Anyone who finds hippies irritating might want to throw this record across the room -- and that's a good review right there, since it has been long established via intense scientific study that music which somehow motivates people to throw records across the room is usually quite good. No exception to this rule here, as fans of
Doug Sahm
often choose this as a personal favorite, while it is also one of the better side projects of the
Creedence Clearwater Revival
rhythm section. If
Sahm
was writing the review himself in 1974, he would have no doubt described the whole thing as some kind of "trip"; after all, this expression is used three times alone on the back cover of this album, actually less than one might expect considering the stoned-out nature of the accompanying comics. These black-and-white illustrations by
Kelly Fitzgerald
are a great part of the record's enduring charm, but the music itself is deeper than the coolie hippie vibe. This is simply a great
roots rock
album, and like much of
's work it is loaded with complex details as well as loving interplay between the musicians. These tracks indicate a mastery of many basic forms such as
blues
,
rhythm & blues
norteno
country
, and
Cajun
and the players always seem to be probing beyond this to find something new.
drummer
Doug Clifford
produced as well as played, and did a superior job, irrigating the proceedings with a range of available
streams like some kind of master gardener. The use of horns is excellent, not only providing plenty of punch in the arrangements but memorable effects such as the spooky baritone sax solo on
"Just Groove Me."
A large section of the sonic spread is always reserved for
's lush guitar playing, including lots of
rock
licks, while bassist
Stu Cook
sometimes adds additional guitar, expertly mocking the patented hypnotic
John Fogerty
sound for an effect that is not unlike
sitting in on a
Creedence
album. Of course, the range of that classic '60s and '70s
group seems quite limited compared to
, who whips off an expert version of the
Tex-Mex
instrumental
"La Cacahueta,"
the only track here which he did not compose himself. The well-crafted yet daringly personal and unembarrassed songs include haunting
-influenced
ballads
such as
"Her Dream Man Never Came,"
as well as really top-notch examples of good old
rock & roll
, the hilarious
"For the Sake of Rock 'N' Roll"
and the bewitchingly cooking
"Devil Heart."
The second side of the original vinyl is one of this artist's most perfect set of songs. The final track,
"Catch Me in the Morning,"
is one of several on this album that benefits from a long, satisfying arrangement -- hardly the kind of simple dirt that is often tossed off the shovel in the quest for
. The band tends to move through these pieces with confidence, as if already expecting to have lost the attention of the simpletons in the crowd. At the same time, there are those listeners who will find it hard to believe a simple song, let alone such a magnum opus, could be created from the almost nonexistent message of this song. "Call me in the morning, I am too tired to talk right now," is just about all this song says, and it is one of the marvels of
that he is able to parlay a near-operatic sense of importance into such a typical part of daily life. Giving him an
credit for being a "dreamer" -- nicely enough, it comes right after the credit for bajo sexto -- is one of the most appropriate details, or "trips," on
Groover's Paradise
. ~ Eugene Chadbourne