Everyone's favorite satellite from Georgia, Dan Baird, has recently been serving up twang and thunder in the refreshingly blue-collar Yayhoos. Here, via a 2000 concert set recorded in Switzerland, he tugs that collar down and proudly shows off his farmer's tan line. And then some; the Sofa Kings' treatments of AC/DC (a Bon-tastic stomp through "Sin City"), Abba ("Dancing Queen" served up with grits 'n' gravy, hold the irony, please) and Neil Diamond by way of the Monkees ("Daydream Believer" could make a pulpwood truck driver weep) are as much boozy fun on disc as they must have been in the rowdy venue.
The heapin' helping of classic Satellites tuneage, too, doesn't disappoint. No "Battleship Chains", but there is a thumpin' "Keep Your Hands To Yourself" -- and one of the great, unheralded anthems of the modern era, "All Over But The Cryin'", a shot straight to the heart, its elegant melody and potent dynamics as lustrous as ever in the hands of Baird and band. Baird's gravel-throated foghorn never sounded better, and the Kings are clearly jazzed to be onstage; this is one of those rare live recordings that's a keeper.
Fans will also enjoy the copious liner notes that up the you-are-there vibe for the at-home punter. Kings guitarist Ken McMahan's descriptions of his open-mouthed awe at being greeted left and right by hardcore Baird fans on the tour are almost worth the price of the CD alone. Nice to know that in some corners of the world, the term "redneck" ain't necessarily a bad thang -- and I say that as the son of a Carolina peach farmer myself.
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