The body of work Gary Stewart recorded for RCA in the 1970s and 1980s is singular in its quality and in its criminal neglect. Stewart's A&R man should get some kind of lifetime achievement award for keeping him on the label as long as he did, given how out of time Stewart's brand of honky tonk country and rock were. Recorded in 1979, Gary was issued at the dawn of the Urban Cowboy debacle, the beginning of the wane of the disco era, and the first light of new wave on American airwaves. Too early for Dwight Yoakam's neo ...
Read More
The body of work Gary Stewart recorded for RCA in the 1970s and 1980s is singular in its quality and in its criminal neglect. Stewart's A&R man should get some kind of lifetime achievement award for keeping him on the label as long as he did, given how out of time Stewart's brand of honky tonk country and rock were. Recorded in 1979, Gary was issued at the dawn of the Urban Cowboy debacle, the beginning of the wane of the disco era, and the first light of new wave on American airwaves. Too early for Dwight Yoakam's neo-traditionalism and too late for the classic honky tonkers like Haggard and Jones et al., Stewart's vision was single-pointed: simply to perform, write, and record the best songs he could with the best group of musicians he could. Produced by Roy Dea, Gary features ten killer tracks ranging from gorgeous rough-hewn love songs such as "Shady Streets" to piano-pumpin' Jerry Lee Lewis-styled rockers such as "Mazelle" to the loungy barroom 4/4 of "The Blues Don't Care Who's Got 'Em." In addition, the Roger Miller-flavored read of Leon Payne's "Lost Highway" evokes the ghost of Hank Williams, who played the tune as a drinking anthem. Closing it out with the stunning "One More" is a coup; Stewart sings a rounder's confessional with all the regret of a sinner at the altar, but with the hopelessness of a convicted man. As the pedal steels whine in the background and Hargus Robbins' piano moves the melody on, Stewart's protagonist becomes the essence of rawhide, unapologetic and unforgiving of himself or anyone else. It's simply a stunning conclusion to a very fine, very consistent album. Why Stewart isn't regarded in the same way as Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson is beyond comprehension. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi
Read Less
Add this copy of Gary [Lp Vinyl] to cart. $5.99, good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published by RCA Victor Stereo AHL1-3288.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Providing great vinyl and media since 1972. All used records are inspected and guaranteed. May have wear and minor issues from previous owner. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
