#47. I've Got A Tiger By The Tail - Buck Owens And His Buckaroos (1965)

Mom, this one's for you.

Growing up in Georgia in the '70s it was nearly impossible to escape "Hee Haw." I still remember the words to "PFFT! You Were Gone!" and "Gloom, Despair And Agony On Me" (Although when I was little, I thought they were saying "Glue this pear, it's agony on me.") When listening to this album, I kept expecting Owens to stop to deliver a cheesy one-liner or for Roy Clark to interrupt with "And I'm-a Grinnin'." But, none of that happened. But what did happen was actually kind of surprising. I kind of half-enjoyed this album.

It made me think of contemporary artists who must have been influenced by this sound; artists like Dwight Yoakam and even Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins. Do me a favor. Go to YouTube and search for "Jenny Lewis Rise Up With Fists". It's a fantastic song, but the video is hilarious. It's an homage to "Hee Haw!" complete with a laugh track and a punchline to a joke that we just walked in on.

Focus. The album had a twangy, honky tonk feel and I found myself singing along to songs that I'd never heard before. Well, OK, I tried to sing along to "Wham Bam," but could only get the chorus. Can you guess what it was? If you like country or honky tonk, this wasn't a bad listen.

Favorite Tracks: "I've Got A Tiger By The Tail" and "Wham Bam"