Country Club by John Doe & The Sadies
In true honky tonk style, Country Club is the bastard child of a drunken promise. A post show hang-out between X & the Knitters’ John Doe and The Sadies produced the idea to join forces to make an album of country songs. Both rock n’ roll and country music are littered with the ghosts of broken promises, but this one was destined to become reality. Timeless sounds abound on Country Club, driven by Doe’s gorgeously rough-hewn vocals, the dueling thousand pound chops of the guitar-wielding Good brothers and The Sadies’ world class rhythm section of Mike Belitsky and Sean Dean. Here, the Countrypolitan sound of late 1960s Nashville is filtered through the telecaster-based tonk of Bakersfield, CA and the results are simply stunning. Classic tunes by Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings stand alongside corkers by Tammy Wynette and Roger Miller, all of them getting unique treatments by Doe and The Sadies. The album also features four originals - three from The Sadies and one courtesy of the timeless pairing of John Doe and Exene Cervenka. On Country Club Doe and The Sadies find the perfect blend of the reverent and the experimental, resulting in a slightly psychedelic brew that just might pass for straight if you’re not lookin’.
“This is the real deal country set that Los Angeles punk legend John Doe has threatened to make since 1985” – ROLLING STONE
“A casual, no-frills masterpiece. ★★★★.” – ALL MUSIC GUIDE
“If CBGB was ever inclined to open a Bakersfield branch, this quintet could serve as the house band.” – NO DEPRESSION
Tracklist
| 1. | Stop the World and Let Me Off | 3:42 |
| 2. | Husbands and Wives | 2:42 |
| 3. | 'Til I Get It Right | 3:19 |
| 4. | It Just Dawned on Me | 2:35 |
| 5. | Fool Such As I | 2:32 |
| 6. | Night Life | 3:47 |
| 7. | The Sudbury Nickel | 1:20 |
| 8. | Before I Wake | 2:32 |
| 9. | I Still Miss Someone | 2:20 |
| 10. | The Cold Hard Facts of Life | 3:04 |
| 11. | Take These Chains from My Heart | 2:08 |
| 12. | Help Me Make It Through the Night | 3:36 |
| 13. | Are the Good Times Really Over for Good? | 2:39 |
| 14. | Detroit City | 2:56 |
| 15. | Pink Mountain Rag | 0:54 |
Credits
John Doe and The Sadies are:
Mike Belitsky: Drums.
Sean Dean: Bass.
John Doe: Voice, guitar.
Dallas Good: Mixing, guitars, keyboards.
Travis Good: Guitars, fiddle, mandolin.
John Doe and The Sadies would like to thank the following contributors:
D.J. Bonebrake: Vibraphones on tracks 2, 3, 6, 11.
Veronica Jane Doe: Vocals on track 1.
Kathleen Edwards: Vocals on track 4, 13.
Bob Egan: Pedal Steel on track 8, 15.
Margaret Good: Vocals on track 2, 8, 11.
Bruce Good: Autoharp on track 8, 9.
Eric Heywood: Pedal Steel on track 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 11.
Cindy Wasserman: Vocals on track 5, 11.
All songs recorded at the Woodshed from July 1-10, 2008 by Ken Friesen.
Additional tracks recorded at Stampede Origin by Ryan Freeland.
Mixed at Bunny Down Sound with Don Pyle.
Mastered by Peter J. Moore at the E Room.
License
All rights reserved.Tags
John Doe co-founded the legendary Los Angeles punk band X, helping define a generation’s sound. A boundary-pushing songwriter, he’s built a rich solo career blending rock, folk, and Americana, collaborated with artists from Patti Smith to Neko Case, and continues to reinvent himself while staying true to the raw heart of rock & roll.