Round Up the Cowpokes

We're concluding this year's JULY SPOCKEBRATION with some nods to the Old West of lore and legend.

It's Roundup Time:

01. Red River Valley (3:24)

02. Polly Wolly Doodle (2:26)

03. Oh, Susanna (2:13)

04. Billy Boy (2:42)

05. Little Brown Jug (2:02)

06. She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain (2:56)

07. Turkey in the Straw Square Dance (1:56)

08. Clementine (2:44)

09. Chisholm Trail (2:06)

10. Jesse James (3:06)

11. Big Rock Candy Mountain (2:25)

12. Home on the Range (2:31)

13. Hand Me Down My Walking Cane (2:08)

14. Good Night Children (0:39)

This 1963 offering is credited to Slim Jim Wishbone with the Texas Twisters.  Seems legit!

****

Cowboy Songs on Folkways:

01. Harry Jackson - Morning Grub Holler (0:18)

02. Harry Jackson - Round-up Cook (0:49)

03. Tex-I-An Boys - Chisholm Trail (3:00)

04. Woody Guthrie & Cisco Houston - Whoopie-Ti-Yi-Yo, Get Along Little dog (3:02)

05. Cisco Houston - Little Joe the Wrangler (2:39)

06. Harry Jackson - Little Joe the Wrangler's Sister Nell (3:28)

07. Harry K. McClintock - Utah Carl (1:31)

08. Tex-I-An Boys - Put Your Little Foot (1:26)

09. Peter LaFarge - Trail to Mexico (2:28)

10. Peter Hurd - Las Chapparreras (1:22)

11. Woody Guthrie - Buffalo Skinners (3:15)

12. Ray Reed - Zebra Dun (3:52)

13. Harry Jackson - Some Cowboy Brag Talk (1:35)

14. Roger Welsh - Horse Wrangler (3:08)

15. Harry Jackson - Strawberry Roan (4:55)

16. John A. Lomax - Texian Boys (1:53)

17. Leadbelly - Cow Cow Yicky Yicky Ya (1:33)

18. Woody Guthrie - Jesse James (Leadbelly's version) (3:00)

19. Pete Seeger - Home on the Range (1:52)

20. Rosalie Sorrels - Empty Cot in the Bunkhouse Tonight (2:13)

21. Leadbelly - Springime in the Rockies (3:04)

22. Dave Fredrickson - Lone Star Trail (2:54)

23. Peter LaFarge - Rodeo Hand (1:48)

24. Woody Guthrie & Cisco Houston - Philadelphia Lawyer (2:31)

25. Cisco Houston - The Dying Cowboy (3:02)

26. Hermes Nye - The Devil Made Texas (2:08)

A more rip-snortin' jeans-rippin' collection ye ain't gonna find, podner!

See you on Monday for a month of compilations.  It's a date!

  

You May Cringe ...

... but this is part of our history too.

Here's the original 2016 post for the Minstrel Show.

A Complete Authentic Minstrel Show:

01 - Opening March: Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight - Swanee River - The Company  (1:27)

02 - Medley: Old Dan Tucker - Mandy Lee - Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair - Old Folks at Home - Camptown Races - In the Evening by the Moonlight - The Company  (9:57)

03 - Sweet Sixteen - Gilbert Smith, The Southland Chorus  (3:24)

04 - Shine on Harvest Moon - The Company  (2:39)

05 - The Preacher and the Bear - Robert Lamb  (2:56)

06 - My Gal Sal - The Southland Chorus  (6:09)

07 - Lassus Trombome - The Sliphorn Four  (2:48)

08 - Asleep in the Deep - Warren Biggs  (2:36)

09 - Grand Finale: Hello, Ma Baby - Honeymoon - I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now - Goodbye My Lady Love - The Company  (5:42)

It's been a while since I listened to this.  According to Discogs, it was released in 1958, long before appearing in blackface or other things were considerations.

* * *

This one's a 1993 release.

Square Dance Tonight (More Country Time Square Dances with Calls):

01. Daisy Mae Round (4:53)

02. Red River Valley (3:31)

03. Spanish Cavalier (4:38)

04. My Little Girl (4:42)

05. Hurry Hurry (3:41)

06. Good Old Country Music (Billy Boy) (4:29)

07. Virginia Blues (Figure 8) (4:10)

08. Wabash Theme (Square Dance Tonight!) (3:17)

09. Golden Slippers (5:01)

10. Soldiers' Joy (3:32)

See you on Thursday with more refractions of America.

