter. I find Buck 'Em to be a very solid album. Yes, it is more pop than normal for him, and it is a little disturbing to note that Buck didn't contribute much original material. But, the cover of "Lady Madonna" works well, "Love Don't make the Bars" is a fine ballad, and "John Law" fires up in Buckaroo-esque style. And, frankly, it was a pleasure to hear this album and not hear the plethora of novelty type numbers Buck had begun to rely on (too heavily, in my opinion) in the mid-Seventies. Our Old Mansion is the lesser of these two albums. Thirty years later, I still find "Let the Good Times Roll" one of the most lackluster album openers I've ever heard, and Buck doesn't sound very spirited. The depression, and his failed marriage to Jana Jae, probably contributed to this muted feel. But, the song "Our Old Mansion" is a mighty fine melodramatic number, "He Don't Deserve You Anymore" is credible honky tonk, and "How Come My Dog Don't Bark" and "World Famous Paradise Inn" have a fun, rollicking feel to them. It's nice to have it again.
Disc two collects singles Buck released for Warners from 1978 through 1980, including the Top Twenty hit "Play Together Again, Again" with Emmylou Harris. Frankly, I find some of these songs much stronger than some of the material on the two proper albums; maybe Buck should have released a third Warners album. It turns out he was planning on it, and this set includes unreleased songs from those sessions.
The music, the packaging, and the booklet all contribute to this being a five star set; however, I do feel the need to mention the $51.00 list price. Sure, it's limited to 5,000 copies, but come on! A two cd set just should not cost that much. I was fortunate to find my copy (an unopened copy) from a seller on Amazon for far less than the suggested price. As much as I am enjoying the music, I still would not be willing to spend that much on it. With that said, find a reasonably priced copy of The Warner Bros. Recordings, and treat yourself to some underexposed and underappreciated music by a true giant of country music."
