I remember buying this album in 1973 when it first came out. It had such a cheesy cover, although I notice now that the cartoon portraits were drawn by Gilbert Shelton, underground comics genius and creator of The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers! I might have prized it more carefully if I’d only realized. I did know that Doug (Sir Douglas) Sahm (Saldaña) surrounded himself with big-name talent for this, his first album on Atlantic. There’s Bob Dylan, who was not well known for playing sessions! Dr. John, David Bromberg, and Arif Mardin. And then there are the usual Texas suspects like Augie Meyers and Flaco Jimenez. The whole thing was produced by Jerry Wexler, Arif Mardin and Sahm.
Now here it is, some 33 years later and Collectors’ Choice has reissued this little gem on CD. They simply, as is their wont, shrank the front and back covers to jewel box size, making it almsot impossible for these old eyes to read the original liner notes without a magnifying glass. And they commissioned excellent new liner notes from the ever reliable Richie Unterberger, but chose a type face so small…well…keep the aspirin handy. Come on, Collectors’ Choice, you do so much so well…spring for another sheet of paper for the insert and increase the size. Please!
That’s the front cover, back cover, inside of the insert reviewed and cast listed…now what about the music? Well how could it go wrong? “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone?” starts things off. You might have heard this classic by Doug’s later band the Texas Tornados. This is the original. Doug’s voice is searching and ruggedly bluesy, the twin fiddles (by Sahm & Ken Kosek) and the pedal steel (Charlie Owens) make it a Texas country hoedown. Throughout the album the songs echo the kind of material he had done with the Sir Douglas Quintet (think “Mendocino”) and they foreshadow the work he would do with the Texas Tornados ’til his untimely passing. There’s blues, and Tex-Mex, a touch of folk and some ragged harmony singing to top it all off.
Oh, yeah, and there’s the stirling musicianship of Sahm and his guests. Great guitar playing (Meyers, Bromberg and Sahm,) awesome keyboards (Dr. John & Mardin,) a potent rhythm section (Jack Barber & George Rains) and a fine horn section led by Wayne Jackson. Add some accordion from Flaco, and a little of this and a little of that from Bob Dylan and you’ve got an album that’s fun to listen to from start to finish. Dylan provides his tune “Wallflower” which he wouldn’t release himself ’til the early ’90s. He also sings some harmony on three tracks, plays the guitar solo on the Delmore Bros.’ “Blues Stay Away From Me.”
Doug Sahm and Band is a dandy little record. Not life-changing maybe, but a darn fine listening experience. Pick one up and give it a try.
(Collectors’ Choice, 2006; Atlantic, 1973)