  

Sweethearts on the Trail

A couple of yee-haws for you today, ladies and gentlemen ...

Scotty Howard - Oklahoma Sweetheart:

01. Long Journey Home (3:01)

02. Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms (2:29)

03. Oklahoma Sweetheart (2:59)

04. Never Ending Love (2:43)

05. It May Be Silly, But Ain't It Fun (2:11)

06. Fallen Angel (2:43)

07. Smokey Mountain Smoke (2:34)

08. The Angel Song (4:02)

09. I Over Looked an Orchid (3:31)

10. Long Black Veil (4:02)

11. I'll Fly Away (3:22)

12. Heaven Bound Train (2:08)

13. I'm Free (2:51)

Scotty was inducted into America's Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008.

Bar D Wranglers - 50 Years on the Trail:

01. The Wild and the Lonely (4:33)

02. Remember the Alamo (2:07)

03. Moving Slowly (2:35)

04. The Same Ole Range (3:27)

05. The Alpine Cowboy (2:01)

06. I'm My Own Grandpa (2:34)

07. 16 Tons (2:41)

08. A Cowboy Has to Sing (2:41)

09. The Possum Song (2:10)

10. I'm an Old Cowhand (2:43)

11. Texas Plains (2:36)

12. The Yellow Rose of Texas (2:37)

13. The Strawberry Roan (3:45)

14. Old Matt Palmers Farm (4:41)

15. Around the Old Chuckwagon (2:34)

16. The Devil Went Down to Georgia (3:28)

The Wranglers are pretty much the house band for a cowboy-type experience in Durango.  I imagine they sell their CDs at the show.  Track 9 is a cute rearrangement of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”  Yum!  Track 11 is a rearrangement of “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart.”

See you on Monday for some possibly uncomfortable relics of past American musical life.

  

Swing to Freedomland

Freedomland was a theme park, and this is its soundtrack. Read more in the 2011 post.

Freedomland, USA!

01 - Overture to "Freedomland"

02 - Little Old New York

03 - Satellite City

04 - Danny the Dragon

05 - The Jalopy Song

06 - Pine Country

07 - Johnny Freedom

08 - On the Showboat

09 - San Francisco Fran

10 - So Long, Ma

11 - The Chicago Fire

Bob Wills Anthology

01. Osage Stomp (3:05)

02. Spanish Two Step (2:57)

03. A Maiden's Prayer (3:08)

04. Mexicali Rose (3:18)

05. Old Fashioned Love (3:22)

06. Sittin' on Top of the World (3:23)

07. Steel Guitar Rag (2:49)

08. Blue Yodel #1 (2:23)

09. Silver Bell (2:40)

10. That's What I Like 'bout the South (2:39)

11. I'll See You in My Dreams (2:25)

12. The Waltz You Saved Me (2:32)

13. Corrine Corrina (3:04)

14. Time Changes Everything (2:53)

15. Big Beaver (2:50)

16. Honey What You Gonna Do? (2:57)

17. I Found a Dream (2:43)

18. Take Me Back to Tulsa (2:55)

19. New San Antonio Rose (2:48)

20. I Knew the Moment I Lost You (2:58)

21. Twin Guitar Special (2:50)

22. Mississippi Delta Blues (3:00)

23. Roly Poly (2:52)

24. Brain Cloudy Blues (3:01)

This is a 1973 cassette, possibly of transcription discs.

Enjoy more of your all-American July, campers!  See you Thursday.

  

Welcome to 2026's JULY SPOCKEBRATION!

We're gonna begin this month's celebration of this great and aspiring-to-be-greater country, with two patriotic comps.

MA-73 - American Favorites:

01. The Star-Spangled Banner - Jerry Goldsmith (1:22)

02. This Land Is Your Land - Peter, Paul & Mary (2:27)

03. Let' s All Be Americans Now - Arthur Hall (3:05)

04. People Like You and Me - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra (3:46)

05. The Stars and Stripes Forever - The US Army Ceremonial Band (3:33)

06. Home On The Range - Roy Rogers & the Sons of the Pioneers (2:41)

07. God Bless America - Kate Smith (2:04)

08. Variations on 'America' - Charles Ives (7:10)

09. The House I Live In - Frank Sinatra (3:39)

10. The Magnificent Seven Main Title - Elmer Bernstein (1:59)

11. Pleasant Moments - Scott Joplin (3:02)

12. Ragged Old Flag - Johnny Cash (3:08)

13. No Restricted Signs (Up in Heaven) - Golden Gate Quartet (2:59)

14. You're a Grand Old Flag - James Cagney (5:39)

15. High Noon - Tex Ritter (2:47)

16. Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me) - Glenn Miller & His Orchestra (3:11)

