The 1986 Listening Post - The Beat Farmers - Van Go

The Beat Farmers - Van Go

#266/1391

June 1986

The Beat Farmers

Van Go

Genre: Southern Rock

3.25 out of 5

Highlights:

Riverside

Deceiver

You ever love a record by a band so much that you can’t wait till their follow up comes out and when it does you grab it as soon as you can, listen to it once and then never listen again?

That’s what happened to me with Van Go. And I can’t explain it. Van is more muscular than their debut but it’s not overproduced like X’s Ain’t Love Grand. 

It’s a good solid album in the Skynrd vein. Not sure their college rock audience would have gone for this but this is who The Beat Farmers always were at heart. 

Songs like “Gun Sale at the Church” are what you get when John Mellencamp develops a sense of humor. I wish there was more of this but, sigh. 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/van-go/289403766

The 1985 Listening Post - The Beat Farmers - Tales of the New West

The Beat Farmers - Tales of the New West

#37

February 1 1985

The Beat Farmers

Tales of the New West

Genre: Roots Rock

4.75 out of 5

Highlights:

Bigger Stones

There She Goes Again

Reason to Believe

Lost Weekend

California Kid

Lonesome Hound

Happy Boy

I bet Gin Blossoms listened to this album a LOT. I know I did. It was a big college album among my peers. That’s where I heard it for the first time. There’s soooo much to love on this album, from that first cowpunk Bigger Stones”, right into the roots rock cover of “There She Goes Again”, which actually proves what a great song it is, reinvents it and makes it fresh. The scorching redux of Springsteen’s “Reason to Believe” is actually better than the original and should always be played in its stead. 

Side One is a masterpiece of 80s roots tock revival. The Beat Farmers give The Long Ryders a run for their money with it. 

And Side Two is almost as good. In fact, full disclosure: I loved the first side of this album so much that I almost never listened to side two. I think I’ve heard it once before today. 

Everything I don’t like about Los Lobos, Chris Isaak and latter day Blasters is what is done right here. 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tales-of-the-new-west/40285327