1001 Albums: #47 - Buck Owens and His Buckaroos - I've Got the Tiger by the Tail

Buck Owens and His Buckaroos - I've Got the Tiger by the Tail
Capitol, 1965

Ah yes, the Bakersfield Sound. My immediate reaction was revulsion, but once that Telecaster really kicks in on "Let the Sad Times Roll On" I'm coming around. Just a kiss of the Telecaster there, but it really opens up going forward. As a lifelong Fender player (first out of necessity, second out of principle), I dig. I've always wanted a Telecaster, but that's beside the point. The thing is, Buck Owens comes across as a little too slick for country and western (I mean, listen to any other version of "Streets of Laredo" from Marty Robbins to Johnny Cash to Joan freakin' Baez, they just sell it better). That said, when Owens isn't trying to play a cowboy, the results are a helluva lot better. The lovelorn "Cryin' Time" was my favorite of the lot. I guess for me Buck's heart just isn't in it the way I want it to be for this vintage country music. The music itself is crisp and better recorded than anything else in the genre, and maybe I just need a little more stank on my country music. Who knows! I'm the first to admit when I'm wrong, and maybe I'm wrong on this one.