17. Battle Hymn of the Republic - John Williams & The Boston Pops (5:01)

18. A Lincoln Portrait - Aaron Copland (15:44)

19. The Stars and Stripes Forever - Vladimir Horowitz (4:00)

Special mention:  Track 1 is a great arrangement of our national anthem, and it's heard in Poltergeist as a TV station signs off.  Track 13 is a great idealization of our country's promise of fair treatment for all; can we live up to it in our personal lives?  Track 18 is an off-the-air recording of an unknown performance, but the spoken words are recited by the composer, Aaron Copland himself!

MA-150 - National Anthems:

01 - The Star-Spangled Banner - Reuben Guevara - 1978  (3:45)

02 - Long Long Ago - Merry-Go-Round Records - 1959  (2:45)

03 - There's a Service Flag Flying at Our House - Sterling Trio - 1918  (3:09)

04 - On the 4th of July - James Taylor - 2002  (3:24)

05 - America, Communicate with Me - Ray Stevens - 1970  (3:12)

06 - American Flag on the Moon - Brad Paisley - 2014  (3:49)

07 - Yankee Doodle Blues - Billy Murray & Ed Smalle - 1922  (2:56)

08 - Dixie & The Bonnie Blue Flag - Classical Brass - 1991  (2:25)

09 - Where the Stars and Stripes and Eagle Fly - Aaron Tippin - 2001  (3:44)

10 - Because All Men Are Brothers - Peter, Paul and Mary - 1965  (2:09)

11 - Only in America - Jay and the Americans - 1963  (2:01)

12 - National Emblem March - Tommy Dorsey - 1943  (3:00)

13 - Cool Water - Sons of the Pioneers - 1959  (2:08)

14 - America - Waylon Jennings - 1984  (3:24)

15 - Brother, Can You Spare a Dime - Rudy Vallee and His Connecticut Yankees - 1931  (3:39)

16 - The Immigrant (dedicated to John Lennon) - Neil Sedaka - 1975  (3:46)

17 - We Must Be Vigilant (American Patrol) - Hour of Charm All-Girl Orchestra - 1942  (2:51)

18 - Bugle Call Blues - Jack Pettis and His Pets - 1929  (2:42)

19 - It's America - Rodney Atkins - 2009  (3:29)

20 - Barnum and Bailey's Favorite - United States Army Band - 2012  (2:26)

21 - America Is My Home, Part 1 - James Brown - 1968  (3:20)

22 - Melting Pot - Blue Mink - 1969  (3:47)

23 - Alexander's Ragtime Band - Joe “Fingers” Carr - 1956  (2:07)

24 - Home on the Range - Gene Autry - 1947  2:37)

25 - Battle Cry of Freedom - John Williams and Chicago Symphony Orchestra - 2012  (2:14)

26 - Country Dances - The Swingle Singers - 1991  (3:30)

I hope you can take heart from these two panoplies of the wonders of American musical expression.  Sah-LOOT!

See you on Monday.

  

Shamrocks and Spurs

It's a 1996 release.

01. The Trail to Mexico / In the Tap Room / The Banshee (3:23)

02. Shenandoah (3:30)

03. Little Joe, the Wrangler (2:11)

04. The Lily of the West (4:23)

05. Garry Owen / Custer Died a-Runnin' / Off 'til Monday (3:39)

06. Lady in Green (3:49)

07. The Colorado Trail (2:44)

08. I'd Like to Be in Texas When They Round Up in the Spring / The Maid Behind the Bar (3:32)

09. Tempting the Salmon to Come to the Fly (3:47)

10. Down by the Brazos (4:21)

11. Goodby, Old Paint / Leavin' Cheyenne / The Strawberry Roan / Whoopie Ti Yi Yo / Git Along, Little Dogies (5:00)

12. The Girl I Left Behind Me (2:59)

13. Annie Laurie (4:29)

CORRECTED WeTransfer LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS!

FILEFACTORY LINK.

I must say this is pretty fun, even if the songs have silly lyrics.

See you Monday!

