Buck Owens & His Buckaroos – Adios, Farewell, Goodbye, Good Luck, So Long – On Stage 1964-1974 – 3-Disc Set
This ambitious 3-CD set provides the Buck Owens (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006) fan with 75 live performances (recorded between 1964-1974) for the first time on CD. The PR boasts 25 previously unissued tracks in the U.S & 20 previously unissued anywhere. The project encompasses 10 years of live music & includes an in-depth essay on their career.
The Buck Owens & His Buckaroos – Adios, Farewell, Goodbye, Good Luck, So Long – On Stage 1964-1974 – 3-Disc Set (Drops June 27/Omnivore Recordings) was compiled & produced by Cheryl Pawelski & Scott B. Bomar. The first CD of 3 (77:46) releases 37 tracks between 2 albums: “The Exciting Sounds of Buck Owens & His Buckaroos Live From Richmond, Virginia 1964 & Macy’s 1967.
The live Virginia recording captures the band pristinely, considering how old these live shows are. Buck opens with what is now his classic #1 single, written by Johnny Russell, “Act Naturally” — covered in 1965 by none other than The Beatles with Ringo Starr vocals & was another hit (in 1989 Ringo duetted on the song with Buck). The follow-up to this hit was “Love’s Gonna Live Here,” which keeps the momentum going.
The band’s entertaining efforts are sharp. The beat is laid down with authority & creativity while the bass lays down a heavy blanket of support. The band isn’t a heavy group of players, yet they have a fully consistent sound. Buck (guitar/vocals), Don Rich (lead guitar/fiddle/vocals), Doyle Holly (bass/vocals), Tom Brumley (pedal steel guitar/vocals), & Willie Cantu (drums).
Don Rich ignites with his fiddle on “Orange Blossom Special,” proving that country musicians are not necessarily always hillbilly back porch players with a jug. Buck Owens always had a distinctive voice & style. Though he’s from Texas, Buck was known as the Bakersfield, CA sound & despite that geographical affiliation, he had the authentic country sound necessary to be convincing to country aficionados, even the ones overseas.
Judging from the 21 (USA) number 1 singles, Buck’s managed to chalk up, his popularity was never in question. Some songs are performed with humor in a novelty-oriented take but that’s to be expected since Country is entertainment & the musicians always like to clown & have fun as part of the showcase. So, the more serious music fans need to be considerate of the spirit with which this is made. It seems the majority of the audience knows the funny parts, especially during the jukebox button number “A-11.” Clever stuff.
The only missteps in the set are more on song selection. Some don’t suit the recipe (“Twist & Shout”) doesn’t fly. Bucky’s, 1967” recording is a little muddier than the first 20 tracks, but Buck Owens’ enthusiasm & excitement are evident throughout. Many are repeats of the first part of the CD. So, these would be more for completists & aficionados than a casual fan. Though some tunes are jewels like “Sam’s Place.” Toward the conclusion, there are 5 medleys which show how Owens tries his best to cram in as much as possible.
The third CD (67:28) is 29 tracks from “Big In Vegas, 1969,” “Live at the Nugget, 1971,” “Gold Tournament, 1973,” & “Toys For Tots, 1973.” Back to pristine clarity are the recorded documents here. The opener “Big In Vegas” is lovely, along with “Together Again,” “Catfish Capers,” & “Rovin’ Gambler.” Again, perhaps just for entertainment purposes in a live show, the novelty covers like “Along Came Jones” can be skipped. Live at the Nugget starts at track #11 & the clarity continues with a sprightly “Good Ole Mountain Dew” with horns played well, but it isn’t a creative reproduction. At least not as traditional as the old 45 “Mountain Dew” by Johnny Foxx & the Foxes.
What’s good about Buck is that even if he gets off track for show purposes, he doesn’t lose his vision for long. “Rollin’ In My Sweet Baby’s Arms” is a rollicking good time song with some fiery fiddle & handclapping. But, when they get to business like the banjo-driven “Ruby (Are You Mad),” with Ronnie Jackson — the band cooks.
The finale here is Chuck Berry’s classic “Johnny B. Goode,” & though it’s energetic, with solos for everyone, played well & impressively, this is a country band, not rock n’ roll purveyors. It sounds contrived. The effort is good, but an upbeat country tune would’ve been more satisfying.
CD #2 closes out with 5 tracks from 1973’s Gold Tournament & 6 from 1973’s “Toys For Tots,” with basically a few tunes that are on repeat. The fourth CD provides 23 cuts as “The 1974 International Tour Highlights.”
CD #3 (76:16) is the 1974 International Tour Highlights. These songs sound recorded professionally & with better equipment, with lots of presence. Even though the song “Your Daddy Was a Preacher (& Your Mama Was a Dancing Girl)” is a good humor song & not a novelty track, it has a little too much melodic commonality with Beatles chords that are hauntingly familiar.
Buck’s in good voice throughout these pieces. Several songs captured here have been laid down before, but there are a few songs that will be new to the ears. With Buck’s cover of Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven,” the country-rock interpretation is far more vivid than “Johnny B. Goode.” Seems the band is a little more in sync with rock n’ roll than before.
What’s amazing in this concert is that Buck is not in the United States. He’s in various foreign countries & the audience enthusiasm (especially Australia, New Zealand & Japan) is amazing.
The charm in many of these live shows is that Buck’s between-song patter (sometimes dated) keeps what’s on stage moving along. These shows seem more relaxed, if not well-rehearsed. There are only 2 sets of medleys here. So, more full-bodied songs are performed. Owens includes “Cryin’ Time” (a song he wrote) & had a hit with. Later, Ray Charles recorded it & made it a classic. Charles also recorded Owens’ “Together Again.”
Buck’s magic is his ability to understand how being a diversified artist would gain him attention from young & old. His attempts at rock ‘n’ roll were bold moves, but he understood the need to stir up the performances & more often than not, he struck the target. During his foreign tour, he scored with “Johnny B. Goode” as good as anyone could.
Highlights – CD #1 – Virginia: “Act Naturally,” “Love’s Gonna Live Here,” “Orange Blossom Special,” “A-11,” & “Hello Trouble.” Macy’s Show: “Sam’s Place.”
CD #2: “Big In Vegas,” “Together Again,” “Catfish Capers,” “Rovin’ Gambler.” Nugget: “Rollin’ In My Sweet Baby’s Arms,” “Ruby (Are You Mad),” “We’re Gonna Get Together,” (with Susan Raye), & “I’ll Still Be Waiting For You.” “Rollin’ In My Sweet Baby’s Arms,”
CD #3 – International Tour: “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Cryin’ Time”/“I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail,” “Dueling Banjos,” “Georgia Pineywoods,” & “Johnny B. Goode.”
Other Musicians – Wayne Wilson (bass/vocals), Jerry Wiggins (drums), JayDee Maness & Jerry Brightman (pedal steel), Doyle Singer (bass), Jim Shaw (keys/vocals), Ronnie Jackson (banjo/guitar) & Susan Raye (duet vocals/bgv).
Included is a 60-page perfect-bound liner note insert with color images & each CD outlined. Color image courtesy of Peter Darley Miller – Special for the Republic. CD @ Amazon & Apple + https://omnivorerecordings.com/shop/adios-farewell/
Enjoy our previous review here: REVIEW: Buck Owens & the Buckaroos “Bakersfield Gold” – 2CD – 1959-1974
