Van Go (album)
| Van Go | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1986 | |||
| Studio | Indigo Ranch, Malibu, CA | |||
| Genre | Rock, country rock | |||
| Label | Curb/MCA | |||
| Producer | Craig Leon | |||
| The Beat Farmers chronology | ||||
| ||||
Van Go is the second album by the American rock band the Beat Farmers, released in 1986.[1][2] It was the band's first album for Curb Records.[3]
The album peaked at No. 135 on the Billboard 200.[4]
Production
[edit]The guitarist Buddy Blue left the band during the recording sessions for Van Go; he was replaced by Joey Harris.[5][6] The album was produced by Craig Leon.[7] Beat Farmers drummer Country Dick Montana later described the album as having "'more of an AOR sound.'"[8] Many of the songs are about cars and transportation.[9]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Robert Christgau | B[11] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [12] |
| The Evening Sun |  [9] |
| Houston Chronicle | [13] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [14] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | [15] |
The Washington Post wrote that the Beat Farmers "sing about the barroom world of retooled cars, busted marriages and dead-end jobs... The band is as capable of irony as [Lou] Reed or [Neil] Young, but the Beat Farmers never allow it to interfere with their back-to-back basics attack."[16] Robert Christgau thought that "except for the deadpan 'Gun Sale at the Church' and maybe the Johnny Cash impressions, their country-rock is now proudly generic."[11]
Trouser Press called the album "amiable but rather thin."[17] The Toronto Star opined that the "best thing about the Beat Farmers is that they make no outrageous claims for themselves; their music is honest and earthy, but it doesn't pretend to defend the dignity of the working man, free enterprise, the American Way."[18]
AllMusic praised the "amazing cover of Neil Young's 'Powderfinger', which sounds like it was written for the band."[10]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Riverside" | 3:27 |
| 2. | "Deceiver" | 2:48 |
| 3. | "Powderfinger" | 3:46 |
| 4. | "Seven Year Blues" | 2:31 |
| 5. | "Blue Chevrolet" | 2:50 |
| 6. | "I Want You, Too" | 1:54 |
| 7. | "Road of Ruin" | 2:27 |
| 8. | "Buy Me a Car" | 2:46 |
| 9. | "Gun Sale at the Church" | 2:57 |
| 10. | "Bigger Fool Than Me" | 2:48 |
| 11. | "Big Ugly Wheels" | 2:18 |
Personnel
[edit]- Buddy Blue – guitar
- Rolle Dexter – bass, vocals
- Joey Harris – guitar
- Country Dick Montana – drums, vocals
- Jerry Raney – guitar, vocals
References
[edit]- ^ "Beat Farmers | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ "In Memory of Country Dick Montana, 1955–1995". MTV News. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021.
- ^ "The Beat Farmers". San Diego Reader.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2010). Top Pop Albums (7th ed.). Record Research. p. 63.
- ^ MacDonald, Patrick (October 31, 1986). "Beat Farmers Till Their Music and Cultivate an Audience". Night Life. The Seattle Times. p. 7.
- ^ "The Beat Farmers, who rose from Spring Valley in 1983 to rock the world, celebrated on new/old double-album". The San Diego Union-Tribune. March 27, 2021.
- ^ The Encyclopedia of Record Producers. Billboard Books. 1999. p. 459.
- ^ "The Beat Farmers Ho, Ho, Ho in the Roots-Rock Field". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ a b Ercolano, Patrick (25 Jun 1986). "Beat Farmers stick to time-honored rock". The Evening Sun. p. E2.
- ^ a b "Van Go – Beat Farmers | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ a b "Robert Christgau: CG: The Beat Farmers". www.robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 485.
- ^ Racine, Marty (September 28, 1986). "Records". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 11.
- ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 86.
- ^ Tucker, Ken (June 29, 1986). "The Beat Farmers Van Go". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. H8.
- ^ "No Drought for the Rainmakers". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ "Beat Farmers". Trouser Press. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ Quill, Greg (14 Nov 1986). "Reviews Pop". Toronto Star. p. D6.