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Through the Grapevine .” Bo Diddley ’ s “ Before You Accuse Me ” represents the band ’ s blues roots . Roy Orbison ’ s “ Ooby Dooby ” testifies further to CCR ’ s love of rockabilly . With John Fogerty ’ s feral blues shouts , # 2 single “ Travelin ’ Band ” rates alongside “ Fortunate Son ” from prior album Willy and the Poor Boys as one the band ’ s most bracing rockers . Fogerty returns to politically motivated fare with the menacing “ Run Through the Jungle ,” featuring a hypnotic swamp-rock groove driven by drummer Doug “ Cosmo ” Clifford . “ 200 million guns are loaded , Satan cries , ‘ Take aim !’,” sings Fogerty , referring to the 1970 statistic that there were enough guns to supply every man , woman , and child living in the USA . The rousing # 4 single “ Up Around the Bend ” features Fogerty ’ s clarion guitar riff and rich harmonies with brother Tom Fogerty and bassist Stu Cook in a celebratory anthem of togetherness . The shimmering folk-pop single “ Who ’ ll Stop the Rain ” describes melancholy and frustration with the powers-that-be that travels from the past into the then-present , drawing inspiration from Vietnam protests and Fogerty ’ s experience in the downpour at 1969 ’ s Woodstock festival . The Gospel delivery of “ Long as I Can See the Light ” describes a weary figure determined to persevere as long as his eyes are fixed on his source of hope – whether found in the divine or the comforts of home .
Craft has partnered with boutique record presser Vinyl Me , Please to produce a limited edition , half-speed mastered , translucent blue 50th anniversary LP on 180-gram vinyl . Craft celebrates the album ’ s 50th birthday with stylish simplicity and attention to the important details in the artwork and most importantly , the music itself . For any fan of alt-country , roots-rock or Americana , Cosmo ’ s Factory remains a remarkably resilient album that stands up to repeated play .
– Jeff Elbel
9
BOBBY BARE Bobby Bare Sings Shel Silverstein Plus
( Bare Family )
Country music superstar Bobby Bare ’ s career spans more than six staggering decades , with an extensive catalog peppered with hits from the heyday of American radio from the late ' 50s to the mid-80s . Bare ’ s 1958 # 2 single “ The All American Boy ” ( errantly credited to Bill Parsons ) was inspired by Elvis Presley ’ s success and conscription into the army . The Danny Dill and Mel Tillis-written “ Detroit City ” was a # 16 single on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963 , and the homesick “ 500 Miles Away From Home ” hit # 10 the same year . “ Drop Kick Me Jesus ” was a crossover novelty hit in 1976 . Through these singles and piles more , Bare kickstarted the Outlaw Country movement while proving to be an engaging storyteller and consummate interpreter of song . 1974 country chart-topper “ Marie Leveau ” marked a special connection , though . The song from 1973 ’ s Lullabys , Legends and Lies was the comical story of a loathsome Louisiana witch who was not to be crossed by any man , and it was written by Bare ’ s close friend by Shel Silverstein . Although Bare ’ s partnership with the beloved renaissance man ( songwriter , poet , playwright , performer , children ’ s author and Playboy cartoonist is a pretty broad spectrum ) ended with Silverstein ’ s death in 1999 , the pair ’ s magic was rekindled this year with the standalone release of lost 1978 album Great American Saturday Night – an album composed entirely of Silverstein songs . Bobby Bare Sings Shel Silverstein Plus extends the celebration with a grand banquet of the pair ’ s memorable history together . The box set includes eight discs with more than a hundred Silverstein songs ( out of 137 total ), including 25 previously unreleased tracks . Six expanded albums are included , with Lullabys , Legends and Lies and Great American Saturday Night among them . In addition to “ Marie Laveau ,” Lullabys features “ Daddy What If ,” featuring a sweet duet with Bare ’ s young son Bobby Jr . ( now guitarist with Ohio indie rockers Guided By Voices ). 1975 ’ s Hard Time Hungrys was a concept album written during America ’ s deep economic recession , with folk-blues songs like “ The Unemployement Line ” chronicling even more troubled times from the early 20th century . The album is expanded with six more Silverstein songs including the down-and-out “ Things to Sell ” and the wistful sadness of “ It ’ s Good to Know the Sun ’ s Still Shinin ’ Somewhere .” The title track to *** Singin ’ in the Kitchen gets the whole family into the act , “ banging on the pots and pans .” Tumbling story-song “ The Giving Tree ” shares the title and theme of Silverstein ’ s famous fable of sacrificial love and bestselling book . The expanded album includes Bare ’ s version of the lovesick and autobiographical “ Sylvia ’ s Mother .” Bare ’ s ( and Silverstein ’ s ) pleas are regularly interrupted by a telephone operator interrupting to request “ 40 cents more for the next three minutes .” The song was an earlier # 5 hit for Dr . Hook and the Medicine Show . Stray Bare Tracks includes the ode to dubious but irresistible southern cuisine “ Greasy Grit Gravy ,” a song boasting vocals by Bare , Willie Nelson , Waylon Jennings , Silverstein and Dennis Locorriere and Ray Sawyer of Dr . Hook . “ There ’ s an 18-Wheeler in Front of the Ritz Hotel ” tells the bittersweet tale of an annual love affair . 1980 ’ s Down and Dirty features # 11 country single “ Numbers .” Bare sizes up a prospect at the watering hole , and she returns the favor . “ Since there ain ’ t no zeroes , I give you a one ,” she says in withering summary . Great American Saturday Night features wry should ’ ve-been classics like the frustrated exhibitionism of “ They Won ’ t Let Us Show it at the Beach .” You can keep your weapons on display , “ but if it ’ s made for lovin ’, you gotta keep it hid .” The title track marks the time “ when all of your Monday to Friday dreams will come true .” The album is augmented with three additional tracks . The Johnny Cash-styled twostep “ Dirty Ol ’ Me ” is the tale of an unrepentant double-crosser who gets away with his wicked deeds . “ Livin ’ Legend ” is the plea of a washed-up country crooner . “ When the crowd is gone , mister , I ’ ll be glad to sweep your floor ,” offers the singer , hustling for one more gig .
A gorgeous , 128-page hardback book includes a new interview with Bare , a profile on Silverstein , photos , and lyrics and liner notes for every song . This lovingly crafted set is ideal if you ’ re seeking a deeper dive into Bare ’ s storied career or whether you only know Silverstein from his printed stories . ( bobbybare . com )
– JeffElbel
9
30 illinoisentertainer . com december 2020