Bobby Bare "Sings Lullabys, Legends and Lies" (1973) (Deluxe Expanded Edition 2007)

Returning to RCA after a stint at Mercury Records, Bobby Bare teamed up with songwriter Shel Silverstein for 1973's Bobby Bare Sings Lullabys, Legends and Lies. The idea of the record is clearly laid out in the title -- this album is a collection of American tall tales and myths, all filtered through Silverstein's signature humor (sometimes silly, sometimes clever, sometimes sentimental, sometimes slyly lewd) and delivered with Bare's signature warm, friendly manner. Although Bare had recorded a song or two of Shel's before, this was the first time that he devoted a full album to his material. But more noteworthy is that this album finds the singer developing a loose, offhand way of performance that emphasizes both his character and the freewheeling eclecticism of his music. Musically, it's not far removed from his Mercury records, where his progressive country rubbed shoulders with pop, rock, and folk, but his laid-back, open-ended performances let the music breathe, while the Silverstein songs give the album cohesion and an overt, welcome sense of humor. All this helped reignite Bare's career, giving him a new signature sound that carried him through the next few years, until he left RCA for Columbia, where he just got rowdier. It was also the biggest album of his career, spending 30 weeks on the Billboard country charts (where it peaked at number five), with a number one hit in "Marie Laveau" and a number two single in "Daddy What If." Years later, it still stands as one of his very best -- maybe it didn't produce classics like "Detroit City," nor does it have as brilliant highs as some earlier and later records, but song for song, Bare was rarely this consistent or enjoyable. [In 2007, RCA/Legacy reissued Lullabies, Legends and Lies as a double-disc deluxe edition. The original album is on the first disc while the second disc is devoted to Silverstein covers Bare recorded over the '70s and early '80s, including highlights from the riotous Down N Dirty album ("Numbers" and "Tequlia Sheila"). It's an excellent supplement, making an already essential album even better.] (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Allmusic)

trax disc 1:

01 Lullabys, Legends And Lies 02 Paul 03 Marie Laveau 04 Daddy What If 05 The Wonderful Soup Stone 06 The Winner 07 In The Hills Of Shiloh 08 She's My Ever Lovin' Machine 09 The Mermaid 10 Rest Awhile 11 Bottomless Well 12 True Story 13 Sure Hit Songwriters Pen 14 Rosalie's Good Eats Cafe

trax disc 2:

01 Sylvia's Mother 02 Singin' In The Kitchen 03 $100,000 In Pennies 04 Alimony 05 Back Home In Huntsville Again 06 Brian Hennessey 07 Too Many Nights Alone 08 This Guitar Is For Sale 09 Rough On The Living 10 Numbers 11 Tequila Sheila 12 Qualudes Again 13 Food Blues 14 The Jogger 15 Me And Jimmy Rodgers 16 Time

...served by Gyro1966...