Great American Saturday Night
BFD, 2020
8/10
Listen to Great American Saturday Night
Recorded live in 1978, here the legendary Bobby Bare delivers a concept album penned entirely by Shel Silverstein, where topics like nudity, weight loss and dating are all covered in clever, insightful and even hilarious ways.
Bare starts the set with the title track, where the sing-along, anthemic appeal gets plenty of crowd participation in the melodic country rocker, and “Red-Neck Hippie Romance” continues with a more classic country approach, while “Painting Her Fingernails” enter piano balladry with Bare’s flawless pipes guiding the soothing setting.
Deeper tracks bring us the old time appeal of “They Won’t Let Us Show It At The Beach”, while “Time” simmers with a timeless quality that Bare built his career on. “Whiplash Will”, one of the funnest tunes, then recruits comical wordplay with a bouncy, country fueled display of exceptional skill.
Near the end, “Someone To Talk To” soars high with strong vocal work and equally precise instrumentation, and the reprise version of the opening track exits the listen as the crowd does the singing, effectively putting the exclamation point on just how much of a good time this record is.
A playful album that surrounds activities to be done on a Saturday night, rumor has it that Bare turned this recording into his record label in the ‘70s, but they shelved it. Perhaps it was too edgy for the world then, but it certainly seems right at home in 2020 and should be an equally entertaining listen for decades to come.
Travels well with: Bobby Bare Jr.- Undefeated; Charley Pride- Music In My Heart