  

Howdy, Little Missy

This 1958 record was recorded with a little hanky-panky in mind, judging by the cover photo.  But that don't mean it ain't fun fer the young uns.

01. When Payday Rolls Around (2:19)

02. Ridin' Down the Canyon (2:16)

03. Pistol Packin' Mama (2:12)

04. Cool Water (2:59)

05. Tumbling Tumbleweeds (3:06)

06. Deep in the Heart of Texas (1:54)

07. Take Me Back to My Boots and Saddle (2:32)

08. Home on the Range (2:32)

09. Beside the Rio Grande (1:49)

10. A Cowboy Has to Sing (1:49)

11. Red River Valley (1:47)

12. El Rancho Grande (2:11)

You may find it corny, but this little filly has some spirit!

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

Yup, you'll hear a few surface ticks here and there, because this is a real-gosh record.

PERMANENT LINK.

See ya on Monday, unless we bump into each other at the chuckwagon!

  

Hit That Trail!

This 2018 release contains fun performances of  Western-themed tunes.

01. The Wild and the Lonely (4:33)

02. Remember the Alamo (2:07)

03. Moving Slowly (2:35)

04. The Same Ole Range (3:27)

05. The Alpine Cowboy (2:01)

06. I'm My Own Grandpa (2:34)

07. 16 Tons (2:41)

08. A Cowboy Has to Sing (2:41)

09. The Possum Song (2:10)

10. I'm an Old Cowhand (2:43)

11. Texas Plains (2:36)

12. The Yellow Rose of Texas (2:37)

13. The Strawberry Roan (3:45)

14. Old Matt Palmers Farm (4:41)

15. Around the Old Chuckwagon (2:34)

16. The Devil Went Down to Georgia (3:28)

Track 9 is a cute rearrangement of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”  Yum!  Track 11 is a rearrangement of “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart.”

The rest?  Discover for yourself.

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

See ya on Monday, fellow Americans!

  

Talk About a Round-Up!

This is an album of such fun!

01. Harry Jackson - Morning Grub Holler (0:18)

02. Harry Jackson - Round-up Cook (0:49)

03. Tex-I-An Boys - Chisholm Trail (3:00)

04. Woody Guthrie & Cisco Houston - Whoopie-Ti-Yi-Yo, Get Along Little dog (3:02)

05. Cisco Houston - Little Joe the Wrangler (2:39)

06. Harry Jackson - Little Joe the Wrangler's Sister Nell (3:28)

07. Harry K. McClintock - Utah Carl (1:31)

08. Tex-I-An Boys - Put Your Little Foot (1:26)

09. Peter LaFarge - Trail to Mexico (2:28)

10. Peter Hurd - Las Chapparreras (1:22)

11. Woody Guthrie - Buffalo Skinners (3:15)

12. Ray Reed - Zebra Dun (3:52)

13. Harry Jackson - Some Cowboy Brag Talk (1:35)

14. Roger Welsh - Horse Wrangler (3:08)

15. Harry Jackson - Strawberry Roan (4:55)

16. John A. Lomax - Texian Boys (1:53)

17. Leadbelly - Cow Cow Yicky Yicky Ya (1:33)

18. Woody Guthrie - Jesse James (Leadbelly's version) (3:00)

19. Pete Seeger - Home on the Range (1:52)

20. Rosalie Sorrels - Empty Cot in the Bunkhouse Tonight (2:13)

21. Leadbelly - Springime in the Rockies (3:04)

22. Dave Fredrickson - Lone Star Trail (2:54)

23. Peter LaFarge - Rodeo Hand (1:48)

24. Woody Guthrie & Cisco Houston - Philadelphia Lawyer (2:31)

25. Cisco Houston - The Dying Cowboy (3:02)

26. Hermes Nye - The Devil Made Texas (2:08)

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

You can have yer "new country," give me these closer-to-real songs any day!

See you on Monday.  Happy Valentine's Day!

  

Count 'Em, Fifty!

It's a fine compilation of Western and cowboy songs.

