If you are an Ernie Ford fan, this will be an essential purchase for you; if you are not a fan, you should probably check into it anyway. "This Lusty Land" was (according to the CD's program notes) Ford's first LP release. It is a well-crafted effort in several ways, beginning with its Americana theme evoking legends, places, and characters from across the land; and of course there is the flawless baritone voice of Ernie Ford abetted by arranger/conductor Jack Fascinato. a longtime Ford collaborator, whose at times surprisingly spare arrangements lend fine support yet are never intrusive.
The songs collected here include "John Henry", about a folk hero; "Rovin' Gambler", about an American anti-hero of sorts; and "Sixteen Tons", a Merle Travis composition and the first true breakthrough crossover hit for Ford. But the lesser-known coal mining ballad "Dark as a Dungeon", also by Travis, is included here, and one wonders why it wasn't a hit as well. And there is "Chicken Road", a haunting kaleidoscope of memories from the midwest in general and Missouri in particular. It is one of several odd little gems distinguishing this album.
best songs *****
01 - John Henry
02 - Trouble In Mind *******
03 - Dark As A Dungeon
04 - False Hearted Girl
05 - Chicken Road *****
06 - Who Will Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet
07 - The Rovin' Gambler
08 - In The Pines *********
09 - I Gave My Love A Cherry
10 - Nine Pound Hammer
11 - Gaily The Troubadour
12 - The Last Letter
my cents:
Ernie w/ guitar, clarinet and string bass jazz combo. NOTHING sounds like this. (maybe Nick Cave with Woo)
now, this LP is not for the weak minded. (actually those people have since disapeared as of 6pm yesterday so..)
Now there are some horrible moments of Ernie's cheese getting the better of him. He stinks a few and condescends a bit yet
it's worth the get just for the 3 gems.
This is a family LP. In the same way that Roger Miller does it, yet these are more folk tales that "speed and liquor influenced sing-alongs for kids".
...
Chicken Road
Once I got a splinter in the joint of my little toe
And a garter snake bit my knee by the bend of the little St. Joe
Honey that's Missouri, the land of the dust and the toad
It's a wonderful town, Chicken Road
Once I had a scorpion on the lobe of my good right ear
And I lived with my great-great grandma
Who could hear what she wanted to hear
Honey that's Missouri, the land where the sky overflows
It's a wonderful town, Chicken Road
Beasts of burden, nip at their hay
And a poolroom banjo playin' to the close of every day
Night so quiet, you could hear a mouse
Tippin' through the parlor of a boarding house
Once I got a sunburn on the back of my itchin' neck
Went for a ride in a Model-T and I died in a beautiful wreck
Honey that's Missouri, the land that the Lord never knowed
Yes, it's a wonderful town, Chicken Road
5/22/11
the land of the dust and the toad
If you are an Ernie Ford fan, this will be an essential purchase for you; if you are not a fan, you should probably check into it anyway. "This Lusty Land" was (according to the CD's program notes) Ford's first LP release. It is a well-crafted effort in several ways, beginning with its Americana theme evoking legends, places, and characters from across the land; and of course there is the flawless baritone voice of Ernie Ford abetted by arranger/conductor Jack Fascinato. a longtime Ford collaborator, whose at times surprisingly spare arrangements lend fine support yet are never intrusive.
The songs collected here include "John Henry", about a folk hero; "Rovin' Gambler", about an American anti-hero of sorts; and "Sixteen Tons", a Merle Travis composition and the first true breakthrough crossover hit for Ford. But the lesser-known coal mining ballad "Dark as a Dungeon", also by Travis, is included here, and one wonders why it wasn't a hit as well. And there is "Chicken Road", a haunting kaleidoscope of memories from the midwest in general and Missouri in particular. It is one of several odd little gems distinguishing this album.
best songs *****
01 - John Henry
02 - Trouble In Mind *******
03 - Dark As A Dungeon
04 - False Hearted Girl
05 - Chicken Road *****
06 - Who Will Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet
07 - The Rovin' Gambler
08 - In The Pines *********
09 - I Gave My Love A Cherry
10 - Nine Pound Hammer
11 - Gaily The Troubadour
12 - The Last Letter
my cents:
Ernie w/ guitar, clarinet and string bass jazz combo. NOTHING sounds like this. (maybe Nick Cave with Woo)
now, this LP is not for the weak minded. (actually those people have since disapeared as of 6pm yesterday so..)
Now there are some horrible moments of Ernie's cheese getting the better of him. He stinks a few and condescends a bit yet
it's worth the get just for the 3 gems.
This is a family LP. In the same way that Roger Miller does it, yet these are more folk tales that "speed and liquor influenced sing-alongs for kids".
...
Chicken Road
Once I got a splinter in the joint of my little toe
And a garter snake bit my knee by the bend of the little St. Joe
Honey that's Missouri, the land of the dust and the toad
It's a wonderful town, Chicken Road
Once I had a scorpion on the lobe of my good right ear
And I lived with my great-great grandma
Who could hear what she wanted to hear
Honey that's Missouri, the land where the sky overflows
It's a wonderful town, Chicken Road
Beasts of burden, nip at their hay
And a poolroom banjo playin' to the close of every day
Night so quiet, you could hear a mouse
Tippin' through the parlor of a boarding house
Once I got a sunburn on the back of my itchin' neck
Went for a ride in a Model-T and I died in a beautiful wreck
Honey that's Missouri, the land that the Lord never knowed
Yes, it's a wonderful town, Chicken Road
