I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail

Jesus, I think I've done it. I think this is album 1089 and I am done (until I start the user list tomorrow). It's actually been longer because I reviewed over 200 albums before I started a group, which meant I had to do those all again! Nearly five years, it's been a journey... Many thanks to the members of my group (especially Dave L., Peter P., Alan L. and Glen S.) who have staggered alongside me through this winter death march. A really special call out to Peter P., who really instilled a broad and unprejudiced love of music in me. He was my boss at the record store for about two years, but has been my friend for forty years. He introduced me to so many artists and records that I love. We DJ together. He encouraged me to take a more autobiographical approach to reviewing. Thanks Peter, I love you, man. Thanks to any critic who ever inspired me, especially Jessica Hopper, Bill Wyman (not the Rolling Stone), Amanda Petrusich, Simon Reynolds, Charles Shaar Murray, Robert Christgau, Elizabeth Nelson, Hanif Abdurraqib, and a plethora of others, all worth reading. But not Greil Marcus; fuck that guy. Many thanks to anyone who ever threw one of my reviews a thumbs up, I appreciate it. And a thousand thanks to Alexander for setting up this project and his technical support along the way. This project has been exciting and infuriating and exhausting, but I have appreciated the structure to my listening, and the opportunity to reflect on my musical tastes, history and the friends who helped form my tastes. In the words of the great Liverpudlian band: "All these places had their moments With lovers and friends, I still can recall Some are dead and some are living In my life, I've loved them all" And here we have Buck Owens as my final album, which is as good a place to finish as any. This project has given me an appreciation of classic country, and this piece of Bakersfield honky-tonk is a simple pleasure. I love a tight album that doesn't outstay its welcome, and this album is _tight_. I'm listening to the version with a couple of bonus tracks (including 'Act Naturally', love it) and it still only runs 32 minutes. There is not a wasted note on this album. The band is energetic and efficient, with special props to the wonderful Telecaster work of Don Rich. Could you argue that some of the songs border on being novelty tunes? Possibly, but they are fun and catchy and rollick along, so I don't care. I've spun this through three times in a row, and I am whistling along. I was going to give this a three, but I am really digging it. Call it 3.5 stars, rounding up!

This is old-school honky-tonk country, short and simple songs with clever (if old-fashioned) lyrics and short, twangy solos. I know Buck Owens and his band from watching Hee Haw as a child (was it a hick-themed country variety show? Yes. Did it have some of the most talented musicians ever playing on it every week? Also yes.). It's an excellent example of its genre, but it's not a genre I enjoy listening to. Respect for talent, but it's not going on my playlist.

It might seem like all country music sounds the same, but the more you know: today I discovered that there are at least two schools of country music. Buck Owens is one of the most successful artists of the Bakersfield school, characterized by a more rock-and-roll, rhythmic sound — a stark contrast to the lush, sometimes even orchestral, classic Nashville style. To put it simply: the Nashville sound evokes fancy receptions in Southern mansions, while the Bakersfield sound conjures up images of Western prairies and saloons. Another point in the Bakersfield camp's favor is that they aren't shy about using slide guitar solos. All in all, listening to this album leaves you with the distinct impression of cheap whiskey and a card game played against — albeit highly respected — cardsharps and scoundrels; the artist’s lavish suit on the cover hints at this vibe right away. It is a delightful, concise record featuring a style of music not often heard in our neck of the woods.

This album really grew on me--at first listen it was hard to get over the lyrics to "Wham Bam" and their cover of "Streets of Laredo" sounded a little thin. I listened a few more times and now I can ignore Wham Bam and their Laredo cover has grown on me. I really love "Trouble and Me."

HEE HAW! That was a great show... with Buck Owens and Roy Clark... Minnie Pearl...damn....

It’s nice country music, definitely of it’s time. The vocals are really sweet. Lyrics are a bit dated but they’re not consistently outdated.

