Juke Box Music (album)
| Juke Box Music | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1988 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Rhythm and blues, doo wop | |||
| Length | 41:53 | |||
| Label | Antone's Record Label | |||
| Producer | George Rains | |||
| Doug Sahm chronology | ||||
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Juke Box Music is an album by singer Doug Sahm released by Antone's Record Label in January 1989. Sahm returned to Austin, Texas in 1988 after living and experiencing success with his music in Sweden and Canada. Upon his return, Sahm started to perform at the Austin night club Antone's. The owner of the club, Clifford Antone signed him to his independent record label.
The concept for Juke Box Music was originally discussed by Sahm and the album's producer, George Rains, as they lived in San Francisco in the 1960s. The release was positively received by the critics.
Background and recording[edit]
In the early 1980s, Doug Sahm enjoyed success in Sweden and Scandinavia with his collaboration releases with the Sir Douglas Quintet.[1] Sahm then moved to Canada,[2] where his collaboration release with Amos Garrett and Gene Taylor, The Return of the Formerly Brothers, earned them the Juno Award for Best Roots and Traditional Album.[3]
In 1988, Sahm returned to Austin, Texas, where he began to perform at the blues night club Antone's. The owner of the club, Clifford Antone, signed Sahm to the Antone's Record Label.[4] Sahm started to plan his debut release with the label under the name Triplets for a Dying World, as a reference to the type of beat that the songs featured.[5] The musical styles covered included 1950s and 1960 doo wop and rhythm and blues, and the title for the release was changed to Juke Box Music.[4] The sessions were recorded at The Fire Station studio in San Marcos, Texas.[6] Drummer George Rains produced the record. Sahm and Rains originally discussed the project in the late 1960s as the two of them lived in San Francisco.[7] The liner notes of the album were written by Sahm's former Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler.[2]
Release and reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Austin American-Statesman |  [9] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[10] |
| (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide | [11] |
The album was released in January 1989,[4] on LP record, cassette tape and on an extended CD version.[12] Sahm started a tour with the Antone's Texas Rhythm and Blues Revue, Angela Strehli, Flaco Jiménez and the West Side Horns of San Antonio.[4][13]
Juke Box Music received favorable reviews.[7] The Los Angeles Times praised the album as a "delightful ramble through gritty blues, jumping R&B ... and doo wop ballads".[4] The Austin American-Statesman declared that "Sahm just rares back and rips through the material, totally unselfconscious and invariably on target with every bent-nose solo and soulful vocal infection".[9] Texas Monthly defined the sound of the album as "more fresh than nostalgic", and Sahm's voice as "full-bodied and forceful".[13] The Sacramento Bee called Juke Box Music a "pleasure-packed rhythm and blues album".[14]
United Press International commented: "Sahm's singing is in top form".[15] For the Star Tribune, Juke Box Music consisted of a "rollicking collection of vintage R&B and blues."[16] Meanwhile, the Lincoln Star stressed the use of Sahm's "searing vocals, a blaring brass section and a selection of good ol' R and B favorites."[17] The Courier-Journal deemed it a "superbly crafted, roots-rocking, Texas-shuffling, honky tonkin', rhythm and blues."[18] In its review for the version of the album distributed in Canada by A&M Records the Victoria newspaper Times Colonist considered Sahm's vocals "rich and soulful".[19] AllMusic called the music "just terrific", the performances "relaxed" and the collection of songs "a little treasure for fans of R&B and American roots music."[8] Critic Robert Christgau commented: "I've never heard him in better voice than on this unexpected r&b record."[10]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Won't Cry" | Dorothy LaBostrie, Joe Ruffino | 3:23 |
| 2. | "Money Over Love" | Doug Sahm | 2:32 |
| 3. | "Crazy Baby" | Lawrence Rodriguez, Bryan Thomas | 1:52 |
| 4. | "You're Mine Tonight" | Huey P. Meaux | 3:43 |
| 5. | "Hey Little Girl" | Doug Sahm | 3:38 |
| 6. | "It Hurts to Love Someone" | Guitar Slim | 2:53 |
| 7. | "Buzz Buzz Buzz" | Robert Byrd, John Gray | 2:27 |
| 8. | "My Dearest Darling" | Eddie Bocage, Paul Gayten | |
| 9. | "She Put the Hurt on Me" | Otis Redding | 2:46 |
| 10. | "What's Your Name?" | Claude Johnston | 3:13 |
| 11. | "Golly Gee" | Doug Sahm | 2:28 |
| 12. | "I Don't Believe" | Don Robey | 3:08 |
| 13. | "The Chicken and the Bop" | Lloyd Price | 2:11 |
| 14. | "Talk to Me" | John Seneca | 3:26 |
| 15. | "Goodnight My Love" | John Marascalco, George Motola | 1:29 |
Personnel[edit]
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Studio:
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References[edit]
- ^ Denberg, Jody 1984, p. 228.
