Twistin' in the Wind

Amazon.com
Joe Ely remains the cool rockin' king of the great Texas songwriters--matching Guy Clark's eye for detail with Townes Van Zandt's sensitivity and Doug Sahm's love of the big beat. Twistin'--which swings from the sublime title track and "It's a Little Like Love" to the silly (but sage) "If I Could Teach My Chihuahua to Sing"--is another notch on his well-weathered belt. And Ely (if not his little dog) is singing better than ever to boot. Twistin' also features a virtual who's who of Ely's favorite guitar pickers; including steel-man Lloyd Maines, flamenco whiz Teye, and electric thrashers David Grissom and Jesse Taylor. The legend goes on... --Michael Ruby

Country Music Magazine
There's plenty of electric guitar and pedal steel, but accordion, mandolin, dobro, gut-and steel-stringed acoustic guitars, and attenuated echo effects set an intimate tone for Ely's blood-vessel-poppin' intensity.

Twistin' in the Wind

Twistin' in the Wind,Joe Ely,Mca Nashville,Americana,Country,Country & Western,Country-Rock,Pop,Progressive Country,Rock

Average customer rating:

Joe Ely : Twistin you in the right direction with this one

Overall, this one does not really zing me...

Spicy South Texas Stew

a beatnik cowboy landscape of the mind

Not worthy of "Joe Ely" designation

Twistin' in the Wind
Joe Ely
Manufacturer: Mca Nashville
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music
General | Country | Styles | Music
Outlaw & Progressive Country | Country | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Country Rock | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Love & Danger

Letter to Laredo

Dig All Night

Streets of Sin

Lord of the Highway

ASIN: B000006R8K
Release Date: 1998-05-12

Tracks:

Up On The Ridge
Roll Again
It's A Little Like Love
Twistin' In The Wind
Queen Of Heaven
Sister Soak The Beans
I Will Lose My Life
You're Workin' For The Man
Nacho Mama
Behind The Bamboo Shade
Gulf Coast Blues
If I Could Teach My Chihuahua To Sing

Amazon.com

Joe Ely remains the cool rockin' king of the great Texas songwriters--matching Guy Clark's eye for detail with Townes Van Zandt's sensitivity and Doug Sahm's love of the big beat. Twistin'--which swings from the sublime title track and "It's a Little Like Love" to the silly (but sage) "If I Could Teach My Chihuahua to Sing"--is another notch on his well-weathered belt. And Ely (if not his little dog) is singing better than ever to boot. Twistin' also features a virtual who's who of Ely's favorite guitar pickers; including steel-man Lloyd Maines, flamenco whiz Teye, and electric thrashers David Grissom and Jesse Taylor. The legend goes on... --Michael Ruby

Customer Reviews:

Joe Ely : Twistin you in the right direction with this one.......2006-01-16

Joe Ely is an artist with the quality stamp all over. He turns you right into it with the great opener Track 1 Twistin in the wind. Musicalwise he painted your`e soul with a great mix of cajun, texmex`, and other musical influences which is hard to put words on paper to describe. He shifts mood between the tracks, like Track 2 Roll Again, which is a great "saunter along" song, with the right "dose" of guitar plink and plunck as a back wall to lift this to a great tune. Track 3 It`s a little like love had a great beginning, but it``doesn`t kick`off in the right direction in a way. There goes the 5 stars, beacuse this has not the optimal quality track over it. Anyway we are soon back in business again with the title track Track 4 Twistin in the wind. The beginning is a little bore, but soon the song wakens up, and it grows, yeah it realy grows. You can saunter along listen to the the rest of the tracks and Joe Ely gives you great
music, and put`s in accordian, and other "harmonica", steel guitars, plink and plunck instruments on the rest of the tracks. Track 8 Your`e workin for the man, has style,guts, and a very interested chourus as a background carpet, wich realy fills out a mood for you dark corners in your soul, with a
"rattlesnake" sound in the background. Anyway my favourite Tex mex happy song is Track 9 Nacho Mama, a great tune to
any "tortilla and taco" dinner party anywere. Theres` even room for a blues and jazz inspired "musical tale" like (Track 11Gulf coast blues) . A great end to a great Joe Ely CD, which twist your`e mood and soul in the right direction.

Overall, this one does not really zing me..........2005-07-09

The songs as a whole simply do not make my toes tap or my heart soar or my mind reel. If you are new to Joe Ely, I recommend "Letter to Laredo" and "Streets of Sin" and the 1978 gem "Honky Tonk Masquerade" ahead of "Twistin' in the Wind." Joe is talented enough to deserve larger fame than he has, but this effort is one of his rare disappointments.

Spicy South Texas Stew.......2003-12-24

Joe Ely hits his peak with this thoroughly successful album of songs in which his band conjures up every south Texas ghost imaginable. The songs range across working man's despair, homecoming celebration, south-of-the-border romance, fateful battles, gambler's philosophy and barroom humor, written and sung with wit and conviction by Joe. The musical core of Joe's band is Texas blues, but it is transformed into a "border-radio" blend by flamenco guitarist Teye and accordionist Joel Guzman. The effect is to place you squarely in the Texas of the Rio Grande, deep in the Mexican penumbra. Add to this mix the Nashville flourishes of steel guitar and dobro from Lloyd Maines (a sound originally borrowed by Nashville from Texas Swing), and the New Orleans carnival soul from Mitch Watkins' organ and you have an unusually spicy, flavorful stew. To hear an example of how these divergent musical styles can click together at the same time, check out the instrumental conclusion to "I Will Lose My Life" - it's subtle, simple and just perfect. Although the music is the main dish, Joe's lyrics also are superb, and each song tells a story you will want to hear again and again. This is Joe Ely in top form, hitting new heights, and capable of winning new fans.

a beatnik cowboy landscape of the mind.......2000-03-17

I don't know what's wrong with the last few reviewers. This is another great Joe Ely album. Joe is the rowdier, scrappier alter ego of Jimmie Dale Gilmore's zen beatnik cowboy, and his persona is fully intact here. Of course he doesn't sound like he did in '78 or '88 now that it's '98. But he is deeper, wiser, funnier, and much better produced. And Lloyd Maines adds tremendously to the sound over the late '80s quartet with David Grissom on guitar, which rocked, but was sonically thin. Top tracks: "Up On the Ridge" (an existentialist showdown), "Queen of Heaven," "Gulf Coast Blues," and the title track. TWISTIN' has lots of humor, right up front on "Nacho Mama" and "Teach My Chihuahua to Sing," and in the attitude of "Roll Again" and "Sister Soak the Beans" as well. Joe keeps remaking songs from DIG ALL NIGHT too (one of his weakest records, in my opinion) -- here we have a superior rendition of "Behind the Bamboo Shade." (LIVE AT LIBERTY LUNCH has the best version of "Me and Billy the Kid," and LOVE AND DANGER has the definitive version of "Settle For Love.")

To my ears, Joe was consistently excellent in the '90s. Listening to this disc again recently (September 2004), I would give it 5 stars. Don't miss it if you're an Ely fan, a Flatlanders fan, or just a fan of great roots music!

Not worthy of "Joe Ely" designation.......2000-01-18

This is a pretty poor Joe Ely album. I have seven of his albums (not counting this one) so I do consider myself a rabid Joe Ely fan. This CD however did almost nothing for me. If you want to check out some Joe Ely, I would recommend starting with "Lord of the Highway", or if you like live albums try "Live at Liberty Lunch". "Dig All Night" is pretty good too, especially if you like music better than lyrics; sonically that album is my favorite by Joe Ely.

Music Album:

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