Bill Kirchen Albums (6)
'Hammer of the Honky-Tonk Gods'
Release Date 9/12/2006
Tracks 11
Label Proper
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What The Critics Say
The title cut of Bill Kirchen's seventh solo album, Hammer of the Honky-Tonk Gods, is a loving tribute to the Fender Telecaster, the axe that's been Kirchen's instrument of choice since he started picking with Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen in 1967, but while there's plenty of fine guitar work on this album (which from Kirchen should go without saying), this isn't the straight-ahead honky tonk session you might expect given Kirchen's back catalog. While the title cut and "Get a Little Goner" would sound great pouring out of any beer joint's jukebox, Hammer of the Honky-Tonk Gods is one of Kirchen's most eclectic sets to date, with the bandleader demonstrating his skills on the acoustic swing of "One More Day," offering up a slow and slinky cover of "Devil with a Blue Dress On," laying out some prime rockabilly on "Heart of Gold" that would do the Sun Studio proud, delivering a potent countrypolitan weeper in "Skid Row in My Mind," and closing out the set with a tear-jerking version of Arthur Alexander's "If It's Really Got to Be This Way." (Even more significantly, there isn't a single song about trucks to be found!) While Kirchen is still a top-rank guitar man judging from his work here, these sessions find him laying back just a bit, and rather than blazing through his solos, he aims for an ensemble feel, and with his band for these sessions including Nick Lowe, Geraint Watkins, and Robert Trehern, that sounds like a sound strategy on his part. Bill Kirchen has been making fine albums for quite a while, but he's stretched his boundaries a bit with Hammer of the Honky-Tonk Gods, and the result is 11 top-notch tunes that show just how many things he can do well; it's fun and impressive stuff from a true master of American roots rock. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Though he's plowed roughly the same furrow for more than 20 years, Bill Kirchen's brand of dieselbilly/high-octane country has yet to grow stale. Here, with the same rhythm section from 1999's Raise Up a Ruckus, he offers another set of choice covers and a handful of originals. Red Simpson's forlorn ballad "Roll Truck Roll" and Blackie Farrell's "One More Hour of Blues" are vintage Bakersfield country and, oddly enough, fit perfectly well with a straight reading of Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" and the lightning-fast newgrass of "How Mountain Girls Can Love" (with drummer Jack O'Dell on lead). The previously unheard Commander Cody era "Truck Stop at the End of the World" is Kirchen at his best -- smokin' Telecaster licks and clever lyrics with a sense of humor. The instrumental "Poultry in Motion" is a showcase for his version of chicken-pickin', the plucky playing style with roots in his hometown of Washington, D.C. ~ John Duffy, All Music Guide
'Hot Rod Lincoln Live!'
Release Date 9/16/1997
Tracks 12
Label Hightone
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What The Critics Say
Since his early days as a member of Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Bill Kirchen has distinguished himself as a showman of the highest order. This, his first live solo recording, captures the vivacious presence of the man who is without a doubt one of the true fathers of the country-rock movement. His significance to country-rock and American roots music was obvious early on; after 30-plus years in the business, his influence can be found in the work of Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, and every outfit that tried to marry country & western music to rock & roll after the 1976 demise of the Airmen. Hot Rod Lincoln Live!, recorded in February of 1997 at the Globe Theater in Berlin, MD, gives credence to the undeniable power and spirit of Bill Kirchen. As a performer, vocalist, guitar virtuoso, and bandleader, Kirchen shines. This live disc contains a fine collection of tunes that include old favorites like "Too Much Fun," "Looking at the World Through a Windshield," and "Hot Rod Lincoln." Newer standouts include "All the Secrets of Love," "Swing Fever," and "Tell Me the Reason." While he is effective on all 12 cuts, his treatment of "Cold Country Blues" allows him to join hands emotionally with the ghosts of Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams. His rock & roll edge is underscored by some hillbilly spice on "Sometimes I Think." There are a myriad of magical moments throughout the performance, but the breadth of Kirchen's talent is given wing as he reprises "Hot Rod Lincoln." This time, "Hot Rod Lincoln" is a vehicle Kirchen drives with his expertise as he eases into and out of the signature styles of such greats as Roy Nichols (Merle Haggard), Don Rich (Buck Owens), B.B. King, Link Wray, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Duane Eddy, and Flatt & Scruggs, to name just a few. Always in good humor, Bill Kirchen is one of music's most versatile and glorious treasures. In the studio and live on-stage, Kirchen stands tall. ~ Jana Pendragon, All Music Guide
'Have Love, Will Travel'
Release Date 3/19/1996
Tracks 14
Label Black Top
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What The Critics Say
If all Commander Cody ever aspired to was sounding like a real good Dave Dudley 45, then ex-Lost Planet Airman Bill Kirchen has achieved his dream with this album. The kickoff track, "Womb to the Tomb," would have fit in atmospherically just about anywhere on those early albums, and his rendition here of the Sharps/Rivingtons with Duane Eddy title track seems absolutely tailor-made for Kirchen's twanging roadhouse style. It's like a night in a real good honky tonk with a great little combo up there. There's a lot of great music on this 14-track outing, with the lion's share of it emanating from Kirchen and his tighter-than-Jack Benny rhythm section of Johnny Castle on bass and Jack O'Dell on drums. No big names doing meaningless guest appearances, just some friends adding some horns, some keys, and a little steel guitar. Records seldom come this simple and unaffected, but Kirchen pulls it off with style and grace. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This first Black Top release by honky tonker Bill Kirchen is an Americana roots-music vault of valuables. With plenty of traditional C&W riffs underscored by the brilliant pedal steel of one-time Ernest Tubb steel player Buddy Charleton and the powerful piano of Mitch Collins, this project is more than mere buried treasure that contemporary radio overlooked. Kirchen, a living legend of sorts, takes a very broad stance and combines the best elements of C&W, hillbilly, blues, rockabilly, and honky tonk music to come up with cuts like "Bottle Baby Boogie," a rip-it-up rockabilly tune that shows off Kirchen's guitar master skills, and "All Tore Up," another rocker. The Farrell-Preston song "Fool on a Stool" is given an outstanding retooling with plenty of steel that is true to the tenants of C&W music. Covering Johnny Horton's hit "One Woman Man" is a brave move that comes off convincingly and sounding as honest as the original. Teaming up with bassman Jeff Sari and wife Louise Kirchen, this triple threat not only displays Bill Kirchen's songwriting skills, but a spectacular piece of music in "Secrets of Love." Also noteworthy is "Think It Over," a Donley-Meaux tune that is haunting in the hands of a master. With a nod to friend Nick Lowe, Kirchen adds the beautiful harmony vocals of Louise to his own multi-faceted vocal style on Lowe's "Without Love," to come up with a moment that leaves time standing still. A mighty accomplishment in musical terms. This disc is only an indication of what the future holds for one of the few solid survivors of the country-rock phenomenon of the 1970s. With all his talent on display here, it is easy to understand why Kirchen has survived, even in the face of the '90s pop-bubblegum-country cookie-cutter mentality. ~ Jana Pendragon, All Music Guide
