category: novelty / comedy / pop / country / bluegrass

Album review:
"Now this is a vital reissue project. From the '40s to the '60s, guitarist Henry "Homer" Haynes and mandolinist Kenneth "Jethro" Burns often put their virtuosity and swing (not to mention those of Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, and the great Nashville drummer Buddy Harman) into service as deconstructive tools applied to the hits of the day. You might say the duo's parodies struck blows against the straight-faced tyranny of both mainstream pop and "hillbilly" music; you'll also note that Homer and Jethro seem to be having too much fun to care about such high-flown notions.

Still, listen to "Hart-Brake Motel" and hear how Elvis's RCA labelmates do more than, say, John Cale, to dissolve any saccharine looming in the original. "Turpentine" becomes an all-purpose rhyme (in separate songs, a girlfriend and a dog fall into barrels of it); eating crackers in bed is declared "a crummy habit"; and, in a move presaging Andy Kaufman's postmodern self-mockery, Haynes and Burns recommend that copies of their own "Billboard Song" be destroyed. The team even managed a final affront to good taste years after Haynes's death, when their anarchic treatment of "Misty" (included here) provided the template for Ray Stevens's follow-up to "The Streak." Oh, and "you know what a basketball nose is," don't you? "It dribbles all over the place." -- Rickey Wright

CD Track Listing

  1. TENNESSEE BORDER NO.2 (based on "Tennesee Border" by Red Foley) * (Work / Haynes / Burns) (2:37)
  2. BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE (w/June Carter) (based on "Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Dinah Shore & Buddy Clark) * (Frank Loesser) (2:57)
  3. TENNESSEE, TENNESSEE * (Blair / Gillette) (2:46)
  4. I'M MOVIN' ON NO.2 (based on "I'm Movin' On" by Hank Snow) (Haynes / Burns / Snow) (2:43)
  5. LI'L OLE KISS OF FIRE (based on "Kiss Of Fire" by Toni Arden) (Allen / Hill) (2:05)
  6. THE BILLBOARD SONG (Coben / Grean) (2:18)
  7. JAM-BOWL-LIAR (based on "Jambalaya" by Hank Williams / Joe Stafford) * (Williams / Haynes / Burns) (2:40)
  8. YOU BELONG TO ME NO.2 (based on "You Belong To Me" by Jo Stafford) * (Price / King / Stewart) (2:15)
  9. DON'T LET THE STARS GET IN YOUR EYEBALLS (based on "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes" by Slim Willet / Skeets McDonald / Perry Como) * (Willet / Burns / Haynes) (2:22)
10. (HOW MUCH) IS THAT HOUND DOG IN THE WINDOW (based on "(How Much) Is That Little Doggie In The Window" by Patti Page) * (Bob Merrill) (2:46)
11. SHE WAS BITTEN ON THE UDDER BY AN ADDER (previously unreleased) * (Haynes / Burns) (2:28)
12. HERNANDO'S HIDEAWAY (based on "Hernando's Hideaway" by Archie Bleyer) (Addler / Ross) (2:33)
13. LET ME GO, BLUBBER (based on "Let Me Go, Lover" by Hank Snow / Joan Weber) * (Carson / Hill) (2:24)
14. MISTER SANDMAN (based on "Mister Sandman" by The Chordettes) * (Pat Ballard) (2:03)
15. YALLER ROSE OF TEXAS, YOU ALL (based on "The Yellow Rose Of Texas" by Mitch Miller) (Haynes / Burns) (2:03)
16. SIXTEEN TONS (based on "Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford) (Merle Travis) (2:13)
17. HART-BRAKE MOTEL (based on "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley) (Axton / Durden / Presley / Haynes / Burns) (2:15)
18. THE BATTLE OF KOOKAMONGA (w/Jordanaires: vocals) (based on "The Battle of New Orleans" by Johnny Horton) (Driftwood / Reynolds) (2:39)
19. I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND (based on " I Want To Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles) * (Lennon / McCartney) (2:31)
20. MISTY (based on "Misty" by Johnny Mathis) (Garner / Burke) (2:03)

* Chet Atkins: electric lead guitar

Total timing: 48:52

Label/No: Razor & Tie 2130-2

Release date: 1997 reissue