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Release Date: 11/22/2005
His years as comedic host of
Hee Haw have obscured the fact that
Buck Owens was a top-notch honky tonker who, along with
Merle Haggard and
Owens' guitar player
Don Rich, helped establish the bright,
rock-inflected
Bakersfield sound in the mid-'60s. Having
the Beatles cover one of your songs (
"Act Naturally") didn't hurt things any when
Owens & His Buckaroos played the
London Palladium on March 9, 1969, and thanks to
Rich's phenomenal guitar playing, which could match any
British Invasion player jangle for jangle, the group had no trouble connecting with a hip U.K. audience. Tackling medleys of his hits, then tossing in
gospel hymns, some hot instrumentals, and even a bit of
Cajun fiddle,
Owens races through a 17-song set that still comes in at well under an hour. It's great fun (although the cornball patter between songs is straight out of
Hee Haw) and even revelatory, particularly on the two chiming, hyper- kinetic and
surf-tinged instrumentals,
"A Happening in London Town" and
"Buckaroo." Other highlights include a cover of
Merle Haggard's
"Sing Me Back Home," the infectiously clever
"It Takes People Like You (To Make People Like Me)," the goofy and sarcastic
"Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass?" and an inspired
Doug Kershaw medley where
Rich gets to play some
Cajun fiddle on
"Diggy Liggy Lo" and
"Louisiana Man." The concert was originally released in truncated form by
Capitol Records as a double LP under the title
Buck Owens in London later that same year, and this reissue by
Sundazed restores the full set list.
Owens has always been fond of live albums, having released more than a dozen in his career, but the
Palladium show, thanks to great sound, an enthusiastic audience, and
Rich's amazing guitar tone, may well be the best of the bunch.
~Steve Leggett, All Music Guide
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