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Snake Farm
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0854956001020
Label: Sustain Records
Manufacturer: Sustain Records
MPN: 10202
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Sustain Records
Release Date: June 27, 2006
Studio: Sustain Records
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Editorial Review:
To listen to Ray Wylie Hubbard's Snake Farm is to enter an eerie netherworld populated by dark and fascinating characters, some of whom are creepy enough to give you the shivers. The sandpaper-voiced Hubbard, a Texas songwriting legend, works a primal, greasy groove with these bluesy portraits, starting with Ramona, the dancing, tattooed reptile-house worker of the unforgettable title track. "Snake Farm" hypnotically mixes slithering images of sex, fear, revulsion, and humor, especially when Hubbard lets out a shimmering and menacing shudder of disgust. ("Snake farm / It just sounds nasty / Snake farm / Purty much is.") Guitar gunslinger Seth James sharpens the fine point on the stiletto that helps make these songs so lethal, but throughout, Hubbard strives for a tone of decadent elegance, whether evoking polecat love or the sideshow thievery of "Rabbit" ("There's two kinds of people in the world / The day people and the night people / It's the night people's job / To get the day people's money"). Produced by the masterful Gurf Morlix, who keeps things lean, foreboding, and roadhouse rough, the album sounds as if it were recorded in a room lit only by a naked 90-watt bulb--the perfect atmosphere in which to conjure songs of sin, deceit, and subterranean shenanigans. By record's end, redemption appears in a gonzo-ized telling of the Christ tale ("Resurrection"). But the Devil holds center stage until then, particularly on "The Way of the Fallen," inspired by Dante's Inferno, and on the Joseph Campbell mythology of "Wild Gods of Mexico," which involves a graphic canine sacrifice. Like Reservoir Dogs, the Quentin Tarantino classic Hubbard references in another humorous--if complex--example of women, sex, and revulsion, Snake Farm is not for the faint of heart. But fans of lowlife chic and exemplary Texas songwriting should lap this up quicker than cold longnecks and hot chicken-fried steak. --Alanna Nash
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - SARDONIC HUMOUR AND VISCOUS GROOVES - 'DARK' MUSIC FROM THE NETHER REGIONS
On first listening, you might think that this is simply an album of 'grooved out' Texas swamp-rock (are there many swamps in Texas?), but there is more to the music than just this. As much as anything, it's the sardonic humour of RWH's lyrics (often delivered with an air of nonchalance) that will command your attention; 'Ramona's got a keen sense of humor', but she's not the only one - RWH also has his moments (in fact, a good few of them). Also, the songs can be thought of as a series of mini character ... Read More
Rating:  - It's the Night People's Job to Get the Day People's Money
Witty lyrics embeded within hard-driving blues, southern-rock and country music. RWH is one of those great musicians who defies classification and therefore finds little audience on commercial FM radio. In the vein of Robert Earl Keen and Steve Earle, this is music you gotta explore to find, but will never loose sight of once you do. Check out XM12 - Cross Country, thats how I found RWH. This is an amazing album, period.
Rating: - Hubbard, Bingham, McMurtry
I've been listening to Hubbard for quite a while and enjoyed every note. Ryan Bingham has similar roots to Hubbard. His video is on You-Tube. James McMurtry has a more Dylanesque bent in his songs with some comedy. (Condi, Condi.) Thanks for the comments.
Rating: - Good blues
I saw him at the music festival in Lake City, Colorado but he didn't have any albums for sale at the event. So I had to pick it up later from Amazon. Look, it is what it is. You cannot compare him to the more noted musicians out there making millions and flying around in personal jet planes, but the songs are worth hearing when in the mood for it. I would have been just as happy to listen to a recording of his performance at the music festival as I was to listen to the polished version done in a studio. ... Read More
Rating: - Dirty dancing....
I like this cd, I like the way he sounds, dirty, nasty bad boy! Thats just his music and I like it. I have been listening to Ray Wylie since the 80's and he is still great! Keep em coming!
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