Reverend Horton Heat Albums (11)
'Laughin' & Cryin' with Reverend Horton Heat'
Release Date 7/21/2009
Tracks 14
Label Yep Roc
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Reverend Horton Heat may have started out as the loudest and wildest rockabilly act in all creation, but with the passage of time, guitarist Jim Heath and his rhythm section have mellowed quite a bit (particularly from It's Martini Time onward), and compared to their early work for Sub Pop, Laughin' & Cryin' with the Reverend Horton Heat sounds downright placid. Part of this boils down to thematic issues -- with two songs about Texas, another about how intellectuals don't get people from the South or West, and one that actually gripes about how weird death metal guys are, Laughin' & Cryin' leaves a certain amount to be desired in terms of imagination and originality, and even when Heath comes up with a witty idea (comparing a busted romance to the Hindenburg on "Aw, The Humanity" or explaining why the Good Lord isn't likely to help you at the blackjack table in "Oh God/ Doesn't Work in Vegas"), the execution doesn't have quite the juice that would solidly bring it across. Heath's guitar work is still fluid and lively, but the melodies lack the energy and hot-rodded power he used to summon with ease, and bassist Jimbo Wallace and drummer Paul Simmons don't appear to be pushing him with any real conviction, though they keep time just fine. A shortage of speed and punch isn't the only major problem by a long shot -- Heath's Rev. Organdrum side project was devoted to jazz and blues-based material that dialed down the tempo but sounded fresher and more engaged than most of the stuff on Laughin' & Cryin', which instead plays like the work of an act with talent to spare but not much in the way of new ideas or inspiration. The execution is skillful enough that Laughin' & Cryin' with the Reverend Horton Heat can get by on the impressive chops of the players, but anyone who spent much time listening to this trio in their heyday (or even as far back as 2004's Revival) can't help but feel a bit let down by this album. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In the liner notes to this album, Jim Heath (better known as Reverend Horton Heat) says that he began jamming with Hammond organ man Tim Alexander and drummer Todd Soesbe because he was "looking for some new ways to improve my guitar playing." Anyone who has heard Heath tear up fretboards as the world's leading psychobilly guitarist might wonder just how much improvement the man really needed, but there's no arguing that Hi-Fi Stereo, credited to his new side combo Rev. Organdrum, gives Heath a chance to stretch out in some new and interesting directions. With Hi-Fi Stereo, Heath puts his hot-wired roots rock on the back burner in favor of some cooler retro sounds in a set that runs the gamut from vintage movie themes ("A Shot in the Dark," "Hang 'Em High," "James Bond Theme") and classic blues workouts ("Night Train," "I Got a Woman") to swinging jazz (Duke Ellington's "C Jam Blues," Roland Kirk's "Black and Crazy Blues"), and '60s soul ("Groovin'," "Time Is Tight"). Heath's guitar work is considerably more muted than usual in this context, but he still shows off plenty of very impressive picking as he digs deep into some moody and melodic tunes, and with Alexander on keys he's not the sole star of the show for a change, and the interplay between the two manages to sound playful and intuitive while they push one another in the right directions. Drummer Soesbe doesn't get as much time in the spotlight, but his accompaniment is solid and he pushes the music forward with grace and strength. The best Reverend Horton Heat records are generally the most frantic, and Rev. Organdrum represents a big step in the opposite direction, but Hi-Fi Stereo shows Jim Heath can dial down the volume and still come up with fun, compelling music, and with any luck, this happening trio will head back to the studio some time soon. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Who would have figured the man who brought us the world's most potent "Psychobilly Freakout" back in 1992 would be helping to share in the joy of the holiday season a mere 13 years later? We Three Kings is a set of 12 classic Christmas tunes (with one new original added for good measure) whipped into a nervous froth of twangy guitar and rolling drums by Jim Heath and his partners in crime, and without question this is the most user-friendly Reverend Horton Heat album to date. The Right Reverend makes with the big, frantic rock on several tunes, most notably a Caped Crusader-infused cover of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" and a fifth-gear charge through Chuck Berry's "Run Rudolph Run," but the real surprise is that the trio plays it relatively straight on a number of cuts, including a placid stroll through "Silver Bells" and a weepy cover of "Pretty Paper." Even the sole original tune, "Santa on the Roof," is awfully sedate by Heath's standards, and this may well be the first Reverend Horton Heat album without a single mention of gin or loose women. But Heath's guitar skills are still sharp, and he gives his jazz and country licks a bigger workout this time out, while Jimbo Wallace and Scott Churilla are allowed to show a bit more subtlety as a rhythm section than usual. In short, We Three Kings is that rarity, a Reverend Horton Heat album you can play in front of your parents and younger siblings without offending or frightening anyone, and isn't family togetherness what the season is all about? Besides, this still rocks a whole lot harder than Kenny G or Mannheim Steamroller could ever manage in their wildest dreams. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After nearly 15 years as the most frantic act in the rockabilly cosmos, Jim Heath and his partners in the Reverend Horton Heat seem to be slowing down just a bit, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Revival, Heat's eighth album, finds Heath cutting back the tempos and aiming for a slightly more subtle approach, though his guitar work is blazingly fluid as ever. The less manic attack was doubtless informed by the material, which finds Heath dealing with some serious themes for a change. The death of Heath's mother inspired "Someone in Heaven," a sincere country weeper that's deeply emotional without sounding cloying, while "Indigo Friends" pays homage to several friends who've succumbed to drug addiction. Elsewhere, "Revival" tells of one man's search for redemption of some kind, and the bluesy "Lonesome Man" and the full-throttle "Goin' Back Home" both deal with the ups and downs of life on the road with flinty but easygoing honesty. But while Revival is thought-provoking stuff by the Reverend Horton Heat's standards, there's still a solid dose of good rockin' fun here, with "Callin' in Twisted" and "Party Mad" devoted to the business of having a good time, "Octopus Mode" and "New York City Girls" celebrating memorable women, and "I'm Your Pet Rock" offering up a new and innovative romantic metaphor. If you're looking for some red-hot rockabilly, the Rev is still your man, but Revival shows off some unexpected sides of his personality, and the changeup makes for some refreshing listening. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Goosed by the news that this album's "Like a Rocket" (with slightly altered lyrics) was chosen as 2002's official Daytona 500 theme song, Reverend Horton Heat and his trusty duo of wildman bassist Jimbo and loose limbed drummer Scott Churilla rev up their collective engines again. The group's seventh album (on their fourth label) is bolstered by meaty yet stripped-down production from veteran Ed Stasium (Ramones, Living Colour, Smithereens) who returns after working on Heat's 1998 disc Space Heater and 1999's Holy Roller. Not surprisingly then, little has changed in the Rev's trademarked approach. Mixing Molotov-cocktail-quality portions of rockabilly, country, and Ramones-styled punk, Heat charges through his usual PC-free topics of bad wimmin' ("What's Reminding Me of You," "Ain't Gonna' Happen"), good cars ("Galaxy 500"), and nefarious band members ("You've Got a Friend in Jimbo") with sharp, muscular, often breathless playing in a heavyweight attack that will please established fans, but probably won't grab any new ones. Adding the fleet-fingered bluegrass of the instrumental "Show Pony" to his established bag of tricks, along with the reverb-laden spaghetti western Dick Dale-isms of another instrumental and the intricately suite-styled "Duel at the Two O'Clock Bell," shows how adaptable and talented Heat is as a guitarist. But the spoken word "Sermon on the Jimbo" puts religion back in the Rev's schtick as he provides a fire and brimstone sermon about his bandmate in a tacky bit that goes nowhere. The soliloquy probably makes for a show-stopping moment live, but is a distraction -- and not a particularly well conceived one -- on album, as it sets up the closing hillbilly romp "You've Got a Friend in Jimbo." Although it peters out in its last 10 minutes, Lucky 7 is a workmanlike and thrilling if unadventurous addition to Heat's fiery catalog, and provides him with more fuel for his explosive gigs. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
'Spend a Night in the Box'
Release Date 3/21/2000
Tracks 14
Label Time Bomb
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Dispensing with the alternative-rock leanings of some of his earlier albums like Liquor in the Front, Reverend Horton Heat returns with his sixth album Spend a Night in the Box, which features a clean, traditional rockabilly sound, courtesy of producer (and former Butthole Surfer) Paul Leary. The stripped-down sound of songs like "Big D Boogie Woogie" and "The Girl in Blue" is all the better to show off the amazing chops of the Reverend and the other two-thirds of the trio, bassist Jimbo Wallace and drummer Scott Churilla. The group's old punkabilly venom resurfaces on "Sue Jack Daniels," and while most of the songs recount the Reverend's usual litany of babes and booze, "It Hurts Your Daddy Bad" and "The Bedroom Again" show surprising lyrical depth. Though there's some filler, for the most part Spend a Night in the Box is another album of entertaining, revved-up rockabilly from a group that has made it look effortless for years. