While the
Beat Farmers did a number of great songs after their debut album – most notably
“Riverside”, “Road To Ruin”, and a great cover of Neil Young’s “Powderfinger” –
they never put together an entire studio album nearly as great as this one. In
addition to “Reason To Believe” (one of the few covers of a Springsteen song
that completely surpasses the Boss’s original), the band also did nice versions
of Lou Reed’s “There She Goes Again” and John Stewart’s “Never Going Back”.
What really makes the album work, however, are the originals, written by
current band members Buddy Blue and Jerry Raney, and close associate (and
future member) Paul Kamanski. The production by Steve Berlin (of Los Lobos) and
Mark Linett is also impeccable.
The Beat
Farmers are one of the best exemplars of the 1980s “cowpunk” movement, although
unlike bands such as the Long Ryders their music steered clear of political
overtones. Allmusic.com probably summarized their sound best: “country, rockabilly, and roots rock with
punk energy and a raucous sense of humor.” While “Lost Weekend” is probably the
song that best summarizes these elements, their best-known track is probably
the short-and-strange “Happy Boy”, which was popularized by Dr. Demento and
still gets some airplay today.
Favorite
tracks:
Goldmine
Reason To
Believe
Bigger
Stones
Selfish
Heart
California
Kid
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