Album Review – Joe Buck’s Piss & Vinegar
Whenever the name Joe Buck comes up, invariably there will be someone spouting off about how he is not country. Sonically, this is certainly true–he is punk. Lyrically and historically, he might be more country than any other artist you can name. I didn’t think about it until I sat down to write this review, but Joe Buck is critically responsible for two of the top three albums in my Top Ten Albums of the Decade list. He played every single note on Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers Cockadoodledon’t (#3), and on Hank III’s Straight to Hell (#1) he played all the bass and help engineer and produce it. Oh, and it was also recorded in his house.
The uniqueness of Joe Buck is that never has such unchecked anger and vulgarity been accompanied by such Stoic wisdom, coming from the most mild mannered person you’d ever meet. Pissed-offedness is rarely hand in hand with introspection, self-repudiation, and a calm clairvoyance for the impending follies of man. But Joe Buck possesses this all, and at the heart is an outrage over the South’s decaying culture built into a wise, steadfast rage.
For those that have a pile of Joe Buck’s self- recorded/produced/distributed CD’s with their weird little drawings on the front and makeshift packaging, you might not see the point of buying the same songs again, or in some cases, a third time. But as Joe Buck put it:
I have to have a really great representation of this stuff because I’m really proud of these songs. It’s just they didn’t get their due and it’s one of those things where it’s like I can’t move on until I get this like I need to.
And that is what he has done with Piss & Vinegar. With legendary producer Jack Endino, he has created a uncompromised archive of his most popular songs, though I’d stop short of smack talking his previous releases. There is something endearing about their imperfections and homespun nature, but Piss & Vinegar may be the more accurate representation of the music. Owners of his previous material might hear these songs as a little to polished, just like if someone heard this album first and then went to the older stuff, the self-produced material would sound too rough.
There are some different hitches and minor lyric changes in the songs here and there, but probably the biggest difference is that Joe’s voice and lyrics are much more articulate and calculated. Yes, sometimes this is in lieu of the growling and anger, but on the flip side the lyrics are also more understandable, making them more potent. Yeah, I kind of miss his dog barking at the end of “Dig A Hole” but it’s also good to finally know the correct rapid-fire verses to “Devil Is On His Way.”
Since this isn’t packed with new material, it is a little hard to find the inspiration to shower this album with wordy praise, but it it is worthy of praise nonetheless. Initially it was going to be distributed worldwide through Century Media where it would reach new Joe Buck recruits, but with Joe Buck’s strong roots network and tireless tour schedule, it almost doesn’t matter. He leaves each town with a few new apostles behind, and his legacy grows.
Two guns up!
Buy Piss & Vinegar
Joe Buck Interviews: Interview #1 / Interview #2
January 13, 2011 @ 9:27 am
The slower songs like Dig My Grave, Demon in My Head and I Will Survive really stand out to me and the rest of the tracks are also much clearer and this makes the songs that much more country.
January 13, 2011 @ 9:34 am
Still waiting on my copy, ordered it as soon as the first post was made about it here.
January 13, 2011 @ 9:59 am
That sucks man. I know when I first posted about it, they were insistent that it could take a month for people to get their CD’s. And from what I’ve been hearing, it took about a month but people have been receiving them now. That is why I waited until now to post the review. I’d say if you don’t get it by early next week, email Bucket City Agency (http://bucketcity.ning.com/), or send me a message and I’ll see if i can get someone’s attention.
January 13, 2011 @ 1:45 pm
Just saw this note from Bucket City on Facebook:
“If you pre-ordered Joe Buck’s Piss and Vinegar, they are on the way. (Sorry for the delay, the devil is on his way)”
January 13, 2011 @ 6:46 pm
That’s awesome…gonna be arriving just before Bob Wayne’s album.
January 14, 2011 @ 5:09 pm
Glad to know, thanks.
January 13, 2011 @ 9:52 am
Just wanted to say thanks for all your hard work. I’ve posted before that JBY has one of the best shows ever, and he is happy to shake your hand and thank you after every show.
He gave me Piss & Vinegar after the last Portland show, and the best way to describe it is that it is clean. All of the raw emotion from the early stuff is there, but this seems to be the final version for these songs. TM, you gave us the heads-up on Dig My Grave, and I was happy to see it show up on Piss & Vinegar.
He told me he was going to record Give It Up with Zeke, can’t wait to hear it.
January 13, 2011 @ 10:00 am
Yes, “final version” is a good way of putting it.
I think he might be doing some new stuff with Capt. Sean and Throwrag too.