DISC ONE:

01. Gene Autry - Back in the Saddle Again (2:49)

02. Bob Wills - Cherokee Maiden (3:02)

03. Tex Ritter - High Noon (2:49)

04. Al Dexter - Pistol Packin' Mama (2:49)

05. Frankie Laine - Mule Train (2:38)

06. Patsy Montana - I'm an Old Cowhand (2:56)

07. Marty Robbins - The Streets of Laredo (2:50)

08. Slim Whitman - Down in the Valley (2:35)

09. Gene Autry - El Rancho Grande (2:42)

10. Tex Ritter - (I've Got Spurs That) Jingle, Jangle, Jingle (1:45)

11. Roy Acuff - Wabash Cannon Ball (2:37)

12. Gene Autry - Home on the Range (2:40)

13. Red Foley - Goodnight Irene (3:04)

14. Tex Ritter - Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie (3:02)

15. Bob Wills - New San Antonio Rose (2:37)

16. Gene Autry - Have I Told You Lately That I Love You (2:46)

17. Patsy Montana - I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart (3:08)

18. Gene Autry - That Silver-Haired Daddy Of Mine (2:50)

19. The Carter Family - I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes (2:53)

20. Slim Whitman - Red River Valley (3:13)

21. Red Foley - Old Shep (2:53)

22. Tex Ritter - Jealous Heart (2:56)

23. Bob Wills - Deep in the Heart of Texas (2:12)

DISC ONE LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS

PERMANENT DISC ONE LINK

DISC TWO:

01. The Sons of the Pioneers - Wagon Wheels (2:17)

02. Eddy Arnold and the Hugo Winterhalter Chorus - Cattle Call (2:44)

03. Bing Crosby - Along the Santa Fe Trail (3:08)

04. Jimmy Wakely - Take Me Back to My Boots and Saddle (2:47)

05. The Sons of the Pioneers - Cool Water (2:52)

06. Patsy Cline - South of The Border (Down Mexico Way) (2:25)

07. Rex Allen - The Last Round Up (2:59)

08. Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters with Vic Schoen and His Orchestra - Don't Fence Me In (3:06)

09. The Sons of the Pioneers - Whoopie-Ti-Yi-Yo (2:06)

10. Jimmie Rodgers - Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas) (3:23)

11. The Sons of the Pioneers - Empty Saddles (2:53)

12. Jimmie Davis - Nobody's Darling but Mine (2:49)

13. Jim Reeves - The Shifting Whispering Sands (3:12)

14. Vaughn Monroe and the Moon Men - Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend) (2:59)

15. The Sons of the Pioneers - Tumbling Tumbleweeds (2:44)

16. Kittly Wells - It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels (2:31)

17. Bing Crosby and the Jesters - Sioux City Sue (2:50)

18. The Sons of the Pioneers - Along the Navajo Trail (2:07)

19. Elton Britt - Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You) (2:51)

20. Vernon Dalhart - The Prisoner's Song (3:17)

21. Montana Slim - When It's Springtime in the Rockies (2:45)

22. Jimmie Davis - You Are My Sunshine (2:51)

23. The Sons of the Pioneers - Teardrops in My Heart (2:57)

24. Jim Reeves - Mexicali Rose (2:29)

25. Jimmy Wakely - Beautiful Brown Eyes (2:48)

26. The Sons of the Pioneers - Twilight on the Trail (2:28)

27. Roy Rogers - Happy Trails (2:55)

DISC TWO LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS

PERMANENT DISC TWO LINK

Cool Water, Just in Time!

This here's a 1959 album from the legendary Sons of the Pioneers.

01 - Cool Water 2:08 

02 - Whoopie-Ti-Yi-Yo 2:03 

03 - Wind 2:34 

04 - Cowboy's Dream 2:13 

05 - The Last Round-Up 2:49 

06 - Ridin' Home 1:59 

07 - Twilight On The Trail 2:28 

08 - Red River Valley 2:13 

09 - Wagon Wheels 2:15 

10 - Riders In The Sky 2:20 

11 - Blue Prairie 2:49 

12  - Way Out There 1:42 

13 - Empty Saddles 1:52 

14 - Teardrops In My Heart 2:21 

15 - Blue Shadows On The Trail 2:13 

16 - Ridin' Down The Canyon 2:24 

17 - Timber Trail 2:13 

18 - Tumbling Tumbleweeds 2:25

An unforgettable piece of musical American history!  And given the current heat wave in the US Midwest, perhaps your attention will be diverted for a bit!

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

See you Thursday for another musical angle on America!

  

Not Corny to Me

It's hard to beat Western Swing sometimes.