- ^ a b Reid, Jan & Sahm, Shawn 2010, p. 161.
- ^ Mackie, John 1989, p. B6.
- ^ a b c d e Boehm, Mike 1989, p. 12.
- ^ Denberg, Jody 1989, p. 128.
- ^ Antone's Record Label staff 1989.
- ^ a b Armstrong, Gene 1989, p. 16F.
- ^ a b Owens, Thom 2010.
- ^ a b Point, Michael 1989, p. D5.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert 1989.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan & Hoard, Christian David 2004, p. 713.
- ^ Antone, Susan 1990, p. 169.
- ^ a b Denberg, Jody 1989, p. 130.
- ^ Barton, David 1989, p. WS5.
- ^ UPI staff 1989, p. 9.
- ^ Bream, Jon 1989, p. 12E.
- ^ Deeds, Michael 1989, p. 17.
- ^ Lundy, Ronni 1989, p. S8.
- ^ Blake, Joseph 1989, p. C4.
- Sources
- Antone's Record Label staff (1989). Juke Box Music. Antone's Record Label (CD). ANT0008.
- Antone, Susan (1990). Antone's Presents Picture the Blues: Eleventh Anniversary. Osborne Enterprises. ISBN 978-0-932-11713-7.
- Armstrong, Gene (April 14, 1989). "Music Legends bring conjunto, r&b to El Casino". Arizona Star Daily Star. Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- Barton, David (July 28, 1989). "Sahm enchanted evening". The Sacramento Bee. Vol. 265. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspaper.com.
- Blake, Joseph (September 9, 1989). "Spanglish adds new spice to melting-pot sauce". Times Colonist. Victoria, British Columbia. Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- Boehm, Mike (January 12, 1989). "Doug Sahm, a Man of Many Styles and Backdrops: 'Still a Vagabond'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-743-20169-8.
- Bream, Jon (September 22, 1989). "Crtitic's Choice - Night life". Star Tribune. Vol. 8, no. 171. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- Christgau, Robert (1989). "Juke Box Music [Antone's, 1989]". Robertchristgau.com. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- Deeds, Michael (September 28, 1989). "Sahm brings Texas-style R&B to the Zoo Bar Thursday night". The Lincoln Star. Vol. 87, no. 310. Lincoln, Nebraska. Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- Denberg, Jody (November 1984). "Lawrence Welk Meets The Doors". Texas Monthly. 12 (11). Retrieved February 3, 2021 – via Google Books.
- Denberg, Jody (April 1989). "Beyond the Blues". Texas Monthly. 17 (4). Retrieved February 12, 2021 – via Google Books.
- Lundy, Ronni (May 6, 1989). "Reviews - Juke Box Music". The Courier-Journal. Vol. 268, no. 126. Louisville, Kentucky. Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- Mackie, John (March 13, 1989). "Adventurous singers bring home Junos". The Vancouver Sun. Vol. 103, no. 258. Retrieved February 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- Owens, Thom (2010). "Juke Box Music - Doug Sahm". AllMusic. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- Point, Michael (February 23, 1989). "'Juke Box' sounds bear mark of Central Texas". Austin American-Statesman. Vol. 118, no. 213. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- Reid, Jan; Sahm, Shawn (2010). Texas Tornado: The Times & Music of Doug Sahm. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-72196-8.
- UPI staff (February 22, 1989). "Doug Sahm recalling heyday as R&B hotshot". Saint George, Utah: The Daily Spectrum. United Press International. Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