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On his fifth release, Reverend Horton Heat returns with more of the Southern-fried rockabilly sound for which he's become primarily known. The Reverend is unfortunately one of the most overlooked rock guitarists today, who really deserves more attention (just check out the roaring instrumental album opener "The Pride of San Jacinto"). And although the trio (which also includes Jimbo Wallace on stand-up bass and Scott Churilla on drums) is also one of the most energetic live bands around, they've had a problem in the past matching their spirited performances with memorable songs. The filler problem isn't entirely solved on their latest, Space Heater, but one cannot deny the contagious, humorous personality contained in such highlights as "Lie Detector," "Hello Mrs. Darkness," and "Jimbo Song." The band set out to enter the studio without any songs written, and attempted to write 30 songs in 30 days. They were able to accomplish their goal, and cut down the original pool of songs to the best 16 (with an extra unlisted track at the end). Although 1994's Liquor in the Front is widely regarded as the Reverend's finest, Space Heater certainly isn't far behind. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Reverend Horton Heat's signature sound pitches a clear, tony rockabilly guitar line (see "Rock the Joint") against a greasy, fuzzed-out counterpart and gutbucket rhythm ("Slow"). Take off on the "Big Red Rocket of Love"'s full-throttle punkabilly, the title track's jumpin' jive rave-up broadcast live from purgatory, or the cool finger-snapping rap on fame "That's Showbiz." "Slingshot" and "Forbidden Jungle" update '50s-style instrumental rock at warp speed. "Generation Why" and "Spell on Me" border on comic-book speed punk metal. ~ Roch Parisien, All Music Guide
'Liquor in the Front'
Release Date 7/5/1994
Tracks 13
Label Interscope
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Reverend Horton Heat (aka Jim Heath) always wanted to sound like the wildest, noisiest rockabilly guitarist on Earth, so it was fortunate that he crossed paths with Ministry braintrust Al Jourgensen during his brief spell as an advocate of roots music (and whatever happened to the Buck Satan project, Jourgensen's promised collaboration with Buck Owens?). From a musical standpoint, Liquor in the Front doesn't represent much of a change-up from Heat's previous work; there's a bit of up-tempo surf, a dash of old-school country, and a man-sized portion of fast and frantic tunes about cars, girls, and hard living. But with Jourgensen in the producer's chair, the Reverend's guitar finally sounds as big and powerful as he always wanted it to be; the rod-rodded engineering and in-the-red mix makes for a loud, meaty guitar assault that merges technical finesse and physical power like Muhammad Ali, and while Jimbo Wallace's bass and Taz Bentley's drums don't undergo quite so dramatic a transformation, they display more than enough backbone to support their leader as he burns up the fretboard. Reverent Horton Heat was never your typical rockabilly act, and on Liquor in the Front he made an album that still honored the traditions of the style while kicking up more dust than he ever had before, and for sheer crank, nothing in his catalog can touch it. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'The Full Custom Gospel Sounds'
Release Date 1/1/1993
Tracks 12
Label Sub Pop
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
With fellow Texas maniac Gibby Haynes on production, Heat and his trusty sidemen go at it again on The Full Custom Gospel Sounds and do so with all the style and sass one could want. Kicking off with "Wiggle Stick," a perfectly lubricious number that ended up scoring the band some airplay with Beavis and Butthead, the good Reverend serves notice that his services are once again the type of affairs where the Blood and the Body aren't necessarily spiritual. Full Custom is arguably more frenetic and metal-leaning than before -- not that Heat has turned into Robert Plant or anything like that, but the likes of "Livin' on the Edge (Of Houston)" would sound perfect smack dab in the middle of a Motörhead set. When it comes to matters lyrical, meanwhile, Heat is still the clever, leering bastard he's been before, and why not? The absolute killer on that front is "Bales of Cocaine," arguably the only English-language equivalent to narcotraficante corridas worthy of the comparison. Then there's the classic rockabilly strut and swing of "Beer: 30," where everything's boiled down to the doesn't-need-more triad of "Party! Get naked! Buy us more beer!" Aside from the "speed up then slow down the tape" goofiness on the concluding "Gin and Tonic Blues," Haynes doesn't really change the band's overall sound or anything, but he sure does help it sound great. Meanwhile, what the band comes up with in terms of variation is often a treat. For instance, who expected a drop-dead perfect borrowing from the Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz" making the brilliantly angry "400 Bucks" sound even better? Otherwise Heat keeps playing like crazy -- quiet when he needs to be and explosive when the time is right -- with Wallace and Bentley going after things with the same perfect feel. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
