The Cowboy & the Lady
By Lee Hazlewood & Ann-Margret
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Track listing
Show track credits
- A1 Am I That Easy to Forget? 2:28
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songwriter
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songwriter
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songwriter
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- A2 Only Mama That'll Walk the Line 2:34
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songwriter
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- A3 Greyhound Bus Depot 3:40
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songwriter
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- A4 Walk Out of My Mind 2:47
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songwriter
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- A5 Hangin' On 2:48
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songwriter
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songwriter
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- A6 Victims of the Night 2:34
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Joe Nixonsongwriter
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Charlie Williamssongwriter
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- B1 Break My Mind 2:21
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songwriter
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- B2 You Can't Imagine 2:11
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songwriter
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- B3 Sweet Thing 3:30
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songwriter
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- B4 No Regrets 3:44
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songwriter
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- B5 Dark End of the Street 2:40
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songwriter
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songwriter
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- Total length: 31:17
Rate/Catalog
Catalog
Set listening
Review
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6 Issues
- Release view [combined information for all issues]
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The Cowboy & the Lady [p] Gatefold
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The Cowboy & the Lady Bonus Tracks
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The Cowboy & the Lady Bonus Tracks, Limited Edition, Remastered
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The Cowboy & the Lady Bonus Tracks, Colored Vinyl, Gatefold, Limited Edition, Remastered
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The Cowboy & the Lady Bonus Tracks, Gatefold, Remastered
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8 Track
4 Reviews
On first checking the titles and Hazlewood-free songwriting credits I groaned at what looked like a country-covers playlist; and though there's no getting away from the fact that, with a few brilliant exceptions, that's exactly what's on offer, this L.P. is a perfect example of stellar performances transcending the material at hand.
There's also no getting away from the fact that sex kitten/earth mother/vamp Ann-Margret's fruity tones sound like they're coming from the sound stage of a Hollywood musical production with their camp, thespian flourishes and that Lee Hazlewood sounds even more knackered than usual. However, it's the overdose of character in the combined effect of these two diametrically opposing approaches that make this record, vocally, my all-time favourite duets album.
Of particular note, 'Dark End of the Street' (one of the less 'country'/more 'pop' tunes) features a near-comatose Lee vocal slurring perfectly beneath a raging with passion (bordering on hysteria) Ann-Margret belt on a stunning piece of low-life verité from the pens of Memphis legends Chips Moman and Dan Penn. Proof that if the quantities are exact, helium, speed and donkey downers can constitute a vocal cocktail to be devoured.
There's also no getting away from the fact that sex kitten/earth mother/vamp Ann-Margret's fruity tones sound like they're coming from the sound stage of a Hollywood musical production with their camp, thespian flourishes and that Lee Hazlewood sounds even more knackered than usual. However, it's the overdose of character in the combined effect of these two diametrically opposing approaches that make this record, vocally, my all-time favourite duets album.
Of particular note, 'Dark End of the Street' (one of the less 'country'/more 'pop' tunes) features a near-comatose Lee vocal slurring perfectly beneath a raging with passion (bordering on hysteria) Ann-Margret belt on a stunning piece of low-life verité from the pens of Memphis legends Chips Moman and Dan Penn. Proof that if the quantities are exact, helium, speed and donkey downers can constitute a vocal cocktail to be devoured.
Published
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If I knew her better I’d give her a puppy
Even if it is camp, a kind of crummy album remains a kind of crummy album. This one had a lot going for it: Hazlewood had been on an incredible odd-pop hot streak with other projects, Ann-Margret (believe it or not, younger generations) was one of the bigger pop stars spanning the Atlantic and psychedelia had just assimilated country pop as something to trip on. It also had a lot running against it: Hazlewood was clearly confused as his recent fantastic solo-albums had, well, flopped, Ann-Margret was a show tunes belter who had no business in Lee’s tongue-in-cheek take on spaghetti-fied Westerns and Lee was clearly trying to replace his female vocalist with a sure seller (Nancy’s fame she owed to Lee was bigger than him, and his love/work relationship with „queen of country camp cool“ Suzi Jane Hokom was crumbling).
What we get is a synthesis of these aspects: The fact that Hazlewood didn’t write most of these country classics doesn’t hurt their pop-ification, but the production is less lush and careful and psychedelic, but rather a bit on the uninspired, clean nashville-sound side, Ann-Margret sees herself in a riot of a cheap can-can show without understanding that she butchers the dose with her operatic antics, and Lee gives his best to get some dignity out of these plushy songs but can’t save the record that seems to bank on something that sold before (with Nancy & Lee) but for different reasons. There are good tracks here, weird oddities and an actual Hazlewood-classic (the subdued, folky, Ann-Margret-free „No Regrets“) and, all told, it’s still a must for the casual addict’s collection.
Edition Trivia: Avoid the Smells Like Records issue at all costs, it has incredibly cheap, tinny, simply bad sound, it makes the album near unlistenable. Get the excellent remaster from the box set Lee Hazlewood Industries: There's a Dream I've Been Saving 1966-1971.
In other news:
spoiler: click to read
Published
SLR 041 CD (2000)
The 2000 Smells Like CD sounds very bad - compressed and muddy.
Luckily all tracks are present on the 2013 compilation called "There's A Dream I've Been Saving: Lee Hazlewood Industries 1966 - 1971". Great sound on this.
Luckily all tracks are present on the 2013 compilation called "There's A Dream I've Been Saving: Lee Hazlewood Industries 1966 - 1971". Great sound on this.
Published
Strangely enough,this is not a good match at all.
I don't dislike Ann Margret and in fact I like her campy 1960s recordings,besides so far I have not heard anything earth-shaking from Nancy Sinatra who was Hazlewood famous duet partner but when placed next to Lee Hazlewood who in my opinion was God,she simply sound too eager & tries too hard to be famme fatale,her vocals mismatched next to his cool,laid back delivery.
"Only mama that walk the line" is relatively OK,the rest sinks under too much orchestration and often I wish Hazlewood simply ditched Margret and sung the whole album himself,I really like that guy - the ultimate lonesome cowboy,outsider and ghost rider in the sky.
As for Margret,she does have her good points (remember her rolling around in baked beans?) but they are not presented here.
I don't dislike Ann Margret and in fact I like her campy 1960s recordings,besides so far I have not heard anything earth-shaking from Nancy Sinatra who was Hazlewood famous duet partner but when placed next to Lee Hazlewood who in my opinion was God,she simply sound too eager & tries too hard to be famme fatale,her vocals mismatched next to his cool,laid back delivery.
"Only mama that walk the line" is relatively OK,the rest sinks under too much orchestration and often I wish Hazlewood simply ditched Margret and sung the whole album himself,I really like that guy - the ultimate lonesome cowboy,outsider and ghost rider in the sky.
As for Margret,she does have her good points (remember her rolling around in baked beans?) but they are not presented here.
Published
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