January 13, 2011 @ 10:24 am
very well said man.cant think of any musician i’d rather sit and talk with than Joe Buck.when i play his music for my friends either they don’t like it cuz they like more pussified music or if they do like it its just cuz they hear him yell”evil motherfucker” but i’m sayin no man listen to the fuckin verse. evil motherfucker from TN is a deep song but you gotta work a little to find the wisdom. it aint easy music but that’s the real beauty and if these new versions are a bit more accessible then all the better. my homemade joe buck cd’s and homemade bob wayne cd’s are among my most prized possessions. and the live show is unsurpassed for energy and menace and anger coming outta one guy. last time i seen him people gettin thrown through tables and broken bones and whatnot.
January 13, 2011 @ 10:50 am
Not sure what makes Joe Buck less than country. Doesn’t matter how loud or fast its played, that’s not what makes country.
Punk bands like Zeke, Hammerlock and Anti-Seen care a lot more about roots and country music and I’d much rather listen to them, than Shooter Jennings.
I didn’t understand Joe Buck’s music, until viewing at youtube video of Hank III and son, visiting his grandfather’s farm in Arkansas, along with Joe Buck and several other musicians. The footage shows the massive and now dilapidated barns of what had once been a successful independent cattle and hog operation. The farm, apparently in operation at the time, was considerably run and down, similar to many I’ve seen fall-apart in the Ozarks, over the last twenty years.
The South is getting the asphalt and strip-mall treatment. While the factories get shuttered and the great silos and barns rust out and rot in, suburbanization continues. The world isn’t going to be a better place without them.
Those are the roots of Rage in the South.
January 13, 2011 @ 10:56 am
Exactly.
You don’t have a link to that YouTube, do you?
January 13, 2011 @ 11:11 am
I’m not sure if this is the video Savrola mentioned, but this is on Youtube, part 1 of 2 I think….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMMHmtFanL4&feature=related
January 13, 2011 @ 11:53 am
Ha! I remember seeing those way back. That’s Bob Wayne filming. There’s another video where they’re trying to convince Bob to jump on the back of a cow as they’re stampeding. Good stuff.
January 13, 2011 @ 11:50 am
That video he speaks of is in Jane, Mo. at the Yeargin’s. But it speaks volumes regardless. It reminds me of my Grandpaw’s farming over the years. Joe Buck is astonished with the whole scene, you can tell he’s never gotten to see one before.
January 13, 2011 @ 10:59 am
I am not that familiar with Joe Buck’s stuff. But I had a question about the comment above, “youtube video of Hank III and son, visiting his grandfather”™s farm in Arkansas”
does anyone know if Hank III’s son is a Hank 4? I believe he recently turned 18-ish? Is he making any music?
Sorry, a bit off topic.
January 13, 2011 @ 11:23 am
Hank III’s son is probably 19 by now. I know that he doesn’t have “Hank” in his name, because when he was born, III had no idea he existed. So no plans for a Hank IV, and from what I can remember from a recent interview, he does dabble in music a little, but is more of a writer/drawer who might be getting into welding as a trade.
One of the reasons III has been so low key recently is because he’s been spending a lot of time with his son, something he wasn’t able to do until he turned 18, and something Jr. never did with III.
January 13, 2011 @ 11:30 am
Thanks for the info. Makes sense, and if his time is being spent with his son, no one should fault him for being off the map for awhile.
January 13, 2011 @ 11:25 am
I’m so excited about this new album, but unfortunately both this one and the new Bob Wayne are not available for orders from Germany…I hope this is a good (?) sign that they were picked up by some record label here…!?
January 13, 2011 @ 11:56 am
Yeah, I saw that note. Century Media is based in Germany, so I’m sure Bob Wayne will make it over there. Maybe someone decided to distribute this, but only in Europe. Last time I talked to Bob, he said Century had different plans for how to market him to the US and Europe. They looks at the two markets in completely different ways.
January 13, 2011 @ 2:10 pm
http://www.peoplelikeyourecords.com/artists.aspx
I believe that’s his European somethingorother.
January 13, 2011 @ 3:57 pm
HELL YEAH! Thanks a lot! Even a LP release and an upcoming gig in my town! Cheers!
January 18, 2011 @ 6:50 am
I just have to pass this on:
I ordered the LP Sunday evening from People Like You and got it today. Beautiful 180g colored vinyl, colored insert, protection sleeve, download card for the album AND a PLY sampler, FREE 6-track vinyl EP of PLY artists (Gluecifer, Danko Jones, Peter Pan Speedrock), a bunch of stickers and a poster from other PLY artists, with good packaging so nothing’s broken.
So, for the people ordering from Europe: PLY is highly recommended, in case you can’t get it from your local record store.
January 13, 2011 @ 12:01 pm
Was that really in Jane, Missouri?
I live directly across the county line from Jane.
January 13, 2011 @ 2:27 pm
Folks
I’m pleading ignorance, here. I’m new to Joe. I saw a documentary following Joe taking the viewer through Nashville and my immediate impression was how intelligent and articulate he was. My ignorance stems from not knowing what category of Country music Joe plays. Furthermore, am I risking my ass getting kicked when I tell others that Joe plays Country music? From what I hear, Joe, Hank III, etc. play Country music.