This type of country isn't much for me but damn there are some really fun songs here

I will always enjoy this kind of country for what it is. I will also have a hard time discerning who the artists are because it ends up being background music; however, I do like it.

the epitome of honky tonk shit God please get me out of here

Truly a miss for me. I respect the grind Mr. Buck, but the horse stops here. Maybe ive been caught with my tail between my legs, but phew, I could not finish this album. Hoping for some gold tomorrow Favs:

632/1089 - It's some alright country music, not much to say. Some songs are a bit similar to each other.

I was hung over to fuck so this sounded like nails down a chalkboard. For a time when men were supposed to be men, this sure did a lot of whining and moaning.

Very well done for what it is. Definitely not my bag, though. 3 stars.

Enjoyable background music, but not something I’d put in specifically to focus on enjoying.

Buck Owens is functionally one of the most important country acts in bridging country music to its place in the pop/rock world. Much of I've Got A Tiger By The Tail's songs follow that rock/pop songwriting format more than, say, blues/folk/bluegrass that country was going for in that era of the early, where music technology was rapidly getting better and better. This merger of honky-tonk and pop music format is what would become the Bakersfield sound. I like the amount of time Don Rich's guitar gets the main focus in the song. I wouldn't expect that many guitar solos from these short 1965 songs. Of course, there are some songs that kind of slog the album down. Namely I'm not a fan of that Streets of Laredo cover. But I think the high points of the album outweigh that main criticism. It's only a little over 30 minutes. I've Got A Tiger By The Tale got big at the right time (early 1965) at maybe the highest point of Billy Owens' career, next to his Carnegie Hall performance. Basically a coin flip between those two albums on which one best represents his lone designation on the list.

I'm sure it's a great comfort for someone. It ain't me; it does nothing interesting, exciting or anything else worth mentioning.

Yeehaw

I kind of didn’t hate this? It’s extremely honky tonk country but not as annoying as I would’ve assumed. The instrumentation is actually pretty good and overall it works even if the singing/lyrics feel more corny

yiiiiii-hhaaaaa

Buck Owens is an old school country classic. I used to watch Hee Haw every Saturday but I didn't have the insight to appreciate the talent that was on that show. I think Memphis is my favorite on this one.

Sharp, swinging country music - that great Bakersfield sound.

Not for me.

Country is not my favourite genre but I really like this album. THere is enough variety in it and the lyrics are fun. I would listen to this more than once! (4/5)

Слушаю и не понимаю, что потом пошло не так ? Почему стали плохо записывать? Это 1965 год отличная запись, отличный артист.

this was fun!

Oh yeah. I tend to prefer the more old school country vibe over this honky tonk vibe, but it was still pretty good. Not my favorite rendition of Streets of Laredo, but still pretty good.

Not my thing. There is some nice playing on the pedal steel. I liked the song Memphis.

Ok

I want to be in a shitty bar in the middle of the day drinking cans of beer with maybe 4 other people sprinkled through the room and have this on the jukebox

i enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. country music used to be pretty fun, what happened? 3/5.

Quick short catchy country pop songs that increase the mood and put a smile on your face. I actually enjoyed this. It is a cracking record with some wonderful steel guitar throughout. 3.5 stars upgraded to 4 stars

3.4

nope

Dragged at times but when it got going, it was really something.

Pretty solid for country. 3.4.

Everything that some people hate about country music, and others love about country music

Einer der Aspekte, die ich an Amerika hasse ist Honky Tonk.

Das Album hat mir überraschend viel Spaß gemacht

Der Grat bei Country zwischen ätzend und gut hörbar ist für mich echt schmal, das hier fand ich sehr angenehm.

When Buck Owen’s had the temerity to praise the music of Ray Charles and Chuck Berry, the backlash by country music fans was so intense that, fearing his career was in jeopardy, Owen’s took out full-page advertisements in The Bakersfield Californian and other major trade publications. Titled "A Pledge to Country Music," the ad was a public vow to remain a "country singer" and strictly record within the genre. Country music is the soundtrack to racism in America.

