Search - Ray Wylie Hubbard :: Snake Farm

Snake Farm
Ray Wylie Hubbard
Snake Farm
Genres: Country, Blues, Folk, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (10) - Disc #1

To listen to Ray Wylie Hubbard's Snake Farm is to enter an eerie netherworld populated by dark and fascinating characters, some of whom are creepy enough to give you the shivers. The sandpaper-voiced Hubbard, a Texas songw...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Ray Wylie Hubbard
Title: Snake Farm
Members Wishing: 6
Total Copies: 0
Label: Sustain Records
Original Release Date: 1/1/2006
Re-Release Date: 6/27/2006
Genres: Country, Blues, Folk, Pop, Rock
Styles: Americana, Outlaw Country, Classic Country, Traditional Blues, Regional Blues, Texas Blues, Traditional Folk, Singer-Songwriters, Country Rock
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 854956001020, 859700789827

Synopsis

Amazon.com
To listen to Ray Wylie Hubbard's Snake Farm is to enter an eerie netherworld populated by dark and fascinating characters, some of whom are creepy enough to give you the shivers. The sandpaper-voiced Hubbard, a Texas songwriting legend, works a primal, greasy groove with these bluesy portraits, starting with Ramona, the dancing, tattooed reptile-house worker of the unforgettable title track. "Snake Farm" hypnotically mixes slithering images of sex, fear, revulsion, and humor, especially when Hubbard lets out a shimmering and menacing shudder of disgust. ("Snake farm / It just sounds nasty / Snake farm / Purty much is.") Guitar gunslinger Seth James sharpens the fine point on the stiletto that helps make these songs so lethal, but throughout, Hubbard strives for a tone of decadent elegance, whether evoking polecat love or the sideshow thievery of "Rabbit" ("There's two kinds of people in the world / The day people and the night people / It's the night people's job / To get the day people's money"). Produced by the masterful Gurf Morlix, who keeps things lean, foreboding, and roadhouse rough, the album sounds as if it were recorded in a room lit only by a naked 90-watt bulb--the perfect atmosphere in which to conjure songs of sin, deceit, and subterranean shenanigans. By record's end, redemption appears in a gonzo-ized telling of the Christ tale ("Resurrection"). But the Devil holds center stage until then, particularly on "The Way of the Fallen," inspired by Dante's Inferno, and on the Joseph Campbell mythology of "Wild Gods of Mexico," which involves a graphic canine sacrifice. Like Reservoir Dogs, the Quentin Tarantino classic Hubbard references in another humorous--if complex--example of women, sex, and revulsion, Snake Farm is not for the faint of heart. But fans of lowlife chic and exemplary Texas songwriting should lap this up quicker than cold longnecks and hot chicken-fried steak. --Alanna Nash

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CD Reviews

Middle-of-the-night music, fuel for bonfires, dice, and show
loce_the_wizard | Lilburn, GA USA | 07/14/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ray Wylie Hubbard's "Snake Farm" is one evil, growling monster of a record, a finely focused muscular effort that effuses grit, malice, and funk. The sound ripples with thick, raw grooves that compliment the subject matter: the devil, women, redemption and damnation, hexes, and guitars. Clearly, this stuff is middle-of-the-night music, fuel for bonfires, dice, and showdowns.



Though Mr. Hubbard's considerable sense of humor and keen wit are not lost, his music has changed a great deal. To see how dramatically Mr. Hubbard's, listen to "Dangerous Spirits," a much more freewheeling, country-laced sound. More specifically, compare the earlier, lilting version of Resurrection with the darker vibe that runs through the same song on "Snake Farm."



Nearly all the tracks feature Hubbard along with a now familiar cast of characters: his producer and guitar player Gurf Morlix, stalwart Rick Richards on drums, and steady George Reiff on bass. A smattering of guests keep matters interesting without altering the focus.



Time to get yourself down to the "Snake Farm."

"
More Growl than Growl
Joe M. Jenkins | KC | 06/29/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ray continues move away from folk/country style music to a more roots blues sound. If you liked RWH's Growl you will love this one. Greasy backwoods roadhouse southern fried blues. Gurf Morlix' guitar and production work with RWH is fantastic. RWH is an American roots music treasure who keeps getting better with age."
Snake Farm-tastic
C. Wilson | Dallas, TX | 07/12/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I thought "Delirium Tremolos" was the ultimate display of Ray Wylie Hubbard's style & talent, then I listened to "Snake Farm". Wow! I didn't think RWH's essence could be distilled down any further after "DT", but with "Snake Farm" I was hooked from the first riff & didn't come up for air until the cd changer kicked in at the end. This stuff is 100 proof Hubbard. Honey, it's all good, down to the last drop."