Harley Lee Walker
January 13, 2011 @ 7:46 pm
That was a good documentary, out of Sweden.
Joe Buck is a rare bird. All I could say is listen to his stuff, watch him live if he comes to your town, and try to get your own flavor of the man.
Here’s the start of that Doc if anyone is interested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LwzO2Ih9DQ
January 13, 2011 @ 3:52 pm
Joe Buck has a long history in music. I love his new stuff but also like his old honky tonkin’ material. Hell I hear had his own Honky Tonky on the strip in Nashville years ago. One of the last times he came through town he took a chunk of time to sing old country songs. Really really bad ass to witness that.
January 13, 2011 @ 4:05 pm
yep, they had a residency at Jim and Layla’s Bluegrass Inn, the bar he formally owned.
January 13, 2011 @ 4:03 pm
As a big Joe Buck fan and supporter, I can say i honestly don’t enjoy this as much as the rough demos. One reason is he can never capture this album live unless he gets a band. Some songs have 2 guitars, a bass, banjo, and full drum set. Also, I was a little bummed to hear most of the songs being toned down. Many are slower and have no screaming. This is another aspect of his live show that is not captured here.
But, on a positive note, it is very professional and easy to listen to for new listeners. I hope it pushes his career a bit and makes him some well deserved cash. One major mistake in my mind is not re-recording “Bitter is the Day”. I think that if he was trying to cater to a new crowd and tone down a bit, this would’ve been the perfect song. Hell, that song has potential to be a radio single in some markets.
Overall, but this album and support Joe either way.
January 13, 2011 @ 4:03 pm
Buy this album is what it should say.
January 13, 2011 @ 8:05 pm
Man…I love Joe Buck. I feel like he writes and sings for me and my people. I turn on country radio and I feel like my whole lifestyle is being made fun of…But when I listen to Joe Buck I know that he’s on the side of the rural folks because that’s what he IS….Or at least the rural folks who still give a shit about being rural folks. He’s the real deal. I’d love to hang out with him for a day and pick his brain.
January 14, 2011 @ 11:38 am
I turn on country radio and I feel like my whole lifestyle is being made fun of
Because it is. Listen to Trace Adkins’ “Brown Chicken Brown Cow.” This music isn’t meant for country people. It’s meant for suburban people who want to live vicariously through it, or laugh at it.
January 13, 2011 @ 8:23 pm
It sounds like Joe wants to perfect what is dear to his heart: his songs. You can tell when someone is infused with the music. That’s what Joe Buck is.
Great blog Triggerman.
January 14, 2011 @ 8:47 am
Bitter is the day is my favorite joe buck song, and I would like him to do a studio version of that, but the album sounds good, can’t wait to get my copy.
January 14, 2011 @ 9:22 am
Good review. P&V is a polished version of these songs where the lyrics are easily understandable. Great lyrics I may add. I think I have everything Joe has recorded that I know of. I have seen Him about 7 or 8 times since He went solo and every time was a great show, its always 100% BADDASS. Before this release there was an ep called Devil is On His Way that was a limited addition, I have the signed 1st copy sold in the US. Each record has its own versions of the same songs I like em all and If you are lucky enough to catch a live show make sure to pick up the dvd Live From Bluecats its classic. The last show I saw The Goddamn Gallows joined Him on stage, unbelievable.Joe Buck is an American treasure.
January 14, 2011 @ 5:27 pm
Thanks for the post! I am looking forward to my copy of Piss & Vinegar…I really like the “tamer” sound I have heard.
January 15, 2011 @ 10:13 am
WOOOHOO!…Just got PISS and VINEGAR this morning. I like it alot, great talent! I think I prefer Joes studio work a lot better than what I have heard live, Sure hope there is more to come!
January 16, 2011 @ 3:28 pm
I first saw Joe Buck play somewhere around 10 years ago at the Bluegrass Inn with the Hillbilly Allstars (Chuck Mead, Chris Scruggs, and the rest of the BR549 crew). They played 4 hrs of classic honky tonk songs all trading off singing duties and Joe did a bunch of original drinking songs. That night I decided to head back home and get serious about country music. When I first saw the JBY show I preferred the more honky tonk stuff he did before but I now see the simple hillbilly genius of his whole thing. I owe him a huge debt of graditude for everything I do in music today. happy trails!
January 19, 2011 @ 6:52 am
Got mine in the mail yesterday. It’s a good’un.
June 28, 2011 @ 1:35 pm
I’m really getting impatient for a worldwide release…dammit. And it’s been sold out for ages anyway. Why can’t he just release it through Farmageddon or independently via cdbaby when the other deal fell through?