Possibly my favourite of those country acts that came to prominence in the 1960s. Twang, rock, roll, with the stability of the trucks that drove the fans to the show and louder and more raucous then many punk bands. But Don Rich, man. Almost single-handedly discovers exactly what a telecaster can do for country music. And Buck isn’t subtle or refined as a vocalist. But like all the best tradesmen gets the job done properly. They’d be best, as usual, served by a greatest hits. But this is pretty decent. And note Chuck Berrys Memphis. Was Chuck a rock and roller dressed in country?. Or a country player dressed in rock and roll? Buck complicates the answer.

A dinosaur victrola, listening to Buck Owens.... A Maiden's Prayer, the best riding off into the sunset instrumental you will ever hear, lovely tribute to Bob Wills and a great saddle up for the last time funeral song. This has got it all, Don Rich's Tele, he and Luther Perkins probably compete for who made the Tele THE go to c and w guitar. Then there's Let the Sad Times Roll On, when I played it my dog tapped me on the shoulder to tell me he's leaving and packed up his collar, figured he was living in a country song. Bakersfield, what a sound. Buck and Don what a partnership, don't make em like this anymore.

hovered near 4 stars just because this type of honky-tonk always reminds me of my dad. A fun listen, but probably not something I'd reach for or give repeated listens to.

5/10

Charming and very important. Really a lot of pleasant tunes, such as "Let The Sad Times Roll On," "The Band Keeps Playing On," and "The Streets of Laredo." This album and this artist in general is also as I understand it very foundational in this kind of country music, and the atmosphere of the music really backs it up. A lot of the slower ballads are really pretty, though a lot of the faster ones are less liked by me. That being said though I really like this. I think a big reason for the low score of this album is, first of all, an obvious and partially fair bias against country music; the genre has deteriorated for decades, to the point where its biggest hits nowadays are treated as tantamount to greater offenses in society by those who claim to have a superior music taste. Another reason is a bit of a disconnect from the genre. A lot of people, no matter what they say, aren't really willing to give something like this a chance, because they believe it's already familiar to them. We've all heard Johnny Cash. We've all heard Tim McGraw. We've all heard Morgan Wallen. I think to many they're all the same. But I'm here to say, this album should garner some sort of respectability. It's very pretty, very warm, well-played, and demonstrates a clear proficiency in the creation of music like this. While I don't believe you would be doing yourself a disservice to steer clear of this one, it's less than half an hour and very pleasant. Check it out! 7.3/10 DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES REASON: Foundational, and high-quality

What began as hysterical rapidly became the longest half an hour of my life.

I loved the simplicity of this, I have no idea who they are and I don’t really like country but there was something very catchy about it. Oh and their cover of Act Naturally was way better than Ringo’s. Haha. I will probably never listen to it again but at the time I enjoyed it.

If Robbie Fulks didn't lift "She Took A Lot of Pills and Died from Buck Owens' "We're Gonna Let the Good Times Roll" I'll eat my head!! Gotta give this a five. Classic classic classic CLASSIC classic country...5

When I was growing up, my parents often had the TV tuned in to Hee Haw on Saturday nights, where I would see Buck Owens and Roy Clark hosting ("I'm a-pickin'," "and I'm a grinnin'"). My prepubescent self took in all the corny jokes, busty women, Grandpa Jones, Minnie Pearl, the latest country and western acts—and none of those made me a country music fan, yet listening to Buck Owens all these years later feels like comfort food. This was entertaining and familiar. Short and punchy, too, and worth a second listen.

It's an enjoyable inoffensive collection of country songs. While it's nice I don't find much else to say about it. It'll be a 2.5 for this reason

Bakersfield Sound

I like a bit of alt-country/Americana. Pure country is a little trickier to get into! It wasn't a hard listen...over and done in half an hour...but I won't be hearing it again! Streets of Laredo is one that I had heard many times before, done by various different people, but I didn't know that was what it was called!

This is classic country . As classic as it gets really. Too bad for me I don't enjoy country all that much.

Great stuff, classic country, twangs from front to back. Yee, and if you would indulge me, haw.

