Even at the higher end of the spectrum ($4), this was a good deal.
Asleep At the Wheel are purveyors of that Texas Swing at a time when country was moving rapidly away from that sound. Formed in West Virginia by Ray Benson and Lucky O Gosfield, the band has released over 25 albums including last years tribute to one of their biggest influences, Bob Wills”. The band is also still touring, although they are playing The Woodlands rather than Houston this year (on New Years). They will also be playing at The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix on Dec 21. The group is based out of Austin. They relocated there in 1974 on the request of Willie Nelson.
Before that move, they released this, their first album in 1973. They were living in Oakland at the time, on the request of Commander Cody. This was their only album for United Artists and would lay down the sound which future releases would follow. It is a great starting point for the band with original tunes as well as good covers, including Wills’ “Take Me Back To Tulsa” as well as Moon Mullican’s “Cherokee Boogie” and the oft covered “I’ve Been Everywhere”. The band is joined by fiddle players Johnny Gimble, Buddy Spicher, and Andy Stein. What makes this album more remarkable to me is to think where country music was going at the time. To put out a record that unashamedly went back to its roots was pretty remarkable.
Allmusic review of the album because I am lazy today
For a sample, I went with one of my favorite Ernest Tubb songs (and probably the underlining reason I bought this album), “Driving Nails In My Coffin”.
Satisfactory record.