Search - Butch Hancock :: The Wind's Dominion

ESSENTIAL BUTCH HANCOCK

Johan van Wyk | Johannesburg, South Africa | 06/11/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Butch Hancock is one of the best Texan songwriters alive and has provided songs for amongst others the TEXAS TORNADOS and EMMYLOU HARRIS. It is a crying shame that he is largely ignored by the record buying public and this fact is evidenced by the quality of "The wind's dominion". If you're not familiar with Hancock, just take a look at the two black and white photographs (barren earth, tractors, dust, wind) in the supplied booklet and you'll have a good idea of the kind of music that awaits you - Texan country/blues/rock at its best. Originally released in 1979 the CD consists of 15 songs, 14 of which were written by Hancock himself. Guest musicians include Joe Ely and Jimmy Dale Gilmore who, together with Hancock, were the influential FLATLANDERS. Although there is hardly a bad track on the CD, highlights include the title track, "Capture...fracture...and the rapture", the guitar and accordion accompanied, seven and a half minute "Eternal triangles" as well as "Row of dominoes". As always, the lyrics are outstanding - follow "the semi-sad ballad of MARIO Y MARIA" and you'll be a Butch Hancock fan for life."

Songs missing

Roger Jönsson | Lund, Sweden | 09/17/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the "Blonde On Blonde" of West Texas. It includes some of Hancock's finest material, like the terrific title track, "Row of Dominoes", "Smokin' In The Rain", "Personal Rendition Of The Blues" and "Wild Horses Chase The Wind". I would only like to make you aware of the fact that for this cd release two tracks have been omitted - a second, acoustic version of the title track, and the long and wonderful talkin' blues song "Split and Slide". There is no information about these omissions on the record and that always irritates me. I know this because I was lucky enough to stumble across the extremely hard-to-find original vinyl Double-Lp at a record fair. (At an incredibly low price....)"