Search - Fabulous Thunderbirds :: What's the Word

The Word Is....Fabulous!!!

chris meesey Food Czar | The Colony, TX United States | 10/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"On the Fabulous Thunderbirds second CD, Kim Wilson and Co. consolidate the (yes) fabulous sound that made the first CD Girls Go Wild such a classic. "Jumpin' Bad," a high-octane, harmonica-fueled instrumental, was their concert opener for years and gives Kim perhaps his best showcase as a harpist. "You Ain't Nothin' But Fine," another high-speed romp, is indeed so fine that short-lived supergroup Rockpile covered it on their Seconds of Pleasure album. (This was truly high praise; Rockpile included New-Wave luminaries Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe in it's lineup while the T-Birds were totally unknown at the time.) And if you love great guitar, check out Jimmie Vaughan's hot licks in "Extra Jimmies" and listen to him really tear up the dance floor in "The Crawl". Great solos! "Runnin' Shoes" is actually the retitled blues standard "Meet Me at the Bottom," which was covered by everyone from The Rolling Stones to Savoy Brown; Kim's singing here is at his most funky and authoritative. There are also two bonus songs here (not three; one is merely an introduction to the live cuts) and they cook; Kim especially fine on "Scratch My Back" (a number they would later sing live on CBS This Morning). Finally, "Los Fabulosos Thunderbirds" is a wonderful little band ditty with authentic-sounding Mexican DJ El Mero Guero (really bassist Keith Ferguson) giving a sample of how the T-Birds would sound broadcast over 1960's Mexican radio. Priceless! So, if you want to know What's The Word?.....in a word, fabulous!"

Good Time Rock and Roll

ifutureman | NJ | 05/05/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When a band plays the blues as well as these guys did, it's hard to find the right words to describe their achievement. Suffice to say, Jimmie Vaughan is the master of understatement on guitar; Kim Wilson's voice is rich and soulful, and his harp playing is incendiary; "in the pocket" barely begins to describe Keith Fergusen's bass playing; and both Mike Buck and Fran Christina (who each play on about half the tunes) lay down a backbeat that is impossible to resist.



All the early T-birds albums are worth owning, but this one is my favorite, for its sheer consistency. "Runnin' Shoes" is band's take on an old blues standard called "Meet Me At The Bottom" which highlights Kim's perfect control of his voice. "Low Down Woman," a straightforward mid-tempo blues, has some of his most amusing lyrics. "Extra Jimmies" and "Jumpin' Bad" display the prodigious talents of Vaughan and Wilson, respectively (not to mention the fluid bass of Fergusen), and "The Crawl" should be on every jukebox in the country!



Enhancing an already perfect album, the CD reissue adds two bonus live cuts, one of which ("Bad Boy") is not on any other T-birds album. It's no surprise these guys sound just as good live as in the studio.



If you are looking for an example of how electric blues/boogie should be played, look no further."