Search - Dwight Yoakam :: Reprise Please Baby: The Warner Bros. Years

Definitive Dwight

James E. Bagley | Sanatoga, PA USA | 01/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When Dwight Yoakam emerged on country radio in 1986 with a cover of Johnny Horton's "Honky Tonk Man," few would have guessed that he would outlast goldenboy labelmate Randy Travis as a commercial commodity. Yet outlast Travis, the Kentucky-born, Ohio-raised, Bakersfield-influenced singer songwriter did, creating a sizable alt-country niche that continues in spite of increasingly reduced radio play over the years. Capturing the highlights of Yoakam's enduring, consistently high quality contributions to country music is this four disc, 87 track collection, containing all the hits, plus key album tracks, tribute offerings, duets, covers, soundtrack efforts, and a sizable sampling of live recordings (whew!).Disc one chronicles Yoakam the hitmaker, with the CD comprised of tracks from his first four albums: Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. (1986), Hillbilly Deluxe (1987), Buenos Nochas From A Lonely Room (1988), and If There Was A Way (1990). With Pete Anderson on board from the start as producer and guitarist extraordinaire, Yoakam's lonesome tenor connects nicely - and charts highly - with everything he touches during this period, be it the honkytonkin' "It Only Hurts When I Cry," the tearjerker "I Sang Dixie," or the rockabilly Elvis fave "Little Sister." Through his chartopping, toetapping duet with Buck Owens on "Streets Of Bakersfield," as well as a faithful remake of Lefty Frizzell's "Always Late With Your Kisses," Yoakam was also able to introduce some of his musical influences to young listeners. The only omission of note from this early phase is his stark, soulful "Sin City" duet with k.d. lang, originally found on Yoakam's first collection Just Lookin' For A Hit (1989).While the contents of disc one are predictable and satisfying, disc two (summarizing Yoakam's 1992 through early 1998 output) is an eclectic mix of varying quality. Yoakam's moving duet with Flaco Jimenez on Warren Zevon's sordid drug tale "Carmelita" (from Jimenez's Partners CD) gets it started, followed by a so-so live rendition of "Suspicious Minds" (his original take - available on Last Chance For A Thousand Years, among other places - was superior). Two scorching tracks ("Doin' What I Do," "Hey Little Girl") from the import-only La Croix D'Amour find Yoakam rockin' hard and effectively, then three recordings from his sub-par Under The Covers close the disc. They include the album's lone standout, a bluegrass take on the Clash's "Train In Vain," as well as a mismatched duet with Sheryl Crow on Sonny & Cher's "Baby Don't Go." These covers surround seven tracks from Yoakam's preeminent release, 1993's This Time. With the haunting jangle of "Ain't That Lonely Yet," the percolating "Fast As You," the sparse "Try Not To Look So Pretty," and the blaring "A Thousand Miles From Nowhere" among its gems, This Time is a modern country masterpiece that exploded the boundaries of the Bakersfield sound. Nice to see it so heftily represented here.The equally diverse disc three covers Yoakam's most recent work (1998 to the present). As country airwaves became increasingly watered down with pop, his greatest radio success (aside from the shimmering "Things Change" from 1998's excellent A Long Way Home) lie in countrified covers of Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me." Side projects (including the snappy Bob Wills' tribute "San Antonio Rose" with Asleep At The Wheel and the swampy ZZ Top tribute "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide") offered some fine diversions from recent albums: the sparse dwightyoakamacoustic.net (2000), the successful return to roots Tomorrow's Sounds Today (2000), and the noisy soundtrack South Of Heaven, West Of Hell (2001). Three new recordings (a mundane "Louisville," a hiccupy "Sittin' Pretty," and a shufflin' version of "Mercury Blues" - currently being used for car commercials - end the disc on a flat note.Disc four is for the Yoakam collector, with its 21 previously unreleased tracks. Leading off is ten self-produced demos from 1981. All but "Please Daddy" would appear in slightly altered versions on his first four Warner Brothers albums and, while lacking Pete Anderson's polish, each track is far better than most of what is pedaled by today's country hitmakers. A pair of George 'n Tammy-type duets with Kelly Willis as well as a solo version of the aforementioned "Sin City" go down easy, if not memorably, followed by eight live covers. Aside from a drawn out, sonically impaired rendition of the Grateful Dead's "Truckin" (Yoakam's studio rendition from 1991's tribute album Deadicated was far better), these live recordings - especially the full throttle "Mystery Train" and "Can't You Hear Me Calling" - really hit the spot. They also serve to remind the listener that in addition to being one of modern country's most gifted singers and songwriters, Yoakam is one of its greatest performers.

