Western Clambake by Hot Club of Cowtown

1997 — 20th Anniversary Reissue 2017 / Gold Strike Records

Our very first recording, Western Clambake, which had previously been available only on cassette tape, first recorded in August, 1997 in San Diego, CA.

The original lineup of the band, documented in this collection, was Hot Club of Cowtown founders Whit Smith on guitar and Elana James on fiddle, with bassist T.C. Cyran. This collection of songs, 38 minutes of total playing time, covers all 14 tracks is a raw, almost primitive collection, a tide of pure energy and relentless enthusiasm. Whit Smith is the only vocalist, but background shouts and trills lend dimension, as does the electrifying thrill of James’s fiddle, Smith’s primal guitar tone, and the acoustic slap and thump of Cyran’s bass. The overall effect is of a metal cylinder field recording c. 1937 with Alan Lomax’s slight distortion from the original cassette after 20 years lends this collection the grit and heart of another era.

Tracklist

1.	Draggin' the Bow	2:23

2.	Silver Dew on the Bluegrass Tonight	3:04

3.	Chinatown	2:44

4.	Milkcow Blues	2:20

5.	Party for the Old Folks	2:21

6.	Maiden's Prayer	3:06

7.	Exactly Like You	3:42

8.	Devil's Dream	1:32

9.	Oklahoma Hills	2:29

10.	Dinah	2:48

11.	Old Fashioned Love	2:28

12.	After You've Gone	4:01

13.	Avalon	2:24

14.	I Laugh When I Think How I Cried Over You	2:05

Credits

released August 29, 1997

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