Dated beige country that doesn’t really do anything. The kind of 1001 entry that makes no sense in the 2020s but presumably at some point was considered to show something of importance. It’s fine but it’s so bland that I really don’t have anything to say on it.

If you ignore its genre pioneering position, I am not sure you are left with much.  It's highly disciplined musicians playing simple songs as far as I can tell.  Mr. Tumble would love this but its like getting professional musicians to play twinkle twinkle little star.  Its exemplarily shit. It's like listening to the same song on repeat just swapping out lyrics for variations on lighthearted childish wit. Its country music as well with terrible rhyming pun crap.  Lighting / Flashing.  Knees / Knocking, Head / Rocking, Bells / Ringing REPEAT.     Good times are not rolling!

This album has aged badly. The music is ponderous and plodding, the lyrics are glib, and essentially every song is "white guy cries about woman". What I found most interesting is that there were some straight up blues tracks in the album that just go to show the power of blues as a genre. It can even penetrate deep into white rural American folk culture. An interesting museum piece, evocative of a place and time, but without emotional connection in 2026.

Give me one more forgettable 60's dad rockabilly and I'll lose faith in this list's relevance.

Not sure it’s one of the greatest albums, but I enjoyed it. Classic country. Uncomplicated. Perfect length

No standouts

It is country music.

Maybe a 2 is too low, but I can’t help it.

MIGLIOR ALBUM COUNTRY CHE ABBIA SENTITO FINORA, PIÙ VICINO AL VERO VECCHIO COUNTRY. SARÀ CHE ME LO SONO BLASTATO IN MACCHINA IN MEZZO ALLE STRADE DI CAMPAGNA DOPO UNA LUNGA GIORNATA IN UNIVERSITÀ… D’ALTRONDE LA MUSICA È FATTA ANCHE DI MOMENTI, E NON SOLO DI NOTE. 3/5

The chilling George Formby vibes of the cover art made me nervous, but the music's perfectly fine and fun. It's not a genre I know well and the album doesn't seem hugely substantial, but it's a jaunty bunch of mostly love songs that I enjoyed. Not amazing, but after a run of familiar artists it's nice to get one I didn't know at all!

Possibly the worst version of Chuck Berry's Memphis Tennessee I've ever heard! Interesting to hear the original version of Act Naturally though, albeit live. I hadn't realised that Ringo actually recorded it again as a duet with this man in '89. Proving the saying that two wrongs don't make a right! Anyway... Wham Bam thank you, Buck...I'll be on my way.

I do love a short album! This started strong and then dropped of a little towards the end but still enjoyable and a fun listen.

Serial killer Sid James has some nice songs, but not many. First side is best, it all sounds a bit by the numbers to me, but what do I know about country? Not a fat lot, that's what!

no está mal pero no es un género que me mate

Boring at times but good at times

#453 I know many will deride this sort of music and I get that but there’s a certain charm to it, one I think I have come to appreciate through use of such music in films. His picture on the album cover is pretty ridiculous though! Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ❌ Listen before you die?❓ Fave track(s): Memphis Rating: 5/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Just some good ole country songs… real old. Wasn’t bad, but it was as tough to find what was really good here.

Loads of fun. He has a great voice for this kind of mellow country thing. Song writing (/song selection I guess) is a little bit samey from my perspective as not a massive country fan. There are some really fun songs there and delivered in a fun way. Also interesting choice to cover the worst beatles song!

I am finding myself more tolerant of eldest county. This certainly fits the bill.

só diante do altar do defaultismo estadunidense pra uma redneckagem obsoleta dessas ser considerada um clássico universal digno de constar nessa lista

menos uma estrela pela música que diz que primeiro vem o casamento, depois vem pagar pensão, mais uma estrela por act nacturally.

Nails on a chalkboard. Cornball and trite. I’m questioning the musical universe in which this is one of the 1001 best albums.

I like this style of country, I like Buck Owens, I liked this album. But, like J Mascis will never be 5 for me, Buck Owens will never be a 4 for me.

He schmaltzy and insincere, but he's a craftsman of the form. I like his voice and his band. It probably also helped that my Mom disliked him and time has mostly forgotten him, so I heard him with fresh ears in my 30/40s.

