Album Review – Gary Stewart’s “One Track Mind”

Classic Country (#510.1) and Honky Tonk (#510.2) on the Country DDS.

If there’s nothing truly new in music, and if there’s no new music that’s better than old music, then there’s not much that’s better than new music from an older artist, recorded during their golden era. This is what voracious ears can feast upon via this new archive release from the King of The Honky Tonks, one Gary Stewart. Called One Track Mind, it features 16 previously-unheard songs, and 20 songs total that were recorded between 1967 and 1972.

To a good consensus of old school country fans, Gary Stewart is far and away the most underrated, and under-heralded country artist of all time, with his catalog wielding incomparable influence on both the artists of his era, and contemporary ones. With the release of an extensive biography this year, and now this archival release, the hope is to rekindle the conversation about Gary Stewart’s contributions to country music, and the historical context they deserve to be set in.

The best way to consume this project is to consider it like two separate albums. The first one is a 14-song album of all original material written or co-written by Gary Stewart himself, capturing him in some of his earliest incarnations as an artist during an era when he was primarily known as a songwriter. Multiple songs penned during this era went on to be hits for others, like Del Reeves (“One Track Mind”), Cal Smith (“You Can’t Housebreak a Tomcat”), and Jack Greene (“There’s a Whole Lot About a Woman (A Man Don’t Know).”

But what these early recordings reveal is that even as a songwriter, Gary Stewart was still highly skilled as a singer and performer. That immediately recognizable voice, and Stewart’s passionate and enthusiastic delivery are most certainly there, and any of these recordings very well could have rivaled or surpassed their secondary versions cut by others if Gary had been given that A-list consideration at the time. These songs also fit Gary Stewart’s personality—that combination of an unhinged, fun-loving wild man, yet one who is revealed as quick-witted and surprisingly smart through his lyricism.

These first 14 songs are also very emblematic of country music in the mid to late sixties. The songwriting is simple, however clever. The arrangements are very straightforward and “stock” in the assembly line way of cutting songs that preceded country music’s Outlaw era. These songs remind you a lot of listening through old Buck Owens albums from around the same period, where every song was always good, but never super great, with twangy, hot action and a short runtime to appeal to country radio. One Track Mind is a very fun listen, but lacks a little of the depth and originality of Gary’s later material. You can tell he was writing and recording to get cuts.

Nonetheless, you are very happy to receive this window into the early career of Gary Stewart, and there’s quite a few selections that could become your favorites from the Gary Stewart catalog. The songs range from the silly and entertaining like “Living The Life of a Dog,” to the heartbreaking and touching like “Don’t Put a Poor Hand On Me.” This is a far cry from the odds and sods you sometimes get with archival releases.

But odds and sods are pretty much what you get for the last six songs on this album. This includes Motown demos of the Four Tops’ “Baby I Need Your Loving” and “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” and Stevie Wonder’s “Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday” that Stewart recorded for $30 a pop back when they were toying with the idea of releasing them as country songs. Honestly, though these demos are fun and interesting to listen to, you’re glad the idea didn’t go much further. Also, you don’t get much out of the acetate version of “Snuff Queen,” and this version of “Morbid the Great” sounds like bad early metal.

Make no mistake though, One Track Mind is an essential purchase for any real Gary Stewart fan, and completes an early puzzle piece from his songwriting and performance catalog we didn’t know was missing. It might not feel as immediate and timeless as the recent archive releases from Waylon Jennings, Don Williams, and Luke Bell. But any Gary Stewart fan worth their salt should be elated these songs made it to the public, no matter how old this new music may sound.

7.8/10

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Stream/Purchase Gary Stewart’s One Track Mind