Throwback Thursday – Jerry Jeff Walker – Ridin’ High
Posted on | October 1, 2009 | 5 Comments
1. If there is one thing of emphasized throughout Jerry Jeff Walker’s music, it is the importance having a good time. Though he is probably best known for his Viva Terlingua live record (and its recording of Ray Wylie Hubbard’s “Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother”), 1975’s Ridin’ High might be the best representation of his freewheeling style. Recorded live in the studio, Walker’s underrated Lost Gonzo Band provides an unmistakably boozy sound, epitomizing the carefree lifestyle that ran through Austin in the 70’s. Part cowboy, part hippie, and full time philosopher, Walker and his band created a record that still evokes the same feeling today.
2. “Public Domain” (written by Gonzo members Bob Livingston and Gary P. Nunn) sets the tone for the record in both sound and lyrics. A wheezing mix of saxophone, dobro and group vocals surrounds Walker’s assertion that all music is public domain – and that “your policies will kill you.” Strong words from a songwriter, but knowing Walker’s attitude, his stance is not too surprising. Seguing into a hard-charging version of Willie Nelson’s “Pick Up The Tempo”, the song reads almost as a self-critique of Ridin’ High, though not quite as curiously as “Pissing in the Wind”, which finds Walker and his ne’er-do-well bunch of friends wondering if he “should have ever put the record out at all”.
3. I have no doubt that Jerry Jeff would love to write a real serious song, if he could manage to keep it together that long. His rambling lifestyle bleeds into every part of this record, even affecting the track sequence. A regal reading of Guy Clark’s “Like A Coat From the Cold” reads as mostly sincere, though it sits next to Walker’s own “I Love You”, where he promises his new wife Susan both “diamond earrings for your fingers” and “big sparkling rocks for your nose.” Knowing where to point the finger for his lack of ambition,”Pot Can’t Call the Kettle Black” finds Walker acknowledging that he is just like his old man, from his wandering eye to his gambling ways. Jerry Jeff is wise enough to know that nothing gold can stay, as the groovy “Goodbye Easy Street” mourns the inevitable passing of good times.
4. One thing that Jerry Jeff will commit to is the fact that he won’t conform to any rules or limitations. His ability to pick and write great songs and his understanding of the exuberant feeling that music should create all come together on Ridin’ High, summoning a brilliant, drunken snapshot of an long-gone era.
Jerry Jeff Walker – Public Domain