Though this box set is fairly comprehensive, several of Yoakam's guest vocals over the years did not make it onto this retrospective (the recent Johnny Cash tribute album and Will The Circle Be Unbroken III for starters). Yoakam's 1997 holiday CD Come On Christmas was completely ignored as well. Look for their inclusion on the upcoming seventeen-CD Yoakam retrospective, also compiled by Rhino. If you can afford it."

This Is Required Listening

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 12/18/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 87-track collection from the artist who single-handedly kept alive the spirit of honky tonk music has something for everyone. For those who only know Dwight Yoakam from his radio hits--they're all here from 1986's "Honky Tonk Man" through 2000's "What Do You Know About Love."For the serious fan, you get his one-off tracks like "Carmelita" (from Flaco Jimenez's album PARTNERS), "Holding Things Together" (from the Merle Haggard tribute album), "Rapid City, South Dakota" (from the Kinky Friedman tribute album), "New San Antonio Rose" (from Asleep at the Wheel's tribute album to Bob Wills) and "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" (from this year's ZZ Top tribute album). The only songs missing are "Suspicious Minds" from the Honemoon in Vegas soundtrack and "Truckin'" from the Grateful Dead tribute album. [They are, however, both included on disc 4 in live versions.] You also get two tracks ("Doin' What I Did" and "Hey Little Girl") that previously were available only on Reprise's international collection LA CROIX D'AMOUR. In addition there are four new recordings: "Louisville," "Sittin' Pretty," "Mercury Blues" and a solo reworking of "Sin City," which first appeared as a duet with k.d. lang on JUST LOOKIN' FOR A HIT. Disc 4 is ALL PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MATERIAL!!! Tracks 1-10 are from Yoakam's 1981 demo recordings. Except for "Please Daddy," they would all show up in slightly different form on his first four studio albums. After hearing these demos, it's amazing it took five years for Yoakam to get a recording contract. Tracks 11 and 12 are superb duets with Kelly Willis. The last eight tracks are live songs from 1986, 1991 and 1995.I've never been a huge country fan, but in 1986 I bought debuts from three artists that I thought would bring some integrity to country music. They were Steve Earle, Randy Travis and Dwight Yoakam. What they have in common is a sincerity and honesty in their music that makes them stand head and shoulders above the rest of the country music landscape. ESSENTIAL"

Rhino Does It Again! But Pete Anderson Deserves More Props!

Clark Paull | Murder City | 02/04/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At the risk of making this review sound like the Rhino Records Appreciation Society, is there anything this company can't do when it comes to the world of re-issues, compendiums, and best-ofs? There's nothing really fancy or gimmicky about this Dwight Yoakam box - no hard-to-store novelty packaging, no DVD's, and no gristle. The first three discs draw the cream of the crop from Yoakam's studio releases, his guest appearances on the albums of others (including a surprise take on Syndicate Of Sound's "Hey Little Girl"), and three brand new recordings, while the fourth disc is comprised entirely of previously unreleased studio and live material, including demos cut in 1981 before earning his first recording contract. The three new cuts, "Louisville," "Sittin' Pretty," and "Mercury Blues," all carry the magic imprint of Yoakam's secret weapon - producer, arranger, and lead guitarist Pete Anderson - whose signature twang is every bit a part of Yoakam's sound as Dwight's own hiccuping, hillbilly croon. Throw in a booklet full of photos, testimonials and classy liner notes by Holly George-Warren and you've got another no brainer courtesy of the compilation geniuses at Rhino."