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Dwight Yoakam
Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.
Deluxe Edition
(Reprise/Rhino)
The Music Box's #10 reissue of 2006
First Appeared in The Music Box, December 2006, Volume 13, #12
Written by John Metzger
The genesis of Dwight Yoakam’s now 20-year-old debut Guitars, Cadillacs,
Etc. Etc. actually began five years earlier in 1981 when he, guitarist Jerry
McGee, and producer Gordon Schyrock ventured into a recording studio to lay down
a series of demos. Backed by an impressive band that included pianist Glen D.
Hardin (The Crickets, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris), pedal steel guitarist Jay
Dee Maness (Emmylou Harris, Desert Rose Band), and mandolinist/fiddle player
David Mansfield (Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue), Yoakam created, in the wee
hours of the morning, the template that since has guided his career. That the 10
tracks that open the deluxe edition of Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.
were issued just a few years ago as part of the four-disc box set Reprise,
Please Baby is moot; here, the song cycle attains its rightful place as the
prelude to an EP-turned-album that — along with early efforts by George Strait
and Randy Travis — helped to push country music away from its post-Urban
Cowboy ennui and back toward its harder-edged roots.
Though Hardin, Maness, and Mansfield lent their support to the final outing,
it’s not surprising, considering the gap that separated the initial and official
recording sessions, that Yoakam was backed by different ensembles or that he
placed different spins upon the occasionally overlapping material. Still, both
the demos as well as those selections that came to compose Guitars, Cadillacs,
Etc., Etc. sprang from a similar set of reference points that relit country
tradition with the fiery spark of rock ’n‘ roll. Although it’s doubtful that
anyone truly needed help in discerning Yoakam’s influences, his uneven but
intriguing interpretive outing Under the Covers — which allowed songs by
The Clash and the Rolling Stones to commingle with selections by Roy Orbison and
Jimmie Rodgers — did a superb job of laying most of his cards on the table.
Though curiously, those of his southern California brethren Merle Haggard, Buck
Owens, and yes, even The Byrds were noticeably absent. No matter, their sway was
a mainstay of his early work, and it percolated through the hyperactive
bluegrass-meets-rock fury of This Drinkin’ Will Kill Me, Bury Me,
and I’ll Be Gone. Elsewhere, ballads and mid-tempo shuffles like
You’re the One, Please Daddy, and Harlan Howard’s Heartaches by
the Number placed Yoakam’s heartfelt and emotionally honest vocals firmly
within the spotlight, while Miner’s Prayer and Twenty Years fused
Johnny Cash’s Sun Studios-imbued rhythmic chug with swinging, Bakersfield-bred
grooves.
Nevertheless, the real treat contained on the newly compiled rendition of
Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. — for Yoakam’s avid fans as well as for
newcomers — is the live material that is featured on the collection’s second
disc. As his early demos indicated, Yoakam was destined for bigger and better
things, but connecting with guitarist Pete Anderson was what thrust him forward
full-throttle. With bass player J.D. Foster, drummer Jeff Donavan, and fiddle
player Brantley Kearns also by his side, Yoakam recast a pair of Bill Monroe’s
classics by turning Rocky Road Blues into a raging, rockabilly-imbued
romp and by giving Can’t You Hear Me Calling a remarkably intense
workout. Although the original composition I’ll Be Gone was pushed nearly
to its limit, the collective was so tight that it never derailed. Likewise, the
group delivered supercharged renditions of Hank Williams’ My Bucket’s Got a
Whole in It and the seminal Junior Parker/Sam Phillips-penned tune
Mystery Train. The loose, vibrant energy unleashed by Yoakam and his backing
band propels all 12 of the concert cuts, which were recorded at Hollywood’s The
Roxy in March 1986, and taken in full, they provide a commendable alternative to
Live from Austin, TX and Dwight Live. Over the years, many artists
have attempted to cobble together archival material in a fashion that paints a
similar portrait of an ascendancy to the top of the charts, but few of the
resulting endeavors have felt this fully realized and complete. From start to
finish, the deluxe edition of Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. offers a
sterling glimpse at a star in the making.
Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. [Deluxe Edition] — 
Bonus Materials —
Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. [Original Album] —
Of Further Interest...
Dierks Bentley - Long Trip Alone
Radney Foster - This World We Live In
George Strait - 22 More Hits
Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.: Deluxe Edition is available from
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Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. [Standard CD] is available
from Amazon. To order, Click Here!
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2006 The Music Box
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