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C&W, Swing, Big Band Jazz were my parent's music, but, RAY BENSON & COMPANY gave my generation a superb blend of mesmerizing music to call our own.and, CHRIS O'CONNELL, wherever you are now, a HUGE "THANK YOU" for your treasured stellar performances and memories you gave us during your AATW days. I've had that "TEXAS GOLD" Vinyl Lp since way back then, but, am so happy that it's been reissued here in a grand "two-fer" package in pristine REMASTERED sound. I'd never heard the "Comin' Right At You" album before, but, it's also an awesome recording that I must explore much more. As a kid, I was into rock & pop, which is now called "Classic Rock", back in the 70's. Two classic Lps remastered on one "must have" Cd. Not long after, another "hit", "Nothing Takes The Place Of You", featuring the great AATW vocalist CHRIS O'CONNELL stormed up the charts and it was a bluesy gem of a performance to behold. I was scanning the radio tuner and came upon ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL's [then] current hit "The Letter That Johnny Walker Read" and was stunned at how incredibly great this narrated & theatrical country weeper sounded. The real Chris O'Connell radio hit stunner followed in succession up the charts with her classic performance of "THE BUMP BOUNCE BOOGIE", a toe-tappin' mover and shakin' swing number which would no doubt turn the Andrews Sisters(1940s pop superstars) green with envy.
As for the music on their first record; besides "TAKE ME BACK TO TULSA", two other tracks that really stand out on here are CHEROKEE BOOGIE, which features some great piano playing by Floyd Domino, and my favorite alltime Wheel song I'VE BEEN EVERYWHERE. This was a great album of western swing that, up to that point, these ears had never heard. I've seen these guys "live", and I guarantee ya they can get your feet movin' on the old hardwood floor. It's not as good as their first two albums, but it's still a pretty good effort. Asleep At The Wheel, who were originally from Austin, moved to San Francisco, and under the influence of Commander Cody, worked the clubs there and eventually became these great pioneering rockabilly/western swing revivalists. He introduced me to Asleep At The Wheel's first album "Comin' Right At Ya". Asleep At The Wheel has gone through many band member changes over the last 30 years, but they were never better than this outfit of renegade western swingers. You'll be singin' it for days, or in my case years.
They had what were probably the two best fiddle players around in the legendary Johnny Gimble and the multi-talented Andy Stein from the Commander Cody Band, who claimed he could play virtually any stringed instrument you put in front of him. The first time I heard this band was in the mid 70's when I went to visit my friend David out in San Francisco. "ROLL EM FLOYD, which again features some great piano playing by Floyd Domino. Another song which I think is the best on the album is "RUNNIN' AFTER FOOLS", which was written and sung by Leroy Preston, who besides this one, penned most of the songs on these two albums. I believe this is their third record.
As for the second album on this CD called "Texas Gold". This was the Wheel's best record. Highly recommended listenin'. Asleep At The Wheel's CD catalogue is not complete however, until Epic Records rereleases their self-titled second album, which has been mysteriously deleted. You just gotta hear this one. This is a really nice twofer by the Wheel. When that great Bob Wills song "TAKE ME BACK TO TULSA" started playing, this kid from Oklahoma was hooked.
The standout tracks on this one are "THE LETTER THAT JOHNNY WALKER READ, which was cowritten by Commander Cody. It's great, and it's one I guarantee you'll be wanting to learn the words to. The Wheel were a talented band of great musicians. It starts out ultra-slow and eventually turns into western swing on speed.
Of course, this is my own opinion but I played rhythm guitar and sung country and swing music for 45 years, so I believe that my feelings about this album are justified. This gentleman may well be the nicest person on earth, but I don't think he did AATW any favors by singing. As usual, the music of AATW was outstanding even though this album was remastered from quite a while ago. The fellow who did the vocals (also played guitar and drums), should sit down and listen to himself and see if he agrees with me that he should stick to guitar and drums and leave the singing to Benson or some other vocalist.
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