Honky Tonk Amnesia: The Hard Country Sound Of Moe Bandy

Amazon.com
"Well, it really tears me up when I hear a hurtin' song," sings Moe Bandy, "and I'm someone who likes a good cold beer." And there you have it: Moe Bandy in a nutshell. That line, from the quintessential Bandy song "Soft Lights and Hard Country Music," sums up his aesthetic quite nicely, but what it doesn't tell you is that Bandy seemed to be the only country singer who had that aesthetic in the 1970s and early 1980s. The Mississippi-born Bandy was raised in Texas and on the music of fellow Meridian native Jimmie Rodgers, honky-tonk master Hank Williams, and eventually his idol George Jones--hear how Bandy pronounces "woman" in "I Just Started Hatin' Cheatin' Songs Today" for proof of his reverence for Possum. Despite the country-pop trends of the day, he saw no reason to ever stray far from the hardcore honky-tonk that's as natural in Texas as cowboy hats. You might say he presaged the neotraditionalism of the late 1980s, except that he really wasn't "reviving" anything. He was merely playing the music he'd always loved, and since all 20 of the singles on this collection hit the Top 25, it appears that fans still loved hard country too, no matter what the popular style was at the time. After all, "a steel guitar in a dim-lit bar knows exactly how I feel." --Marc Greilsamer

Tracks:

I Just Started Hatin' Cheatin' Songs Today
Honky Tonk Amnesia
It Was Always So Easy (To Find An Unhappy Woman)
Don't Anyone Make Love At Home Anymore
Bandy The Rodeo Clown
Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life
She Took More Than Her Share
I'm Sorry For You, My Friend
Soft Lights And Hard Country Music
That's What Make The Jukebox Play
It's A Cheating Situation
Two Lonely People
Barstool Mountain
I Cheated Me Right Out Of You
One Of A Kind
Yesterday Once More
Following The Feeling
Rodeo Romeo
She's Not Really Cheatin' (She's Gettin' Even)
Let's Get Over Them Together

Amazon.com

"Well, it really tears me up when I hear a hurtin' song," sings Moe Bandy, "and I'm someone who likes a good cold beer." And there you have it: Moe Bandy in a nutshell. That line, from the quintessential Bandy song "Soft Lights and Hard Country Music," sums up his aesthetic quite nicely, but what it doesn't tell you is that Bandy seemed to be the only country singer who had that aesthetic in the 1970s and early 1980s. The Mississippi-born Bandy was raised in Texas and on the music of fellow Meridian native Jimmie Rodgers, honky-tonk master Hank Williams, and eventually his idol George Jones--hear how Bandy pronounces "woman" in "I Just Started Hatin' Cheatin' Songs Today" for proof of his reverence for Possum. Despite the country-pop trends of the day, he saw no reason to ever stray far from the hardcore honky-tonk that's as natural in Texas as cowboy hats. You might say he presaged the neotraditionalism of the late 1980s, except that he really wasn't "reviving" anything. He was merely playing the music he'd always loved, and since all 20 of the singles on this collection hit the Top 25, it appears that fans still loved hard country too, no matter what the popular style was at the time. After all, "a steel guitar in a dim-lit bar knows exactly how I feel." --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

Honky Tonk is an understatement.......2007-02-13

When I was a kid, my dad went through a serious Moe Bandy phase. That's basically my only connection. But I kept a havin' a yearnin' for certain songs (Amnesia, Last Bottle and Nobody make love at Home Anymore). Be aware that this music is almost a CHARICATURE of the "Honky Tonk" sound. It's about as classic for that certain era as it gets. You could play it for hipster, urban friends to make fun of Country & Western but I don't; I stand by it--and I am not what you'd call from-country-roots. All said and done, Mr. Bandy sounds like he means it, even though no one could have actually experiened that much cheatin'.

Good old country music.......2006-12-08

Just got this cd from Amazon. Every track is pure country. Lots of steel and fiddles, the way country music is surposed to be. It's good to hear those old drinkin and cheatin songs..Thanks Moe for a great cd.

Probably the best honky tonk album ever.......2006-10-12

This is an incredible honky tonk CD; this is what country music was and should be. It's all about drinking, cheating, rodeo, hurting, and all the other quintessential elements of real country. There's no pop, pseudo-country here. The first two songs--"I Just Started Hating Cheatin' Songs Today" and "Honky Tonk Amnesia"--are in the pantheon of best country songs ever.

E. A. Kreuzer.......2006-02-19

Living in Australia, I had never heard of this artist before, but thanks to Amazon, I was able to access and sample this cd. I was very impressed with the style, choice of songs , and overall feeling of the cd. Great way to just sit back and enjoy some nice country music as it was intended to be played. You wont be disappointed.

Thank You Moe.......2005-10-07

If the 1970's would have embraced the sounds of Moe Bandy more than those of Barbara Mandrell, Crystal Gayle, and Kenny Rogers, it would have been a whole different ballgame. The music on this album will remind you of what true country music is all about; I do believe the choice of the album title is appropriate as this is one of those albums that mix well with beer or bourbon (or both). Moe Bandy was definately a stylist who was obviously influenced by George Jones and Hank Williams, but you soon realize that Moe had a style all of his own. It's often overlooked that Moe also had a few notable duets including with Becky Hobbs and Judy Bailey, but his duet with the fabulous Janie Fricke in "It's a Cheatin Situation" will raise the hairs on the back of your neck. I dont think there's a bad song on the album, which is saying something for a 20 track disc. Moe did seem to fizzle out in the 80's after the intro of the neo-traditionalists, which is ironic considering he carried the torch of traditional country in the 70's. I am glad to see that his duets with Joe Stampley were not included here, although I'm sure many will disagree with me. While his duets with Joe were entertaining and deserved all of the air play they recieved, they were not in the same league as the songs included on this album. A+

Music Album:

Music Album