BUCK OWENS – I Wouldn’t Live in New York City – (Capitol) – 1971

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Franko
For background biographical detail on Buck read "what Frank is listening to #117" in relation to his 1971 album "Bridge Over Troubled Water".
 
In that same comment I said the following about Buck: "He and like minded others could do that as they were relatively isolated from the (frowns of the) country music establishment. Owens had settled in Bakersfield, California in 1950 and started playing music in bars. Many others from west Texas and the dustbowl areas settled and they all shared a love of the hard country of their youth and played in that style. Being isolated also meant they could incorporate other influences into their music that the country music establishment wolf have frowned on ….. especially the rock n roll that was increasing in popularity. Eventually there was quite a large group of musicians playing in that style in and around Bakersfield and when that started translating into hits the "Bakersfield Sound" was born. Buck Owens and Merle Haggard are the most well known exponents of the sound… though Dave Dudley, Hank Thompson and Wynn Stewart all loom large also.
 
The Bakersfield sound was the direct precursor to country rock. When Gram Parsons and others started started experimenting in incorporating country into rock it had already been done by Owens  though in reverse as he incorporated rock into country. Incidentally, Elvis, Charlie Feathers and others had predated Gram with the "experiment" by some 10 years or so"
 
The influence of the Bakersfield sound of which Owens was central has been substantial on Gram Parson, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Dwight Yoakam, Dave Alvin, The Derailers, Dale Watson, The Mavericks, Brad Paisley, Dave Gleason and many others as well as on the "alt Country" and "Cow punk" genres".
 
I also said this about that album: "Having said all that this album, comes at mid point in Owens career …  and on this particular album the electric honky tonk is toned down. The album is made up of ballads and mid tempo songs and there are backing voices and various instrumental incidentals around the edges that smooth out some of the edges. On top of that Buck has covered 3 Paul Simon songs, a Dylan and a Donovan. As a result of all this the album moves closer to the country pop sound popular at the time, but, regardless it does not sound like anything coming out of Nashville. The regional accents are alive and well and even the most maudlin of tracks have a crisp little bite to them. There is no mistaking that this is anything but country music".
 
Given that this "I Wouldn't Live in New York City" album came out the same year as the album described above indicates that most of the sound as described above still applies. The difference here is that this album has every song written (or co-written) by Buck.

Buck was always a interesting writer and could communicate his feelings in a straightforward and simple way which is something common to the best country writers. Where Buck deviates from other trad country witers is that he could write about a range of topics, not just the usual country love songs, drinking songs, leaving songs or cheatin' songs. What is endearing is the honesty in how he communicates the message of the song regardless of the subject.

What he also has is a bit of humour  … so quite a few of his songs are funny jokey but the "jokey" has a satirical bite. Buck is not afraid of putting in satire and aiming it at his targets. I'm not saying he is Lenny Bruce but his observations are just as keenly detailed within the limits of the song structure. His satire also tends to be a little more good natured (maybe not as much as Tom T Hall) but when he feels strongly he will point the bone.

This album is a concept album of sorts – all the songs on the album are about cities or towns, mainly in America. But rather than an ode to each place Buck sings his impressions of the place either done through the eyes of a protagonist or as a stream of consciousness. To add to the ambience he also inserts sound bites (or sound affects) of actual street sounds into the songs – gambling tables, sirens, riverboat whistles etc.

 
The album is in no way pompous and it's not even ambitious. By that I mean this: if this was done in rock it would be ambitious but country songs have always lent themselves to ruminations on places and events. Buck here Buck has just strung them all together over the course of one album (even though some are re-recordings of songs he has already recorded).
 
Buck doesn't seem to be to concerned about stepping on toes or on what other people's perceptions of him are, either. There is some aforementioned bite to some of the songs but it is never nasty. There is some humour, chest thumping pride and melancholia also.
 
On first listening this album comes off as pleasant. On my second (and third) listenings (the album is quite short) I start to hear the depth of feeling, one way or the other, that Buck has for each place.
 
Tracks (best in italics)
  • I Wouldn't Live in New York City (If They Gave Me the Whole Dang Town) – Buck's put down of New York ... in the liner notes he reveals the song is about his first visit to NYC in the winter of 1964 (though he admits he has been there 100 times since). He was shafted by cabbies, doormen, bellboys and confronted by a sea of sour faces something he believes even locals complain about. So he dedicates this album to "New York City people in hopes that some day they'll remember to look beyond those hard, grey, bleak concrete walls and find the sun". Buck may be a little harsh ... I was in NYC in both summer and winter and there is a marked difference in the people … apart from the fact there is always someone trying to shaft you. Apparently this track was recorded live on the streets of NYC and the police car at the end was actually coming to see what is going on. I have no idea if that is true but I'll accept it. I don't think his New York fan base (such as it is) was affected by this song.
            It ain't nothin' but a concrete jungle with people packed like sardines
            Where everybody's tryin' to live beyond their means
            And like a fleas on a puppy dog they got no place to go.
            Where all the natives hurry and scurry too and fro
            I wouldn't live in New York City if they gave me the whole dang town
  • Reno Lament – the woes of gambling …
  • Down in New Orleans  – the prettiest girls are down in New Orleans … after chasing girls around the world. Slight but entertaining …
  • Wind Blows Every Day in Chicago  – emotions as weather. Very catchy.
  • The Kansas City Song  – another country song of separated love …
            Now honey, watch those Kansas City Romeos
            And don't let them fool you with their charms
            Have a lot of fun but remember that I love you
            And I'm a waiting here with my two open arms.
  • It's a Long Way to London Town –  a old Buck song re-recorded … jokey but not without it's wisdom.
            I nearly froze to death in Russia
            Burned up in Timbuctoo
            I got drunk down in Australia
            and nearly married me a kangaroo
  • Houston Town –  a weird song with dialogue from NASA.
  • Santa Domingo – steel drums and a Latin flavour. Country always seems to work well with Mexican flavours and this is no exception.
  • No Milk and Honey in Baltimore – hard times for a hard luck couple … traditional country themes which, like it or not, have rarely been explored in rock.   
  • Big in Vegas – part Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried" and anticipating Glen Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy" … a perfect country song about the boy who didn't listen and who has disillusionment waiting for him around the corner.
            When I was young I left my home
            And went away, to Vegas
            With my guitar and my dreams,
            I had to try to play and sing, in Vegas
            But my momma told me I was wrong,
            And she begged me to stay at home
            But my will was strong and
            I had to make it big, in Vegas
 
And … 

Keeping

Sounds

I Wouldn't Live in New York City (If They Gave Me the Whole Dang Town)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEe02hCiWmk

Down in New Orleans 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5IhhTokwH8

Santa Domingo   
attached

Big in Vegas  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCt6Ws8ivBw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9fqs73vG14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK7csq4USCM

attached
 
Bio

About Franko

Hi, I'm just a person with a love of music, a lot of records and some spare time. My opinions are comments not reviews and are mine so don't be offended if I have slighted your favourite artist. I have listened to a lot of music and I don't pretend to be impartial. You can contact me on franklycollectible@gmail.com though I would rather you left a comment. I also sell music at http://www.franklycollectible.com Cheers
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