Search - Asleep at the Wheel :: Asleep at the Wheel - 20 Greatest Hits

What a Ride !

peterfromkanata | Kanata, Ontario Canada | 08/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I remember buying my first "Asleep at the Wheel" album in the early seventies, so this band has been giving us fine music for over thirty years ! Of course, various musicians have come and gone, but there is one constant factor that keeps this band playing great stuff--Mr. Ray Benson--his leadership, talent and ear for a great song form the backbone of "AATW".



After all this time, no single CD or even a boxed set can cover all the music this band has recorded--but for a single, "best of" disc, this one is hard to beat. Of course, "AATW" diehards will want more than this--much more--but for the casual listener, this is a marvellous CD that is never going to become boring or dated. I first played this disc in my car, driving out in the country--a perfect combination !



Texas swing is alive and well in this music. It wouldn't be hard to imagine the ghost of Bob Wills near the stage, tapping his feet and grabbing his fiddle ! At the same time, these twenty tracks really highlight the versatility of the band. For example, I think that the lovely ballad " Texas Me and You" has always been one of AATW's best songs. Of course there are jump tunes aplenty here--"Take Me Back to Tulsa", "Bump Bounce Boogie", "Route 66", "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" ( Ray must be a Louis Jordan fan too ! ), and "Corrina Corrina" to name a few. Guests like Brooks and Dunn, Lyle Lovett and Bela Fleck add to the fun. Speaking of fun, Ray Benson really knows how to inject humour into a song too, for example, the old Tex Williams classic, "Smoke ! Smoke ! Smoke ! ( That Cigarette ). A couple of previously-unreleased songs round out a terrific CD.



Bottom line--a wonderful, one-disc retrospective of a great band that has shunned gimmicks and fads to remain true to its roots. Mr. Benson--if you ever read this--Thank You !"

Excellent selection, mixture of fun, serious, and in between

T. Burket | Potomac, MD United States | 03/26/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Thank goodness CDs have more room than vinyl. It's hard enough to restrict the collection to 20 songs. The collection has a nice diversity, with instrumentals, ballads, swing, and free-spirited fun. The band is in fine form throughout, with crisp playing in both studio and live numbers. Be prepared for some foot tapping and singing along.



Obviously AATW recorded many of these songs many times. Only "Route 66" came to mind as having a better version elsewhere, because the vocals here didn't have the style I prefer.



The other vocalists (mostly Ray and Chris) were right on target. Ray conveys such energy and fun in the rousing "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" and the amusing "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! That Cigarette" and others, when he and the band let loose. His voice is not a classically great voice, but he seems so well-suited also to "Miles and Miles of Texas" and similar, more moderate tunes. Ray must believe in the old chestnut, "Know thyself".



This is not the album if you want to feature Chris' vocals. She leads on only three.



The liner notes could have used more retrospective. If the band wants this to be considered a key collection, now would have been a good time to provide some more text about the band and the specific songs. They ended up with a relatively sparse amount, in my opinion, and even had a couple of typos in the list of songs."

If you want original recordings of AATW hits -- this is it

Bruce | Washington, DC | 08/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Asleep at the Wheel has been around since 1975. Although the style is still pretty much the same, the size and sound of the band has matured and improved over time. If you want to hear your favorite songs as originally recorded, then buy this album. You'll get Ray Benson's slightly higher pitched voice and a bigger band on the early tunes. Fans might also notice that the lyrics have changed over time on "Take Me Back to Tulsa." This album uses the original lyrics Bob Wills recorded. But since those lyrics are not too PC, Ray Benson sings a more modern and even sexier version. If you want to hear that version, and new recordings of most of these same songs, then you want to buy the Very Best of Asleep at the Wheel, now available from Amazon.com, or one of the live albums recently recorded, such as Kings of the Texas Swing."