Sure, the sound is a little dated. But these are great songs, he has a good voice, and this was a good direction to take country in.

2/5 - If I'm in the mood for honky tonk, I know where to go, but I'm never in the mood for honky tonk.

Favorite Track: If You Fall Out of Love with Me

okay

I like this kind if old country music whenever I listen to it, but this one won’t stick with me

Catchy, twangy, fun

2.5 - decent

I think you could sneak in the walk hard version of that's amore at any point in this album and nobody would notice. "You have failed conclusively!"

It's just toooooo country

Look, I'm sure this is great...if you like this sort of thing.

Long live the Bakersfield sound! All but forgotten now but one of the bigger bands of their time, with a back to basics approach that borrowed a little from rock n roll and that eventually came to be known as the Bakersfield sound. One of the more influential crossover bands, too: Ringo sings their hit Act Naturally on Help!, and the Stones' Far Away Eyes more than nods toward Bakersfield and this album's Cryin Time. When CCR was looking out their back door, they were listening to Buck Owens. The Byrds covered them, and it's hard to imagine Flying Burrito Brothers and Graham Parsons without these guys. Buck had the full package - songwriter, singer and bandleader - and with the Buckaroos we also get the gone waaaaay too soon Don Rich, who among other talents, brings the chiming-est Telecaster guitar you will ever hear this side of Big Star. I could listen to him pick away all day, and can only imagine the music they would have made if he hadn't died so young. Great band at the top of their form here. Would be five or six stars but a couple of clunkers in the song selection drag this down a bit.

Hm. This is the second of three different Bakersfield-sound albums in this collection, so I guess it's good to get a non-Tennessee/non-Texas sampling of country music (although it's hard to imagine that the third Bakersfield album, Dwight Yoakam's 1988 "Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room", will really sound like this one and Merle Haggard's). Based on this very small sample, I have to admit that I may not be a big Bakersfield fan, with the weird contrast between deep blues-oriented lyrics and this upbeat music and singing style; kind of a crying clown effect, I guess? Regardless, the highlights for me were "Let the sad times roll on", his cover of "The band keeps playin' on" and "Cryin' time", although his version of "Streets of Laredo" is decent too. I also appreciated the brief playing time of the album, plus the distinctive sound of guitar-playing Don Rich. Sad to read that soon after this album Buck Owens chose to host "Hee Haw!" for a season, although I'm guessing that helped pay the bills.

I kinda like Buck, but Carnegie Hall is better.

Good

Talk about classic country sound, love the steel string guitars, love the upbeat feel of even the sad songs, with the straight to the point and/or the heart lyrics. Those clean harmonies and white gospel rockabilly feels. more innocent than Elvis but cheeky. Gorgeous nostalgia. Makes me want to listen to Hank Williams.

Yeah nah, kind of cool, but not my thing at all

Some smooth old country

3/5. Solid little record of 60’s country, I actually quite liked the opening title track. And though it’s a live cut it was still interesting to hear “Act Naturally” by its original artist as I’m primarily used to the Beatles cover. It didn’t blow my mind or anything but I had a fun enough time with this one.

⭐️Memphis

This is a fun little album that has some really classic Western Music. I'm not going to say that it is going to blow many people away, but I do think it is worth 3.5 or 4 stars for what it did for the genre and how well it still holds up - which is much better than much of the pop country has and will...

When this album started, combined with that album cover, I was pretty set on a rating of 2, possibly 1. All that remained was to endure the next 32 minutes of torture. But I was wrong. This was surprisingly fun. I actually got into it by the end. I still wanted it to end, honestly, but it wasn’t as an unpleasant ride as I was expecting, by any means. 3 Boolean: true

Histórico, novedoso o hitazo en su momento quizás. Todo lo que quieras pero lo escucho hoy y me muero del embole. Lindas las baladas pero no hay chance de que lo escuche por placer. Rescato la instrumentalización y que no solo sean sonidos, caos y no musica de verdad. Una estrella y media