Van Go (album)

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Van Go
Studio album by
Beat Farmers
Released1986
GenreRock, country rock
LabelCurb Records/MCA
ProducerCraig Leon
Beat Farmers chronology
Tales of the New West
(1985) 		Van Go
(1986) 		The Pursuit of Happiness
(1987)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert ChristgauB[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Houston Chronicle[4]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[5]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[6]

Van Go is the second album by the American rock band the Beat Farmers, released in 1986.[7][8] It was the band's first album for Curb Records.[9]

The album peaked at No. 135 on the Billboard 200.[10]

Production[]

The guitarist Buddy Blue left the band during the recording sessions for Van Go; he was replaced by Joey Harris.[11][12] The album was produced by Craig Leon.[13] Beat Farmers drummer Country Dick Montana later described the album as having "'more of an AOR sound.'"[14]

Critical reception[]

The Washington Post wrote that the Beat Farmers "sing about the barroom world of retooled cars, busted marriages and dead-end jobs ... The band is as capable of irony as [Lou] Reed or [Neil] Young, but the Beat Farmers never allow it to interfere with their back-to-back basics attack."[15] Robert Christgau thought that "except for the deadpan 'Gun Sale at the Church' and maybe the Johnny Cash impressions, their country-rock is now proudly generic."[2] Trouser Press called the album "amiable but rather thin."[16] The Toronto Star opined that the "best thing about the Beat Farmers is that they make no outrageous claims for themselves; their music is honest and earthy, but it doesn't pretend to defend the dignity of the working man, free enterprise, the American Way."[17]

AllMusic praised the "amazing cover of Neil Young's 'Powderfinger', which sounds like it was written for the band."[1]

Track listing[]

No.TitleLength
1."Riverside"3:27
2."Deceiver"2:48
3."Powderfinger"3:46
4."Seven Year Blues"2:31
5."Blue Chevrolet"2:50
6."I Want You, Too"1:54
7."Road of Ruin"2:27
8."Buy Me a Car"2:46
9."Gun Sale at the Church"2:57
10."Bigger Fool than Me"2:48
11."Big Ugly Wheels"2:18

Personnel[]

  • Buddy Blue - guitar
  • Rolle Dexter - bass, vocals
  • Joey Harris - guitar
  • Country Dick Montana - drums, vocals
  • Jerry Raney - guitar, vocals

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Van Go - Beat Farmers | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  2. ^ a b "Robert Christgau: CG: The Beat Farmers". www.robertchristgau.com.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Volume 1: MUZE. p. 485.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  4. ^ Racine, Marty (September 28, 1986). "Records". Houston Chronicle. Zest. p. 11.
  5. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 86.
  6. ^ Tucker, Ken (June 29, 1986). "THE BEAT FARMERS Van Go". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. H8.
  7. ^ "Beat Farmers | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  8. ^ "In Memory Of Country Dick Montana, 1955-1995". MTV News.
  9. ^ "The Beat Farmers | San Diego Reader". www.sandiegoreader.com.
  10. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2010). Top Pop Albums (7th ed.). Record Research. p. 63.
  11. ^ MacDonald, Patrick (October 31, 1986). "BEAT FARMERS TILL THEIR MUSIC AND CULTIVATE AN AUDIENCE". The Seattle Times. Night Life. p. 7.
  12. ^ "The Beat Farmers, who rose from Spring Valley in 1983 to rock the world, celebrated on new/old double-album". San Diego Union-Tribune. March 27, 2021.
  13. ^ The Encyclopedia of Record Producers. Billboard Books. 1999. p. 459.
  14. ^ "THE BEAT FARMERS HO, HO, HO IN THE ROOTS-ROCK FIELD". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  15. ^ "No Drought For the Rainmakers". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  16. ^ "Beat Farmers". Trouser Press. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  17. ^ Quill, Greg (14 Nov 1986). "REVIEWS POP". Toronto Star. p. D6.
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