Rating:
Genre:
Country
Release Date: 05/10/2005
For the Soul and for the Mind: Demos of 1971-1974 is an astonishing document. Basically, it is a found reel of
David Allan Coe's earliest demos as a staff songwriter for the late
Pete Drake's
Window Music publishing company.
Coe was paid a "draw" of $100.00 a week. The draw was basically a loan against royalties if and when a songwriter scored. The reel was found by
Drake's widow,
Rose, and handed over to
Steve Popovich, who took it to
Coe. The 15th cut is a demo from 2001, recorded at home. This is hardcore
country music, from
honky tonk ballads to
drinking anthems to
truck driving country tunes to
story songs -- all written before
Coe exposed his "
"Long Haired Redneck"" persona. Sound quality varies a bit, but is mostly very good. Sometimes
Coe is backed only by his guitar, at other times, by a small session band -- no matter what the setting, his work here shines. Regardless of the fact that none of them really hit, these cuts offer shining proof of
Coe's status as a poet.
"Teardrops and Wine," despite being a solo acoustic tune, was clearly written for
Jerry Lee Lewis during his
Mercury period -- he gets name-checked in the refrain. Likewise,
"The Bottle" seems to have been composed with
George Jones in mind. Its soaring crescendos and steady, slow
honky tonk shuffle seem tailor-made for
Billy Sherrill's production style. The roughest track here, sound-wise, is
"When Jesus Was a Rumor," a confessional
novelty song, but it is no throwaway. Painful and painstaking honesty has always been
Coe's trademark, and it is here.
"No Place Left to Run" is one of the songwriter's excellent, dual-line narrative
ballads. And so it goes. Selection after selection uncovers
Coe's ready talent, not quite honed but nonetheless expressive, provocative, and able. The final offering,
"Don't You Cry," is a startling portrait of the artist on the other side. He's no longer swinging for the radio fences, but he's hungry for the Muse nonetheless. There is also a bonus DVD with the set that has three tunes from
Coe's early period -- all of them illuminating and haunting, as well. This is a must for fans and a fine way to see what all the fuss was about back in the day.
~Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
Cart 0 items
Listen
