Artist: Joe Ely
Album: The Lubbock Tapes: Full Circle
Label: Rock ‘Em Records
Release Date: 8.17.2008
Along with Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, Joe Ely first made a name for himself with legendary trio The Flatlanders. They failed to become Nashville recording artists, so Ely went to New York to play the folk club circuit. Not finding any luck there, Ely joined the Ringling Brothers circus as a caretaker for llamas, the World’s Smallest Horse, and two white stallions. When a horse kicked him and broke three ribs, he headed back to Lubbock, Texas, hometown of Buddy Holly. West Texas Swing was still king, and Ely quickly realized that to get work, he had to pursue that sound. He put together a cracking dance hall unit, and within a year the Joe Ely Band was packing the Cotton Club.
The Lubbock Tapes are a collection of demos that cover two critical periods. The first are sessions from 1974 done at the Caldwell Studios that found their way into the hands of Jerry Jeff Walker & The Lost Gonzo Band, who in turn passed them onto MCA Records resulting in a recording contract and a 12-year relationship with the label. The sound from these sessions is classic Texas Country Swing. Ely’s reedy tenor instantly brings to mind Jay Farrar (Uncle Tupelo/Son Volt) with whom he has worked.
The second session from 1978 were demos for the third record Down On The Drag. Here the band gets more experimental, with the lead guitarist Jesse Taylor and Maines (pedal steel) developing a new sound that mixed high energy blues with rock and roll and twangy country. Accordionist Ponty Bone added a distinctive Tex-Mex flavor.
“You can hear it going from a real honky-tonk sound to a harder edge,” Joe says. “I don’t think that was captured on the studio version of Down On The Drag. This raw spontaneity is what makes these sessions such a pleasure to listen to.
This fusion of Americana impressed Joe Strummer of the Clash, with whom Ely toured England, the USA, and Mexico. The two developed mutual admiration; Ely sings backup vocals on “Should I Stay Or Should I Go,” and the Clash paid tribute to Ely on Sandinista on “If Music Could Talk” with the lyric “Well there ain’t no better blend than Joe Ely and his Texas Men.” Ely has also worked with Bruce Springsteen, Los Super 7, The Chieftains, James McMurtry, Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, and Guy Clark, proving that his songwriting skills and ability to fuse styles transcend any particular genre. The Lubbock Tapes provide a unique insight onto Ely’s early career and what made him appealing to a variety of songwriters.
About these tapes Ely says, “When you first get together, that’s a real special time. It’s all fresh, you’re not played out yet. And you’re so spot on, so on the money, hittin’ the note every which way, it’s easy for me to stay that’s it’s been well-worth the 40-year wait to heard these tracks, even though hardly anyone realized that until right about now.”
Highly recommended.
—Mike Cobb
Be the first to comment!