Various Artists – Cowpunks 24 Trailblazing Tracks
In what appears to be an ever-growing genre of alt-country-related compilations, this entry from an English independent label is a decent collection, if a bit of a chronologically confusing hodge-podge. Amidst obscurities from the likes of newcomers such as the V-Roys (a cover of Roger Miller’s “Long Time Leavin'”) and Greg Garing (“No Such Thing As Sin”) are scattered out-of-sync selections such as Uncle Tupelo’s “Still Be Around” (not an alternate version, but the one straight off 1991’s Still Feel Gone) and a track from Canadians Ray Condo & the Hardrock Goners, who no longer exist (Condo is now fronting a band called the Ricochets). And what exactly is the point of including Golden Smog’s “He’s A Dick”, a throwaway song on their own album, which is readily available both in the States and England?
Still, there are enough intriguing cuts here to keep things interesting. Among interesting covers are Freakwater’s take on Richard Thompson’s “Withered And Died”; a rendition of “Six Days On The Road” by Sid Griffin’s current outfit, the Coal Porters; and Go To Blazes’ brilliant reworking of Lou Reed’s “Underneath the Bottle” (first released on And Other Crimes, their domestic mail-order/Glitterhouse import release of last year). Other highlights include live versions of Townes Van Zandt’s “The Hole” and Toni Price’s “Something”. And exactly why Canadian band Furnaceface would care enough about U.S. politics to record the sarcastic anthem “We Love You, Tipper Gore” is anybody’s guess, but it makes for an amusingly out-of-place inclusion on an overall out-of-sorts, if enjoyable, compilation.