01. Osage Stomp (3:05)

02. Spanish Two Step (2:57)

03. A Maiden's Prayer (3:08)

04. Mexicali Rose (3:18)

05. Old Fashioned Love (3:22)

06. Sittin' on Top of the World (3:23)

07. Steel Guitar Rag (2:49)

08. Blue Yodel #1 (2:23)

09. Silver Bell (2:40)

10. That's What I Like 'bout the South (2:39)

11. I'll See You in My Dreams (2:25)

12. The Waltz You Saved Me (2:32)

13. Corrine Corrina (3:04)

14. Time Changes Everything (2:53)

15. Big Beaver (2:50)

16. Honey What You Gonna Do? (2:57)

17. I Found a Dream (2:43)

18. Take Me Back to Tulsa (2:55)

19. New San Antonio Rose (2:48)

20. I Knew the Moment I Lost You (2:58)

21. Twin Guitar Special (2:50)

22. Mississippi Delta Blues (3:00)

23. Roly Poly (2:52)

24. Brain Cloudy Blues (3:01)

It's a 1973 cassette.  These must be taken from discs, because you can hear the pops and surface noise.  Radio transcriptions?  Who knows?

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

See ya Monday, buckaroos!

  

Swingin' Out This Christmas!

With this 1985 entry we swing on out of this year's SPOCKY CHRISTMAS!

01. Cotton-Eyed Jingle Bells (3:08)

02. I'll Be Home for Christmas (2:43)

03. Here Comes Santa Claus (2:31)

04. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (1:31)

05. Let It Snow (2:50)

06. Cowboy Christmas (2:56)

07. White Christmas (3:13)

08. Blue Christmas (2:58)

09. Swingin' Around the Christmas Tree (2:02)

10. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (2:16)

A Western Swing Christmas 

Enjoy this taste of the west, swingin' style!  See you Monday, in the New Year!

  

Hi-Yahh, Mule!

It's a 1986 CD of Western-type music.

01 - Sounds of the West - fx

02 - William Tell Overture Finale - Rossini

03 - The Magnificent Seven - Bernstein

04 - The Furies - Waxman

05 - TV Western Themes - arr Palmer

06 - How the West Was Won - Newman

07 - Gunfight at the OK Corral - Tiomkin

08 - Pops Hoedown - Hayman

09 - Big Country - Moross

10 - High Noon - Tiomkin

11 - Coyote and Crackling Campfire - fx

12 - Western Medley - arr Palmer

13 - Silverado – Broughton

Exciting music, played about 5% too slow.  How the heck can the William Tell Overture be unexciting?  Well, it is here.  And Frankie Laine sounds as if he was told to emote.  Singing the songs “straight” would have been much more impressive.  And if they like Laine’s voice as much as I do, why didn’t they mic him well on “Gunfight at the OK Corral”?  Half of this song, you can’t hear the words!  And on the stark, beautiful “High Noon,” did they change keys so much to stay in Laine’s range?  They should’ve just pitched it lower!

It’s also a case of TOO MANY RESOURCES.  A session orchestra with one-quarter the players could have played this material with more pep.  There’s too “big” a sound.  And the penultimate track, the “Western Medley”?   Performed by some steroidal male chorus?  How monumentally unmoving!

This album is an overproduced mess, full of missed opportunities.  It leaves me baffled by its mix of tin-ear production and marvelous source music.

Round-Up

... No, this album is NOT the source of this blog's title.  See you Monday.

  

DON’T LOOK, ETHEL! LISTEN!

That’s a reference to a credit for Ethel Gabriel as one of the producers of this cash-in.  Which, by the way, was definitely worth the 79 cents I paid for it in April, 2022.  So, 

 Don't Pull the Plug!

If you did. you'd miss out on some fun and/or intentionally silly renderings of some cow-ardly music.

01. Steel Guitar Rag (2:29)

02. Born to Lose (2:46)

03. Cattle Call (2:37)

04. Careless Love (3:36)

05. Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town (3:00)

06. Watermelon (2:53)

07. Green, Green Grass of Home (2:41)

08. Kaw-Liga (2:30)

09. I Walk the Line (2:33)

It’s brief, but silly and almost raucous.  The last track includes a vocoder-like vocal.

Switched-on-Country 

See you on Thursday for our last fun ... something non-stop.  And that's no bull!

  

And a Glorious Time It Was

For this 1973 release, Wills supplied the vocals for a couple of tracks.

