Unfortunately, I didn’t appreciate Gangstabilly until I was fully engaged with DBT in 2009. Gangstabilly along with Dirty South were the first two Trucker albums I purchased. It was 2005, I was in Charlottesville, VA and found an awesome Independent record store. I stepped into the store looking for Richmond Fontaine’s latest “The Fitzgerald”, but then I came across a display of all the DBT albums some of which had just been re-released on New West. Dirty South was a must as I had heard Danko and Manuel several times on WXPN and had to have it. During this time, I was a Band fanatic and loved anything remotely associated with the Band. Then I noticed this weird looking album called Ganstabilly, what a great name and what a bizarre cover. I had to have this album for the cover alone. I played both albums on the drive home from Charlottesville, and, needless to say, Dirty South grabbed me from the get go, but I struggled with Gangstabilly, except for Steve McQueen and possibly the Living Bubba. I didn’t give Gangstabilly a serious listen again until four year later after I was completely familiar with all the other Trucker’s albums. While never my favorite Truckers album, I did grow to appreciate Ganstabilly. It’s a truly unique album, and is special in so many ways. What makes Gangstabilly so special?
1. The cover, no it’s not Wes Freed, but it’s one of my favorite album covers of all time.
2. The crackling sound of the needle settling on the vinyl even on the CD.
3. Sandwiches for the Road and the Living Bubba, two of Patterson’s best and most personal songs. We all know about the Living Bubba, but Sandwiches for the Road a tribute to Eddie Hinton, the supremely talented and tortured artist, and friend of the Hood family, who was pretty much forgotten until revived by the Drive-by Truckers beginning with Sandwiches for Road.
4. Buttholeville and Steve McQueen two of DBTs best party songs, up there with Hell No I Ain’t Happy, Marry Me, or Three Dimes Down or the rest of their up tempo material.
5. The Tough Sell, I’m not sure why I love this song or if anyone else likes this song, but I’m a sucker for 70’s imagery. I was a full-fledged member of the 70’s preservation society. I’ve seen this song live twice, and loved it both times, especially at the 9:30 Club in the summer of 2010.
6. Late for Church, which seems to capture my attitude and view on religion. Yes, I relate to this song though I grew up Episcopalian in Scarsdale, NY, obviously, far from the Deep South. The combination of the thought provoking lyrics Adam Howell’s voice and the mandolin make for a perfect storm.
7. One of my favorite three song combos, The Tough Sell, The Living Bubba and Late for Church. I’ll sometimes play these three over and over again in the car. I only wish I had an 8 Track.
Ranking of Songs (my opinion):
Special Songs: Late for Church, Sandwiches for the Road, Living Bubba
Great Songs: Steve McQueen, Buttholeville, Panties in Her Purse
Songs I really like for some reason: The Tough Sell
Just Okay for me: Demonic Possession, Wife Beater
Songs I like elsewhere: Why Henry Drinks (I like the AAW version), 18 Wheels of Love (I like the live version from the ACL show complete with Patterson’s full narrative)
Liner Notes from Patterson Hood:
DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS (1998):
Mike Cooley – Guitars, Vocals, Banjo on Late For Church
Patterson Hood – Guitars, Vocals, Banjo
Adam Howell – Big Ole Upright Bass, Vocals
Matt Lane – Drums
John Neff – Pedal Steel, Vocals
Special Guests:
Barry Sell – Mandolin, Backing Vocals on Late For Church
Jim Stacy – Campfire Harp on Steve McQueen, Po-Buckra Harp on Buttholeville
Redneck GReece – Trucker Harmonies on 18 Wheels of Love
Produced by Andy Baker, Andy LeMaster, and Drive-By Truckers
Recorded by Andy Baker and Andy LeMaster
at Chase Park Transduction Studios, Athens GA. in July 1997
Mixed by Andy Baker, Andy LeMaster and Patterson Hood
Original Mastering by Isacc McCalla at The Sandbox
New Mastering by Jeff Capurso at City Mastering
All Artwork by Jim Stacy / Voodoographics
Photo: “White Knuckle Tour 1997” by David Marr
New layout and configuration by Jenn Bryant, Patterson Hood, and
Website designed and maintained by Jenn Bryant http://www.knucklesammitch.com
Special Thanks beyond comprehension to Donna Jane Sampler, Ansley Cooley, Deb Sommer, Andy Baker, Andy LeMaster, David Barbe, Tony Eubanks, Wade and Pam Haddock, Brandon Haynie, Earl Hicks, and Jenn Bryant
Reissue Thanks to Peter Jesperson and all our great friends at New West Records, Rebecca Hood, Kimberly Morgan, Jason and Shonna, Brad, Scott Munn, David Barbe, and Jeff Capurso,
Licensed to New West Records by Soul Dump Music
Originally released in March, 1998 - Soul Dump Records <SDR - 002>
For extended liner and production notes and all your DBT Needs:
http://www.drivebytruckers.com
Update to the GANGSTABILLY Liner Notes from New West release:
So much has happened since this record was made, it almost seems like some other lifetime.
