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Back to the Future Now - Live at Arizona Charlie
Asleep at the Wheel
Back to the Future Now - Live at Arizona Charlie
Genres: Country, Pop
 
  •  Track Listings (12) - Disc #1

A quarter century ago, the members of Asleep at the Wheel were young Western swing enthusiasts trying their best to imitate such heroes as Bob Wills and Milton Brown. Now Ray Benson and his dozens of bandmates--past and pr...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Asleep at the Wheel
Title: Back to the Future Now - Live at Arizona Charlie
Members Wishing: 1
Total Copies: 0
Label: Sbme Special Mkts.
Release Date: 4/1/2008
Genres: Country, Pop
Styles: Western Swing, Neotraditional
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 886972464022

Synopsis

Amazon.com
A quarter century ago, the members of Asleep at the Wheel were young Western swing enthusiasts trying their best to imitate such heroes as Bob Wills and Milton Brown. Now Ray Benson and his dozens of bandmates--past and present--are the seasoned heroes of the genre, and a new generation of young Western swing fans look to Asleep at the Wheel for clues. Two of those youngsters, Nashville stars Tracy Byrd and Wade Hayes, pay their respects in the form of guest vocals on the new Asleep at the Wheel album, Back to the Future Now. This live album isn't the best record the group has ever made, but it may be the best single-disc introduction. Not only do Byrd and Hayes provide a way into the music for younger fans, but most of the band's best-known songs plus three Wills tunes are reprised. More importantly, several key members of Asleep at the Wheel's legendary 1975-'78 lineup return to the fold for a one-night, school-of-swing reunion. Vocalists LeRoy Preston and Chris O'Connell once again sing their signature numbers, "My Baby Thinks She's a Train" and "The Letter That Johnny Walker Read" respectively. Founding steel guitarist Lucky Oceans trades slippery licks with current steel guitarist Cindy Cashdollar on Wills'S "Fat Boy Rag," and pianist Floyd Domino comes back to rattle the ivories on Moon Mullican's "Cherokee Boogie." Tony Garnier (heard more recently with Bob Dylan) slaps out a walking bass line on Wills'S "Roly Poly." Even if you aren't familiar with the band's long, convoluted history, Benson introduces most of the songs with half-comic, half-affectionate stories that fill in the details. --Geoffrey Himes

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CD Reviews

Party Time With AATW
Tony Thomas | 11/02/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you can't see Asleep At The Wheel perform LIVE, this is the next best thing. When I first bought this cd I must've played it at least 8 times in a row & I've turned a few friends onto it. If I had to choose 10 cd's to bring on a desert island, at least 5 would be by AATW."
I was there, and boy is this fun
Tony Thomas | SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FL USA | 10/21/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been following Asleep at the Wheel since around 1976 when I first saw them. I can't think of a bad Asleep at the Wheel Album,but this is one of my favorites. Maybe it was because I WAS THERE at Arizona Charlies for this show. It was grade AAAAAAAA. This was a reunion show where old band members of the original group came and played with the band Ray had at the time. I think the music blossoms here. I haven't purchased any of the other live albums yet, but I think this one shares with the cuts I have heard on other live albums, a kind of electricity that isn't on the studio albums. Ray Benson and the gang know how to electrify an audience, and spread the spirit of fun, and discovery like on one of the tunes not on the album where they morphed from from straight western swing into a Thelonius Monk tune. Moreover this music is made for drinking and dancing and romancing. That was what we were doing at Arizona Charlie's that night!
Get this album!"
These guys know how to have FUN
Tony Thomas | 08/23/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Asleep At The Wheel are probably the BEST of the current western swing bands and have been around for well over 20 years. They get better with time and I always look forward to their latest works. This cd has them performing live at Arizona Charlie's in Las Vegas and past and present band members joined together for a grand time along with special guests like Tracy Byrd & even the McGuire Sisters. I hope they perform in the metropolitan area soon so I can finally see them LIVE. This album is a real treat!"