Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
If only the "more a legend than a band" that seems to surround the Flatlanders were true and the "legend" were allowed to be what it is. But people keep dragging stuff out of the woodwork, and the three companeros who made that unit up -- Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, Jimmie Dale Gilmore -- have decided that being a band is a better thing and have reunited to record and tour. Man, people can't leave well enough alone. New West has dug up this old tape from the Flatlanders' halcyon days, recorded at the dawn of the cosmic cowboy craze in Austin. What it proves first and foremost is that these guys should never have reunited (no one can blame them for wanting to get paid, but the myth was better before it became reunion flesh) and that their individual identities were formed even back then. Gilmore is the high lonesome country songwriter, Ely is the hillbilly rocker (his lead vocal on "Honky Tonk Blues" and "Settin' the Woods on Fire" would make Hank Williams smile and then hoot in delight), and while Hancock is clearly here, he doesn't sing lead on any of these tracks though he wrote a few of them. The fidelity on this thing is far from perfect, and it sounds like there are maybe 25 people in the audience tops. One way cool thing is you get to hear Steve Wesson's musical saw very well and mystic beat legend John X. Reed's killer guitar picking on Al Strehli's fine "So I'll Run." This is a back-porch singalong brought into the barroom. There are tunes by Townes Van Zandt ("Waitin' Around to Die" and "Tecumseh Valley"), a slew of traditional tunes, Jesse Fuller's "San Francisco Bay Blues," Bob Dylan's "Walkin' On Down the Line," Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home to Me," "Jole Blon," and more. It's loose, easy, and the vibe is relaxed and fun. The fidelity isn't great, but the performance is full of energy and verve. But it's not the second coming that New West label boss Peter Jesperson is making it out to be (and no doubt scads of alt-country Postcard 2 crazies as well). He states that Ely thinks the most unique thing about the tape is that it exists at all. Exactly. No more, no less.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $10.83/month
The Flatlanders, Composer, MainArtist - New West Records, LLC, MusicPublisher
2004 New West Records, LLC 2004 New West Records, LLC
The Flatlanders, Composer, MainArtist - New West Records, LLC, MusicPublisher
2004 New West Records, LLC 2004 New West Records, LLC
The Flatlanders, Composer, MainArtist - New West Records, LLC, MusicPublisher
2004 New West Records, LLC 2004 New West Records, LLC
The Flatlanders, Composer, MainArtist - New West Records, LLC, MusicPublisher
2004 New West Records, LLC 2004 New West Records, LLC
The Flatlanders, Composer, MainArtist - New West Records, LLC, MusicPublisher
2004 New West Records, LLC 2004 New West Records, LLC
The Flatlanders, Composer, MainArtist - New West Records, LLC, MusicPublisher
2004 New West Records, LLC 2004 New West Records, LLC
The Flatlanders, Composer, MainArtist - New West Records, LLC, MusicPublisher
2004 New West Records, LLC 2004 New West Records, LLC
The Flatlanders, Composer, MainArtist - New West Records, LLC, MusicPublisher
2004 New West Records, LLC 2004 New West Records, LLC
The Flatlanders, Composer, MainArtist - New West Records, LLC, MusicPublisher
2004 New West Records, LLC 2004 New West Records, LLC
The Flatlanders, Composer, MainArtist - New West Records, LLC, MusicPublisher
2004 New West Records, LLC 2004 New West Records, LLC
The Flatlanders, Composer, MainArtist - New West Records, LLC, MusicPublisher
2004 New West Records, LLC 2004 New West Records, LLC
The Flatlanders, Composer, MainArtist - New West Records, LLC, MusicPublisher
2004 New West Records, LLC 2004 New West Records, LLC
The Flatlanders, Composer, MainArtist - New West Records, LLC, MusicPublisher
2004 New West Records, LLC 2004 New West Records, LLC
The Flatlanders, Composer, MainArtist - New West Records, LLC, MusicPublisher
2004 New West Records, LLC 2004 New West Records, LLC
The Flatlanders, Composer, MainArtist - New West Records, LLC, MusicPublisher
2004 New West Records, LLC 2004 New West Records, LLC
The Flatlanders, Composer, MainArtist - New West Records, LLC, MusicPublisher
2004 New West Records, LLC 2004 New West Records, LLC
Album review
If only the "more a legend than a band" that seems to surround the Flatlanders were true and the "legend" were allowed to be what it is. But people keep dragging stuff out of the woodwork, and the three companeros who made that unit up -- Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, Jimmie Dale Gilmore -- have decided that being a band is a better thing and have reunited to record and tour. Man, people can't leave well enough alone. New West has dug up this old tape from the Flatlanders' halcyon days, recorded at the dawn of the cosmic cowboy craze in Austin. What it proves first and foremost is that these guys should never have reunited (no one can blame them for wanting to get paid, but the myth was better before it became reunion flesh) and that their individual identities were formed even back then. Gilmore is the high lonesome country songwriter, Ely is the hillbilly rocker (his lead vocal on "Honky Tonk Blues" and "Settin' the Woods on Fire" would make Hank Williams smile and then hoot in delight), and while Hancock is clearly here, he doesn't sing lead on any of these tracks though he wrote a few of them. The fidelity on this thing is far from perfect, and it sounds like there are maybe 25 people in the audience tops. One way cool thing is you get to hear Steve Wesson's musical saw very well and mystic beat legend John X. Reed's killer guitar picking on Al Strehli's fine "So I'll Run." This is a back-porch singalong brought into the barroom. There are tunes by Townes Van Zandt ("Waitin' Around to Die" and "Tecumseh Valley"), a slew of traditional tunes, Jesse Fuller's "San Francisco Bay Blues," Bob Dylan's "Walkin' On Down the Line," Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home to Me," "Jole Blon," and more. It's loose, easy, and the vibe is relaxed and fun. The fidelity isn't great, but the performance is full of energy and verve. But it's not the second coming that New West label boss Peter Jesperson is making it out to be (and no doubt scads of alt-country Postcard 2 crazies as well). He states that Ely thinks the most unique thing about the tape is that it exists at all. Exactly. No more, no less.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 16 track(s)
- Total length: 00:54:32
- Main artists: The Flatlanders
- Composer: The Flatlanders
- Label: New West Records
- Genre: Country
2004 New West Records, LLC 2004 New West Records, LLC
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz?
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalog with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets, and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.