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Hogs on the Highway

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Hogs on the Highway
Studio album by
Bad Livers
Released1997
GenreBluegrass, country folk
Length44:58
LabelSugar Hill
ProducerDanny Barnes
Bad Livers chronology
Horses in the Mines
(1994) 		Hogs on the Highway
(1997) 		Industry and Thrift
(1998)

Hogs on the Highway is an album by the American band Bad Livers, released in 1997.[1][2] The band's label, Sugar Hill, marketed the album to bluegrass audiences and college radio.[3][4] Bad Livers supported the album with a North American tour.[5]

Production

[edit]

The album was recorded over two months in Austin and San Marcos, Texas.[6][7] Bob Grant replaced fiddler Ralph White, although both contributed to Hogs on the Highway.[8] Steve James played mandolin on some of the tracks.[9] Bass player Mike Rubin played tuba on "Lathe Crick".[10] The band used a mbira on "Falling Down the Stairs (With a Pistol in My Hand)".[11] Most of the songs were written by frontman Danny Barnes, who also produced.[12][13] "Cluck Old Hen" is an interpretation of the traditional banjo song.[14] "Saludamas a Tejas" is a version of the polka standard.[15] Bad Livers included two unlisted tracks at the end of the album.[14]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Chicago Tribune[16]
MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide[17]
The Sydney Morning Herald[15]
USA Today[18]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music[19]

USA Today stated that "Bad Livers are a mix of sincerity and goofiness, capable of worthy homages to Hank Williams and Bill Monroe as well as outbreaks of punk anarchism."[18] The Chicago Tribune called the album a "fleet-fingered swig of pinewood blues and ragged breakdowns", later noting that "it spills over with tubas, banjos and accordions, and is infused with elements of gospel and even a vague sort of hillbilly pop—it's the closest they've come to making an unselfconscious, truly grownup record."[20][16] The Gazette determined that "although the Livers are very credible playing straight-ahead bluegrass, they're really a symbiotic, high-energy country roots band who can swing on a fiddle tune one minute, stomp the blues the next and bring it all together in a high-energy package".[14]

The Sydney Morning Herald said that Bad Livers "have taken just about every conceivable left-field roots-country style and mixed up a tasty brew which drifts from Texas swing to jug band, bluegrass."[15] The Santa Fe New Mexican noted that "the band's punk sensibilities come out in the some of the goofball lyrics".[11] The Houston Chronicle concluded that "Bad Livers are less disjointed 'thrash-grass' than they are faithful to the moonshine spirit of old-timey string bands such as Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers."[21] The Houston Press listed Hogs on the Highway among the best Texas albums of 1997.[22]

Track listing

[edit]
Hogs on the Highway track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Hogs on the Highway"3:24
2."Lathe Crick"4:30
3."Counting the Crossties"4:13
4."Shufflin' to Memphis"3:16
5."Dallas, Texas"3:39
6."Corn Liquor Made a Fool Out of Me"2:45
7."Saludamas a Tejas"3:20
8."The National Blues"4:18
9."Mr. Modal"1:10
10."My Old Man"3:25
11."Cluck Old Hen"1:57
12."News Not the Weather"2:29
13."Falling Down the Stairs (With a Pistol in My Hand)"6:32
Total length:44:58

References

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  1. ^ Thompson, Stephen (March 6, 1997). "We've seen a dramatic increase...". Rhythm. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 9.
  2. ^ Herndon, John (August 1997). "Jump Street: When Bad Is Good". Acoustic Guitar. Vol. 8, no. 2. p. 15.
  3. ^ Lawrence, Keith (February 17, 1997). "Punkgrass: Texas Band Introduces Its Audience to Wonders of Bluegrass". The Salt Lake Tribune. Knight Ridder. p. B8.
  4. ^ Horak, Terri (March 1, 1997). "Bad Livers reach out to new fans with Sugar Hill set". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 9. pp. 10, 77.
  5. ^ Rosenberg, Madelyn (February 22, 1997). "The Bad Livers Play Music from the Heart". Extra. The Roanoke Times. p. 10.
  6. ^ Beal Jr., Jim (May 17, 1996). "Bad Livers indescribably delicious". Arts. San Antonio Express-News.
  7. ^ Blanchfield, Mike (April 19, 1997). "Livers deliver gutsy bluegrass". The Ottawa Citizen. p. E17.
  8. ^ Riemenschneider, Chris (February 13, 1997). "Bad Livers transplant, Austin band is doing nicely after music-saving procedure". XL Ent. Austin American-Statesman. p. 10.
  9. ^ Weitz, Matt (July 17, 1997). "Out Here". Music. Dallas Observer.
  10. ^ Caligiuri, Jim (February 14, 1997). "Bad Livers". Music. The Austin Chronicle.
  11. ^ a b Terrell, Steve (July 4, 1997). "Terrell's Tune-Up". Pasatiempo. The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 24.
  12. ^ Reid, Robert (May 29, 1997). "Bad Livers Hogs on the Highway". The Record. Kitchener. p. D7.
  13. ^ Fulmer, Douglas (September 9, 1997). "Bad Livers Put Their Hearts into the Music". The Plain Dealer. p. 10E.
  14. ^ a b c Regenstreif, Mike (March 1, 1997). "Bad Livers Hogs on the Highway". The Gazette. p. E3.
  15. ^ a b c Elder, Bruce (May 26, 1997). "Country". The Guide. The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 10.
  16. ^ a b Stewart, Allison (April 18, 1997). "Bad Livers". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 40.
  17. ^ MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 32.
  18. ^ a b Zimmerman, David (February 18, 1997). "Country". USA Today. p. D10.
  19. ^ Larkin, Colin (2000). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music. Virgin Books. p. 31.
  20. ^ Reger, Rick (February 28, 1997). "The A List". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 29.
  21. ^ Mitchell, Rick (July 6, 1997). "Texas Music Sampler". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 8.
  22. ^ Rowland, Hobart (January 1, 1998). "Static". Music. Houston Press.
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