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Rhythm Oil - The Sessions
Johnny Cash's sleevenotes for the original release of
Rhythm Oil - The Sessions in 1993
TERRY CLARKE, MICHAEL MESSER &JESSE TAYLOR
RHYTHM OIL - THE SESSIONS
(Minidoka, import CD)
First there was Rhythm Oil the working title of a projected book, by music historian Stanley Booth, magazine article mention of which inspired Rhythm Oil the song, by Terry Clarke, the British singer-songwriter who cut an album in Austin a few years back. First performed when Clarke was opening for Butch Hancock, Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Jesse Taylor's 1990 Three Texas Treasures tour at the Breedon Bar in Birmingham, England, Taylor's admiration for the song gave birth to rhythm Oil the recording concept. Made in a matter of days the following Spring, rhythm Oil the album was in the can, scheduled for a Fall release, but then came rhythm Oil the delay. Rhythm Oil the book beat it to the stands fairly comfortably. Finally out (and available from Lubbock Or Leave It or Goldrush Records, 9 Kinnoull St, Perth PHI 5FN, Scotland), it's since spawned rhythm Oil the tour and rhythm Oil the T-shirt. From the title cut, a five minute plus rip roaring tour de force which cross references almost everything associated with oil, including a few suggestions for exotic (or is that esoteric?) uses of this slippery substance, the ten tracks closeout at a tad under 60 minutes. Clarke wrote five of them, plus another three with Messer, the balance made up by Mississippi Fred McDowell's Worried Life Blues and Muddy Waters' I Can't Be Satisfied. The trio, helped out by, among others, Slim on accordion, serve up metal-edged gritty blues and good old rock & roll, described by Johnny Cash in his liner notes (and thereby hangs a tale), as "Bare-bones blues gut-bucket rural rock. This record carried me away to a long time ago, down a delta drrt road to the land of my musical good old-daysing."
Favorite cuts include the sensuous Purple Dress, the rockabilly rhythms of Rock Me, Rosalie and the Irish influences/references Bodhrans And Bones.
Arthur Wood, Music City Texas (Austin)
Terry Clarke, Michael Messer, Jesse Taylor
Rhythm Oil: The Sessions
Minidoka CD MICD 006
This one's a difficult one to classify: West Texas country music meets Thames Delta blues in an iridescent wildcat gush of reverberating sound? Well, notwithstanding its homage to Muddy Waters ('I Can't Be SatiSausfiedsfied') and a grave-spinning nod in the direction of Fred McDonnell ('Worried Life Blues'), it probably ain't the blues, but who cares: it is a lively, commercial sound which weaves in a whole bunch of musical threads and which in a better world would gain a far wider audience!
It brings together the songwriting talents of Terry Clarke (he wrote the other eight of the ten tracks), the Delta/Hawaiian National guitars of Michael Messer and the impressive and much-imitated rockabilly/country guitar of Jesse Taylor from Lubbock, Texas, formerly with the Joe Ely Band.
Terry and Michael share the vocals and the stalwarts of the Michael Messer Band, Eddie Genis (rhythm guitar), Andy Crowdy (double bass) and Tim Hill (saxophone) make a valuable contribution, as does Camden Town's finest accordion player, 'Slim'.
The CD booklet includes a testimonial from none other than Johnny Cash: "Word pictures playing through my mind as I listen to the refreshing, earthy, panting sound of 'Rhythm Oil'... What I hear here is the real thing. Bare-bones blues, gut-bucket rural rock. This record carried me away to a long time ago, down a Delta dirt road to a land of my musical good-old-daysing.' Can't say fairer than that, can you?
Stuart Cumberpatch
BRITISH BLUES CONNECTION
TERRY CLARKE, MICHAEL MESSER &JESSE TAYLOR
RHYTHM OIL - THE SESSIONS Koch International 1998
Rhythm Oil .....Rocking country in various styles from driving country blues
to Tex Mex to modern kick ass rockabilly.
This fine album, originally released by a small independent label in 1993
is the best album Joe Ely never released!"
Martin Whittle - Free Country - 1998
