Excellent Sides of Swamp Dogg, Vol. 4

Performer: Swamp Dogg
Engineer: Oliver Sain; David "Bat" Johnson; David "Bat" Johnson; Oliver Sain
Producer: Jerry Williams; Oliver Sain; Jerry Williams; Oliver Sain
Distributor: Burnside Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Swamp Dogg (vocals, piano, grand piano, Fender Rhodes piano, organ, Mellotron, keyboards, synthesizer, ARP synthesizer, Moog synthesizer, tambourine, background vocals); Rual Yarbrough, Rual Yarbrough (banjo); 9th Street Recreational Center, Bippy City, Oklahoma (strings); Stave Goss (horns); Jerry Williams (piano, grand piano, Fender Rhodes piano, organ, Mellotron, keyboards, synthesizer, ARP synthesizer, Moog synthesizer, tambourine, background vocals); Maurice "Poochie" Cotton, Court Pickett, Bob Wray (bass guitar); Jimmy "Be Bop" Evans, Sammy Harris, Sammy Harris (drums); Audie "Ed" Watkins (congas, percussion); Ricky "Bongo" Starr, Ricky "Bongo" Starr (percussion); Claudette Balle, Leroy Stubblefield, Linda White (background vocals); Oswald Peters, Travis Wammack (guitar); Oliver Sain (flute, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, trumpet, trombone, Fender Rhodes piano); Harvey Thompson (tenor saxophone, horns); Ronnie Eades (baritone saxophone, horns); Stacy Goss, Mike Stough (trumpet, horns); Charles Rose (trombone, horns); Sonny Royal (horns); Clayton Ivey, Randy McCormick (organ); George Soul� (drums); Ernie Freeman, Toni Stubblefield (background vocals). Recording information: Archway Sound, St. Louis, MO; Broadway Sound, Muscle Shoals, AL. Arranger: Jerry Williams. Jerry Williams reissues two long out-of-print albums from the back catalog of his not-so-secret identity Swamp Dogg in the fourth volume of the Excellent Sides of Swamp Dogg series. This set manages a .500 batting average, pairing one fine album with another that's one of Swamp Dogg's least interesting efforts. Swamp Dogg's Greatest Hits? was a 1976 release so obscure it doesn't even appear in many of Williams' discographies, in which he re-recorded a handful of obscure Swamp Dogg tunes, none of which were hits in this or any alternate universe. They may not have sold, but tunes like "I've Never Been to Africa," "Buzzard Luck," and "Call Me Nigger" capture the eccentric fervor of Williams' philosophical style as well as anything he's ever recorded, and "Or Forever Hold Your Peace," "I'm Still In Love with You," and "Don't You Try to Be My Man" are fine examples of his own distinct brand of Southern soul. 1977's Finally Caught Up with Myself, however, is nothing much to write home about; the backing band, credited as "Riders of the New Funk," sounds meek and anemic where Swamp Dogg's sessions are usually cooking with potent funk, and with a few exceptions Williams wasn't faring much better as a songwriter. There are a few bright spots, but outside of "If You Gotta Do Wrong (Do It Right)," "Trash," and "Understanding California Women," this is Swamp Dogg's most disposable album of the '70s. It doesn't help that on this reissue, Finally Caught Up with Myself sounds harsh and murky, and while the tracks from Greatest Hits? feature much better audio quality, "Ebony & Jet" has a very noticeable speed fault that wasn't corrected in mastering. Given how hard to find both of these albums are, Swamp Dogg fans aren't likely to complain about the flaws of this disc, but it's too bad the prime craziness of Greatest Hits? couldn't have been paired up with something more interesting. ~ Mark Deming

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