Lately I've really been loving The Sir Douglas Quintet. Today's featured killer track, Texas Me, is about Doug Sahm's move from Texas to San Francisco during the late 1960's. Like every other tune on the brilliant album Mendicino, Doug's got the band playing loose and just close enough to the groove. It's soulful, twangy, and laid back. Pop the top of a can of Pearl and enjoy!The Sir Douglas Quintet - Texas Me (Alternate Mix) (buy album)
Trivia: Doug Sahm was a country music prodigy. Before turning 12 he had already been featured on the Louisiana Hayride and played live on stage with Hank Williams San Antonio (source). Has anybody else played with both Hank Williams and Jerry Garcia?
I'm in a good mood today because I just ordered Doug Sahm and the Sir Douglas Quintet (The Complete Mercury Recordings) (Get it!).
For more about Doug Sahm, make sure you read LD's great work over at The Adios Lounge. LD's regular spotlight on Sahm turned me from a casual fan to a huge supporter.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Killer Track: The Sir Douglas Quintet - Texas Me (Alternate Mix)
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6 comments:
Heh, the Adios Lounge posts inspired me to get that orange box set too. It's great. Nothing's quite as boss as SDQ.
Love Mendocino, great record. Doug Sahm and Band is my favourite Doug Sahm album though, mainly due to Wallflower, Faded Love and a real laid back, country-blues vibe.
I own a copy of 'The Best Of Sir Doug' and always thought it was one of the most comprehensive compilations of a band I had. That was until I saw the track listing for 'The Complete Masters'. Looks an awesome collection.
Doug Sahm was a true Ambassador of Austin-style goodwill. I got to see him there a few times in the mid-90's.
His song "Crossroads" should be the Texas State Anthem.
The Gourds played a fair amount with Doug in his latter years and the bootlegs of some of those joint efforts are quite good.
Yeah the ending of Crossroads -- "you'll be beside me one more tiiiiiiime yeah" -- is one of the great moments in American musical history.
You will not regret getting the Mercury Masters. It's more than you need (remixes, Spanish versions, etc), but you can never have too much Sir Douglas, and it's nice to have it all in one place. Get a nice Atlantic compilation next (Genuine Texas Groover from Rhino Handmade is the equivalent of the Mercury set).
And we'd like to thank all our beautiful friends from all over the country for all the beautiful vibrations ... we love you.
I didn't download this only because I have been into Doug Sahm/Sir Doug almost as long as he'd been making music. He did it all: rock, country, tex-mex and you name it. I'm not from Texas but I'll move if there are more like Doug down there;)
Dave
I was turned on to the SDQ by one of my occasional trips to the Barns & Nobles Music Department. My first listen to these boys I though I was listening to some old english blues group, but let me tell you tho listening to the SDQ I was in a different world, I could finnaly breath right. There was no fakeness out of it the SDQ was bigger than anything I had ever heard out of Texas or rather that anyplace elsewhere. I was spellbound by their creative energly that flowed through them like a gush of wind and out from whatever sound they could develop and suited them well. "Loudness" that's problably the best word to describe these five, and listening to them you can't overlook the greatness of Doug Sahm. Doug could do it all and he did it the best. I haven't yet picked up the Complete Mecury Recordings but when I save me up some más dinero and then I will run like a school girl to my computer to quickly put in my next order of SDQ.
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