01. Playboy Theme (1:32)

02. Yearning (2:41)

03. Faded Love (3:18)

04. What Makes Bob Holler (2:34)

05. Stay All Night (Stay a Little Longer) (3:07)

06. Goin' Away Party (2:43)

07. Big Ball's in Cowtown (2:43)

08. Keeper of My Heart (3:36)

09. Twin Guitar Boogie (3:19)

10. Bubbles in My Beer (2:55)

11. Blue Bonnet Lane (2:17)

12. When You Leave Amarillo (Turn Out the Lights) (2:50)

13. San Antonio Rose (3:10)

14. I Wonder If You Feel the Way I Do (2:51)

15. My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You (2:51)

16. Miss Molly (2:20)

17. I Can't Go on This Way (2:24)

18. That's What I Like 'Bout the South (2:45)

19. Silver Lake Blues (2:49)

20. Milk Cow Blues (5:05)

21. Comin' Down From Denver (2:51)

22. Baby, That Sure Would Be Good (3:25)

23. She's Really Gone (2:45)

24. Crippled Turkey (1:57)

For the Last Time

See you on Thursday!

  

You Other 49 States Can Listen In

Just a lil ol' fiddlin!

I left it sideways to make ya work!  The tracks are:

01. Leather Britches (1:05)

02. Sally Ann (1:38)

03. Apple Blossom (1:54)

04. How Great Thou Art (2:21)

05. Claironet Polka (1:32)

06. Whistling Rufus (1:32)

07. Sally Goodin' (2:08)

08. Sally Johnson (2:06)

09. Take Me Back to Tulsa (2:05)

10. Brilliancy (1:17)

11. Faded Love (2:21)

12. Hell Among the Yearlings (1:34)

13. Bill Cheatum (1:37)

14. Waltz of Evermore (1:52)

15. Blackberry Blossom (1:35)

I know you'll like this 1982 cassette from a youngster in Sappa-LOO-puh!

See you on Monday.

  

I Left My Heart with County, Brisco (Jr)

And I was happy to do it!

I watched this fun adventure show from its beginning until untimely demise.  It premiered at 7.00 on a Friday night, and I stayed tuned afterwards for the first episode of another small show (can you name it?).

These are the all-too-brief contents:

01. Main Theme (1:03)

02. Pilot Main Title (1:00)

03. Brisco and Dixie (0:30)

04. Falling Down the Hill (0:29)

05. Happy Ending (0:51)

06. The Battle (0:54)

07. Ambush (1:04)

08. The Picnic (1:22)

09. Brisco and Dixie on the Train (0:47)

10. Brisco on the Roof (1:29)

11. Science (1:22)

12. Pilot End Credits (0:55)

13. End Credits (0:42)

Go Brisco!

There are rumors of a full-length album out there in the interwebs.  See you Monday!

  

The Great Western Movie Themes

This album proves that with enough work, even exciting music can be pabulumized into being a bore.

Somebody made a boo-boo, in that Track 14 is NOT Dmitri Tiomkin’s “The Alamo,” it’s Track 1, “True Grit,” again!

Here's the lowdown:
01. True Grit (3:10)
02. The Magnificent Seven (2:52)
03. The Green Leaves of Summer (2:17)
04. Theme from Hondo (2:49)
05. The Man with the Harmonica (2:58)
06. The Professional Gun (2:29)
07. Yankee Doodle (2:04)
08. Dynamite Ringo (2:50)
09. Return of the Seven (2:21)
10. Wandering Star (3:13)
11. Hang 'em High (2:07)
12. The Man from Laramie (2:36)
13. How the West Was Won (2:40)
14. True Grit Again - NOT "The Alamo" (3:10)
15. The Comancheros (2:22)
16. Bonanza (2:22)
17. Once Upon a Time in the West (3:18)
18. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (2:58)

If you dare,

The Great Western Movie Themes

See ya Monday, podners!

  

Real Country Lovin'!

It's a 1992 cassette by a good ol' country boy with a lot of miles on him.

01. Real Country Love (2:45)
02. Do Right Daddy (3:40)
03. A Funny Thing Happened (3:30)
04. I've Got to Pull Myself Together (2:40)
05. What's the Matter with the Moon (3:26)
06. I'll Go Out of My Head (2:41)
07. Next to Mine (3:19)
08. The Valentine Song (3:05)
09. These Favors We Ask (3:49)
10. Primetime (3:45)
11. Olivia (2:44)
12. Her Last Lonely Days (4:15)

Real Country

See you on Thursday with another hot batch of love!