Dwight Yoakam

Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. (Deluxe Edition) (Reprise)

It may be the 20th anniversary of its original release, but Dwight Yoakam’s Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. still gleams as it did in 1986. With a combination of traditional honky-tonk, amped up Bakersfield twang, and rock & roll attitude, Yoakam helped revitalize country music. This 2-CD set contains the now-obligatory remastering of Yoakam’s exceptional debut, yet begins with 10 demos the Kentucky-born, Ohio-raised singer-songwriter cut in Los Angeles in 1981. They capture a musician in full bloom with the inclusion of such future hits as “It Won’t Hurt,” “You’re the One,” and “I Sang Dixie” and makes one wonder why it took several years for him to find a label. These demos aren’t new to fans, having been included on 2002’s Reprise Please Baby box, but surely of interest is the second disc: a complete live recording from the Sunset Strip’s Roxy at the time of Guitars‘ release. It surrounds “Honky Tonk Man” and the album’s title track of the disc with songs by Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, and Bill Monroe, possessing a crackling intensity and an unremitting edge that’s truly rare in the world of country music.

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This article appears in December 15 • 2006.

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