Doesn't get any Kinkier than this!
David Mandau | Takoma Park, MD | 09/12/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Kinky Friedman is a Lone Star treasure. Heck, make that a national treasure. For decades he's written and recorded alternately touching and hilarious country songs that marry traditional country musical values with a uniquely skewed lyrical vision. Lots of country singers claim to be rugged individualists, but Kinky is one singer-songwriter who truly stands apart from the pack.
If you're a long-term fan--and your're in good company, with fans like Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, and Lyle Lovett having covered his songs--you'll find that this collection will bring back a lot of great memories--and laughs.
If you're new to Kinky, this CD is the best entree to his very special world."
Most tracks aren't the original versions!
Barack Obama | Washington DC | 11/10/2007
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Don't get me wrong here. I love Kinky's music. But this CD is a disappointment, as most of the tracks on it are live cuts, not original studio cuts.
Kinky classics like "Get Your Biscuits In The Oven And Your Buns In The Bed," "We Reserve The Right To Refuse Service To You," "Homo Erectus," and (gasp!) "They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore" are not present in their original versions, but rather inferior live cuts. This collection has other cuts from the Sold American and Kinky Friedman albums; why couldn't the above songs be included in their original versions?
Overall, this CD could have been great, but it's a disappointment."
Interesting, Funny, and Worth It
Michael Z. Jody | NYC & East Hampton, NY United States | 12/04/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Back in the 1970's I used to go see Kinky Friedman and his Texas Jewboys at the Lone Star Café in New York City. He was a pretty entertaining performer. Let's face it, Kinky Friedman can't really sing for beans, but he is one hell of an interesting, funny, and politically interesting songwriter (he was also recently seriously in the race for the governorship of Texas) and there is something appealing about his voice.
Kinky's songs are much like the film Borat (come to think of it Kinky looks a little like Sascha Baron Cohen): you're not always quite sure what he intends, and the lyrics can be pretty offensive, but, they are also funny as hell. Examples: "Waitret [waitress] please waitret come sit on my fate." Or The Ballad of Charles Whitman, a comedy song about Charles Joseph Whitman, the Texas Tower Sniper who in 1966 killed 15 people and wounded 31 "all the while he smiled so sweetly then he blew them out completely...he was settin' up there with his 36 magnum, laughing wildly as he bagged `em." Then again, there is also Sold American, which is about...well, I'm not quite sure what it's about, but it is actually a lovely song.
If you don't know Kinky and his work, then this is a great place to start, and if you do, then this fairly complete collection will bring back a lot of (hopefully good) memories from the 70s.
"