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Location: Texas
Occupation: Podcaster, Writer, Programmer
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Dwight Yoakam strummed his way into the Bakersfield country scene, captivating people with his blend of traditional country and rockabilly. After releasing a six track EP, he was quickly signed to Reprise Records and expanded the EP into Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc, Etc which rode the charts for three years, even out-lasting his sophomore effort. To celebrate twenty-years and almost as many albums, Rhino and Reprise are re-releasing that smash album.
If you’re not familiar with Guitars, it’s the album that contained the hits “Honky Tonk Man”, “I’ll Be Gone” and the title track, “Guitars, Cadillacs.” With a faster rockabilly pace and Kentucky bluegrass instrumentation, Yoakam and his band the Babylonian Cowboys follow a steady Luther Perkins-style two-step beat that suits Yoakam’s near-yodel voice as much as it did Johnny Cash’s deep baritone. The even pace carries well and establishes Yoakam’s signature sound, even with deeper cuts like “Bury Me” and a jangly, revving cover of June Carter-Cash’s “Ring of Fire.”
The album is also packed with two additional albums over two discs as well as a liner book that recounts the story of Dwight Yoakam up to recording the album and a concert at California rock club The Roxy. The first ten tracks of the first disc are demos from 1981 that were discarded for the album that was eventually released, though all but one have since been re-recorded for later albums. The demos are a beat or two slower than the full album, but still carry the sparks of the signature style that would be fully embraced with Guitars. The only complaint here is that the sound is a bit unbalanced; Yoakam’s vocals are at times overpowered by the band.
The real treat for the re-release is on the second disc: the previously unreleased 1986 concert at the Roxy where Yoakam played in front of a packed crowd including music legends Emmylou Harris and John Fogerty, even calling them out at one point. Yoakam is an affable front man and had a nervous, but endearing, energy about him that night which you can hear on the breaks between songs. That energy served him well as he and the band put on a rocking show and delivered songs from his album as well as several covers.
For Yoakam enthusiasts, the re-release of Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc, Etc is a nice addition because it is chocked full of history, but this album is a must-have for any country fan worth his salt or even the neophyte looking for a place to dig in; this album is a country landmark.
Genre: Country
Sounds like: A faster, lighter John Anderson
Best Songs: “Bury Me”, “Ring of Fire,” “Honky Tonk Man”