Drive-By Truckers began as a day in the studio at Andy Baker’s house in Athens GA.
I asked some talented friends I had recently met (while working sound at The High Hat Music Club in Athens) to join me for a day of recording and free beer. I also lured my old co-hort from back home, Mike Cooley, to join us for the day. He and I had played together for 6 years in the hard luck plagued band Adam’s House Cat and another two after that in various duos and groups before going our separate ways.
The day went great, and we recorded 5 songs (two of which became our first release, the 45 rpm single Nine Bullets / Bulldozers and Dirt). We had so much fun, I asked everyone if they’d be into doing a gig or two sometime.
Then I started booking “the band” every chance I got, and would play with whoever showed up. This was paramount, as Cooley lived 5 hours away and was in no hurry to commit to “joining a band”, plus most of the other guys played in multiple bands in and around Athens. All easily more established than mine.
Missing from that day in the studio was another old friend from home who had verbally committed to being involved. I had played with Chris Quillen off and on for several years. He was truly one of the most talented people I had ever met and I really looked forward to teaming him up with the Athens folks I’d recently met.
Less than a month before the session, Chris was killed in a car accident. He had been good-friends with Adam, Cooley and myself. The other guys never met him, but his presence was definitely felt by all of us that day.
Skipping ahead to the next summer, DBT was playing fairly regularly in the southeast and had a small but loyal following in Athens and Atlanta. We had just put out our 45 and desperately needed to make a full-length album.
Andy Baker came through for me, offering me studio time in exchange for labor on a recording studio he was building with new partners Andy LeMaster and David Barbe.
I jumped at the chance and soon was hanging sheet rock doing other “manly” chores I wasn’t really qualified to do. At night I’d work my sound job then be back at the studio the next morning. Thanks to all this, I soon had enough studio time to make “my album”.
We had well over an album of material set aside, but at the last minute wrote a bunch of new songs and ended up shelving the first one and recording the second one first. (The other songs made up the core of what later became our second album PIZZA DELIVERANCE.
We cut GANGSTABILLY “Live in the Studio” in two days, in late July of 1997.
We even cut the vocals “Live”, which was a technical nightmare, as the studio was small and there was lots of “bleed” for the engineers to contend with. In retrospect, I’m still glad we did it that way. It certainly adds to the vibe of the album and we certainly learned a lot from it.
The two Andy’s mixed it that November, days before we embarked on our first real tour.
(see photo)
We put out GANGSTABILLY in May of 1998.
All these years later, I have fond memories of this album.
It could not have been made without the help and influence of Jim Stacy (whose cover art adorned it and the follow-up and whose harmonica adds so much to Steve McQueen and Buttholeville). Andy Baker and Andy LeMaster whose patience and talent saved the day.
Ansley Cooley who supported us and loaned us her Mazda Protégé’ for our first tour and Donna Sampler who was din-mother supreme and who provided so much love and encouragement.
This record also would have never been made had I not met Gregory Dean Smalley.
Greg was an Atlanta Rocker (from Cabbagetown) who played in several great bands that made up the core of what was then called “The Redneck Underground”. Greg also had AIDS and spent the last year of his life playing as many shows as humanly possible.
I met Greg in Athens while working at The High Hat and was forever changed by his courage and attitude. I wrote “The Living Bubba” for and about him, just days before his death in 1996. He was one badassed beligerant little fucker.
Turn It Up Loud.
Patterson Hood
(Feb. 2004)
This album is Dedicated to the spirit and memory of Chris Quillen (Monster), Gregory Dean Smalley, and Eddie Hinton.
Additional Comments from Patterson from the DBT website:
This is our weakest album and we didn't really know how to do what we were trying to do yet.
It does, however have The Living Bubba, which is still the best song I've ever written, Panties In your Purse, which was one of Cooley's earliest creations, and Late For Church, which was written by our original bass player Adam Howell and is one of the weirdest and sublime things we ever recorded.
Jim Stacy's artwork was great, appropriate and misunderstood. I still love it. On the original CD we tried to make it sound like 2 sides of vinyl. Here on vinyl, it is actually 3 sides and sounds so much better than the original release that it is like a much better album to me. I wrote Demonic Possession during Pat Buchanan's speech at 1996 GOP convention, which was on the TV in the kitchen where I was (hardly) working at the time.
I can't quite go there with the likes of Danko Manuel and Outfit lurking about, but I dig the fact that you think it. Right on.