I recently just heard about Doug Sahm for the first time earlier this week, and was amazed that I hadn’t before. Sahm was a musical prodigy of sorts growing up in Texas, making his radio debut at the age of 5. He’s quite important in the musical realm of Tex-Mex, and has certainly made great contributions in different forms of rock and roll and country. He would anything from guitar, pedal steel guitar, mandolin, violin, and even keyboards. There were a lot of guest musicians on this, Sahm’s debut solo record, such as Bob Dylan, Dr. John, and David Bromberg. With that, I’m going to jump on into the music, because I’m quite excited to give this album a listen.
“(Is Anybody Going To) San Antone” starts out smooth and mellow with a definite Tex-Mex, on the border rock and roll type of song. Wow, I’ve never really heard music quite like this. I suppose maybe Peter Rowan’s self-titled 1978 album is probably the closest thing I can remember listening to, but that was way more bluegrass than this. I love that fusion of flavor coming from the harmonica and the pedal steel. Wow, this is an awesome start to the album. I’m quite excited to hear more.
“It’s Gonna Be Easy” has more of that Tex-Mex feel to it. Wow, the vocals have a really great sound to them in they way they’re layered and mixed into the track. I’m a big fan of how that pedal steel guitar, while the acoustic sort of keeps churching things around with the drums. The song feels so full, I’m having a hard time picking up exactly how the soundscape is laid out, but it’s definitely an awesome little tune. I think there’s little bits of organ in the mix. Wow, those piano notes are super tasty. These songs are super fun to listen to.
“Your Friends” starts out with a little bit of studio chatter, as the band really feels things out. Oh wow, it’s almost like a jazz-inflected blues tune. There’s a saxophone in this one that really adds a whole lot of nice flavor to the song and album as a whole. Wow, I’m really grooving to this tune – there are so many great flavors to this mix. That upright bass is absolutely awesome. The drums create this airy quality to the mix, and I’m totally digging it. Wow, the little acoustic strumming really feels like it’s just combing the tune out a bit, and is totally awesome. Wow, this guitar solo is super tasty too.
“Poison Love” moves things back down to the border with this quick paced twangy Tex-Mex tune. Oh wow, this tune has some great interesting jams with the piano and acoustic guitar that is somewhere between bluegrass, country, and Mexican folk. Wow, I’m not even sure what instrument is being played, it sounds like it could be a harmonica, or possibly even a fiddle. Oh wow, that mandolin comes in real hot, and sort of ties up that little jam section quite nicely.
“Wallflower”, a Bob Dylan original that never appeared on a Dylan studio album that I know of, has a really nice Tex-Mex swing to it. This song has Dylan taking the lead on the vocals in this track. It’s got a really nice feel to it, that sort of reminds sounds like it’s something from Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde (1966) sent through a Tex-Mex-izer of a machine. That organ is really sweet. Excellent song.
“Dealer’s Blues” has a really nice funky little groove to it. Wow, this one is sick. Oh wow, the vocals have excellent feeling in this one. It sort of reminds me a bit of “See What a Love Can Do” by Grin/Nils Lofgren of Grin’s self-titled 1971 album. Oh wow, that little electric guitar solo was sick. And now the saxophone is really laying into it, while the bass guitar keeps walking up and down the track. Absolutely awesome. The organ really frames the song really well whenever it swirls for a moment.
“Faded Love” has a pretty bluegrass country feel to it. Those fiddles are really creating a nice bluegrass-y soundscape. Wow, when the fiddles drop back, the pedal steel guitar really paints a nice country picture, reminiscent of The Flying Burrito Brothers. The mandolin has these little delicate parts that sort of chime in every now again and are really sweet. The fiddles make the song feel quite heartfelt, in my opinion. Oh wow, that pedal steel is awesome. The piano is coming in with some super tasty notes that add so much to the jam by doing so little. Oh wow, there’s almost a false ending where the band and vocals come back a lot stronger from – really awesome.
“Blues Stay Away from Me” starts out with a bit of studio chatter, and at one point you can hear Bob Dylan starting out the singing. Oh wow, this song is really awesome. That acoustic guitar has such a great bluesy twang, it almost reminds me of early 1970s Jerry Garcia. Oh wow, the electric guitar is so bright and piercing, almost no bass to it at all, and really says a whole lot with its playing. Oh wow. This song is absolutely sick. The acoustic guitar has a really awesome back country vibe, and the electric guitar has a really nice bluesy twang to it. This song is absolutely delicious. I am definitely enjoying this album – wow. The interplay between the guitars is superb. The bass and drums go together so well, and create a great platform for the lyrics and vocals as the different guitars frame the sides of the soundscape. Awesome song.
“Papa Ain’t Salty” is such a classic blues rock song, wow. That piano and bass really play together so well. The guitar really plays out and echoes a lot of the emotions that the vocals portray. I love the bass in this one; it’s basically just slowly meandering its way up and down the neck. Oh wow, there’s some little horns/saxophone notes that sort of keep the song rising and momentum building as the song continues through the motions. Oh wow, that saxophone comes in strong and plays out some jazz-inflected blues for this one. Absolutely delicious. Wow, the piano’s getting a turn in this jam, and really builds well on the previous little solos and incorporating the parts of the other instruments very well. Awesome song.
“Me and Paul” starts out immediately with a turning rock and roll Tex-Mex country rock song. That harmonica is so tasty in the notes it plays, wow. The horns are laid out so well too – it’s almost orchestral in nature. That electric guitar is sort of milky in the way it’s just churning the song around, while the acoustic guitar has a really nice twang and does more technical mixing. Wow, that piano almost gets some twang to it. The organ does really subtle work, but keeps that turning feeling moving things around very well with what it does. This sort of conglomeration of genres and sounds that really sounds so awesome. I’m checking how much this album is on discogs to buy it on vinyl.
“Don’t Turn Around” has an almost gospel-like quality to it with the high notes in all of the instruments, though especially because of the organ, piano, and vocals. There’s a real nice swing to this one with the rhythm section. That twangy (electric?) guitar really echoes quite subtly the other instruments on the other side of the mix. There’s almost a pleading quality to this one. Awesome song.
“I Get Off” has a really nice bluesy grit to it. Oh wow, that organ comes in super strong. That electric guitar and piano sort of swiftly stir up the track with the staccato’d notes. The way the organ and vocals sound, it almost reminds me of Manfred Mann. Wow, that lead guitar part really lays into the track. The horns really add some great flavor to the whole mix. Oh wow, this outro is absolutely, and sort of fades out like the band kept jamming for a good while after the track length on the album might otherwise possibly lead you to believe. Awesome song.
Wow, this album is awesome. There are so many genres in this album, it’s near impossible to try to list them all. I’m quite excited to listen to more of Doug Sahm’s stuff. It’s not even really a country album, but it’s definitely got some country feel to it at times. For those not into country, I’d say there’s still a good chance you might enjoy this one. Wow. I’m definitely looking to purchase it on vinyl soon. Awesome album, especially for those who enjoy a sort of mash-up of genres. If you do decide to take a listen, I sincerely hope you enjoy it at least as much as I did.
-A