The Tractors - Tractors

Since the ten songs and 39 minutes of music on Trade Union, the Tractors' fourth non-holiday album, sound like they could have been recorded by a competent Southern bar band in a weekend, it may seem surprising that this is the group's follow-up to Fast Girl, which appeared in 2001 (there was also a Christmas set, The Big Night, a mere six and a half years ago), and, from bandleader Steve Ripley's extensive liner notes, it sounds like he and his fellow musicians have been working away at it at the Church Studio in Tulsa, OK, all these years. (Although 22 musicians and singers appear on the disc, it's not clear who besides Ripley is a permanent member of the Tractors at this point, but then it's hard to keep a working band together when it's not actually working.) The history of popular music is full of eccentric auteurs laboring away year after year in search of musical perfection, from Brian Wilson and John Fogerty to Tom Scholz and Lucinda Williams, and Ripley seems to be bidding to join their ranks. In his case, however, perfection seems to consist in coming up with the ideal off-the-cuff-sounding first-take-like "feel" performance, so rough it has count-ins and breakdowns left on the track. Ripley wants to re-create the swampy history of Tulsa country/blues/rock, à la Leon Russell and J.J. Cale, both of whom, not coincidentally, turn up on the record sounding very much like themselves. And, it must be said, he very largely succeeds. His idols, dating back to the days of the Sun Studio, may have turned out this sort of thing a lot quicker, but Ripley has come up with tracks that sound like they might have been made in the mid-'50s or the late '60s. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Name Credits Angelene Ripley Organ, Engineer, Organ (Hammond), Mixing Bill Belknap Drums Bonnie Raitt Slide Guitar Carl Pickhardt Organ (Hammond) Carl Radle Inspiration Casey Bass Casey Van Beek Vocals (Background), Guitar (Bass), Vocal Harmony Charlene Ripley ?, Trumpet Chuck Blackwell Drums Chuck Browning Drums Chuck Dewalt Drums Clive Davis Design, Artwork Curly Lewis Fiddle David Teegarden Drums Debbie Campbell Vocals (Background) Dick Sims Organ (Hammond) Doc James Guitar Don White Guitar Ed Robinson Organ (Hammond) Eldon Shamblin Guitar Elvis Ripley Guitar (Tremolo) Emily Smith Tambourine Gary Gilmore Guitar Glen Mitchell Organ (Hammond) Gordon Shryock Guitar J.J. Cale Guitar James Burton Guitar, Telecaster Jamie Oldaker Drums, Percussion, Tambourine Jim Byfield Guitar Jim Edwards Guitar Jim Karstein Drums Jim Keltner Drums Jim Pulte Bass (Vocal), Guitar Jim Strader Bass Jim Sweney Vocals (Background) Jimmy Markham Harmonica Joe Lane Davis Saxophone John Crowder Vocals (Background), Guitar Larry Bell Organ (Hammond) Leon Russell ?, Synthesizer, MIDI Mark Brunner Guitar Maude Gilman Art Direction Mike Garrett Guitar Pat "Taco" Ryan Saxophone Richard Feldman Guitar Rick Beilke Guitar Rick Brown Drums Roger Linn Guitar Roger Tillison Guitar Ron Flynt Guitar (Rhythm), Slide Guitar, Guitar, Guitar (Steel) Ron Getman Vocal Harmony, Guitar (Steel), Slide Guitar, Dobro, Mixing, Guitar (Electric), Engineer, Guitar (Acoustic), ?, Mandolin Ron Morgan Fiddle, Bass, Bass (Upright) Ry Cooder Slide Guitar Spencer Sutton Piano Steve Allen Guitar Steve Collier Pedal Steel, Guitar (Steel) Steve Hickerson Guitar, Drums Steve Ripley Guitar, Mixing, Vocals, Engineer, Design, Drums, Producer, Artwork The Steve Pryor Band Guitar Tom Tripplehorn Guitar, Drums Walt Richmond Producer, Drums, Mixing, Organ (Hammond), Piano, Piano (Grand), Clavinet, Bass (Vocal), Engineer, Horn, Organ, Wurlitzer, Vocals, Accordion