Search - Derailers :: Retrospective: Just One More Time

+1/2 -- Great band, great songs, mysterious sequencing

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 12/13/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Bakersfield twang of the Austin-based Derailers was just as refreshing in the mid-90s as had been Buck Owens' original run through the 1960s. Much like Owens and his Buckaroos, the Derailers wore their Fender guitars proudly, and though plenty comfortable with a straight country waltz, they didn't hesitate to turn up their amps or add a rock 'n' roll beat to their honky-tonk dance tunes. The band's hook-filled originals were perfectly realized by Tony Villanueva's husky Texas-accented vocals and Brian Hofeldt's twangy lead guitar. Varese's 17-track retrospective is a great starting point for those who didn't latch onto the Derailers the first time around.



Villaneuva and Hofeldt's interplay was mapped out on their studio debut, "Jackpot," with the Buck-and-Don styled "My Heart's Ready" and the riff-filled "100% Pure Fool." The songs combine open-hearted idealism and self-deprecating sorrow in much the same manner as Owens' mid-60s classics, and the balance of vocals, lead guitar and pedal steel is superb. Dave Alvin's production leaves the band's basic stage sound unaltered, but he wisely had them slow the tempo of a few songs for the studio.



Alvin stayed in the producer's seat for the band's next pair of releases, "Reverb Deluxe" and "Full Western Dress." Distributed by Sire, part of the major label Warner group, the band retained its twangy Bakersfield edge, but with more pronounced rock 'n' roll verve on songs like "California Angel." The ballad "Can't Stop a Train" deftly interweaves Villaneuva and Hofeldt with the hypnotic train rhythm of drummer Terry Kirkendall and layers of acoustic guitars. The Derailers only charting single, "The Right Place," has a Southern dance beat that recalls Doug Sahm, and a cover of The Crystals "Then He Kissed Me" (retitled "Then She Kissed Me") sounds like Gary Lewis gone country.



In 2001 the group joined the roster of Sony's Lucky Dog imprint. Lucky Dog was an experiment in cross-pollinating country artists on the periphery of commercial music with producers who sat at the center. The Derailers were paired with producer Kyle Lehning (who'd worked with Bryan White, Neal McCoy, and Randy Travis), and the result was a mixed bag. The Lucky Dog albums were more Country than Nashville, but also more Nashville than Austin. Lehning's polish and the addition of studio musicians both helps and hinders the core four-piece. Varese's compilation skips 2001's "Here Come the Derailers" entirely, and samples only two tracks from 2003's "Genuine." The title track from the latter is a good example of Lehning's overproduction, with a big drum sound and overblown vocal harmonies.



Rounding out this set is a quartet of live recordings that were originally issued in 1995 as the band's first public release. All four tracks show just how potent the Derailers were as a stage act, and how easily Villaneuva and Hofeldt sang together. The selection of covers (Cindy Walker's "I Go Anywhere," Harlan Howard's "I'll Catch You if You Fall," and Wynn Stewart's "Wishful Thinkin'") gives a good sense of where this band came from, and a hopped-up version of their original "Just One More Time" features a terrific Beatles-styled country guitar solo.



The generous 17-cut track-list provides a good overview of the band's wares, but the lack of chronological order leaves listeners to sort out the artistic arc. The collection opens in the middle of the band's career, moves to the Lucky Dog tracks before rewinding to the Bakersfield Sound beginnings; he live tracks and the cuts from "Jackpot" are buried in the middle and end of the disc. The evolution of the band's work is more easily heard by programming the tracks 11, 12, 13, 17, 5, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16, 1, 9, 2, 10, 3, 4.



The song selections from the first three studio albums are a good representation, though the inclusion of seven cuts from "Jackpot" (admittedly, their best LP) ends up short-changing the later albums. The two Lucky Dog tracks fail to fully essay the halfway-from-Austin-to-Nashville sound that the Derailers successfully achieved with Lehning. The commercial balance may have been too slick for the indie crowd and too retro for country radio, but it was a noble experiment that yielded better results than are heard here. The omission of anything from "Here Come the Derailers" is a shame, as it contained some excellent material.



In the end, microscopic criticisms of the song selection is a matter for those who already own all the individual albums, and thus mostly beside the point. Varese's created a fine introduction to a band that any fan of twangy Bakersfield-styled country should have in their collection. Reprogram the track list closer to chronological order, and get ready to chase down the band's individual albums after you hear the highlights. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2006 hyperbolium dot com]"