Album Reviews

Dwight Yoakam burst on the music scene in the mid-1980s with a refreshing blend of vintage ‘50s/’60s-inspired, truckstop-worthy, country-fried, rockabilly-infused honky-tonkin’ twang and bright, modern sensibilities that captivated new and old audiences alike. His initial trio of platinum-selling albums for Reprise all reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart — and with good reason. On Record Store Day 2024 back on April 20, Reprise/Rhino/Via issued a limited edition (3,500 copies) 4LP box set dubbed The Beginning and Then Some: The Albums of the ’80s to celebrate Yoakam’s fruitful career beginnings.

As it turns out, The Beginning and Then Some: The Albums of the ’80s might well be the ideal starting point for new, vinyl-loving country music fans, as well as for longtime followers seeking a collectively cost-efficient upgrade path from digital offerings of the past.

As far as its desirable vinyl-centric DNA goes, The Beginning and Then Some: The Albums of the ’80s boasts fresh lacquers cut by Chris Bellman and Bill Inglot at Grundman Mastering in Hollywood. Given the “Made in Germany” sticker on the back of the box, it is quite likely this set was manufactured at Optimal.

Each of the box’s core three albums — March 1986’s Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc., July 1987’s Hillbilly Deluxe, and August 1988’s Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room — comes housed in original album covers that look and feel period-accurate, including original inner sleeves and the then-rebooted tri-color Reprise label. The fourth LP of bonus and demo material, So Forth & So On, mirrors the presentation of the other three. The collection also includes an 8-page, album-sized booklet with an intro by country legend Garth Brooks, plus new essays by Bill Bentley (who shares a wonderful story I won’t spoil here about his first contact with Yoakam, one that helped to kickstart the artist’s career), Chris Hillman of The Byrds, and biographer Don McLeese.

Yoakam’s initial run of albums for Reprise were hugely popular, and original vinyl pressings of those early albums in nice condition seem fairly plentiful on the secondary market, and they’re mostly fairly priced too. So, the perceived need for the new RSD 4LP box set edition featuring this music may not be immediately obvious to some, but if you are deep fan, The Beginning and Then Some: The Albums of the ’80s seems to contain one of the first — if not the first — appearances of his 1981 demo recordings on vinyl. These demos are collected on the aforementioned, 13-song fourth album in the box, So Forth & So On, which is exclusive to this set.

This collection offers a good bang for the buck, album for album, track for track. For more appreciation, let’s consider what is actually available on a microcosm of the used/collectors’ market. Looking for available Mint copies of Yoakam’s albums on Discogs — i.e., the closest equivalent to a “new” sealed copy — Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. is available for SRPs ranging from the mid-$40s to just under $100. Hillbilly Deluxe is, in some instances, a bit pricier than Guitars, but there still seem to be plenty of Mint copies available, along with many more in lesser condition, for prices ranging from around $30 to a high of $275 per album. Meanwhile, Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room — my personal favorite of his in the new box set, btw — spans NM prices from around $15 to around $65.

So, when you consider these collector-driven price points, getting a fresh, brand-new set of all three early Yoakam albums plus an exclusive LP of demos and rarities together makes this package start to feel like a pretty good value.

Of the 15 copies of The Beginning and Then Some: The Albums of the ’80s that are available on Discogs at the time of this posting, prices range from the high $70s to about $125. If we average a midway approximate of about $100 as a working reference point, that comes to about $25 per each LP in this box, which doesn’t seem so outrageous at all. In addition to copies of the box that are still be available via RSD outlets here, you can also find this set on Yoakam’s official site here. There are even fun color vinyl variants available of the three individual ’80s albums, which usually ru between $25 and $30 a pop.

As far as how these reissues sound, while I didn’t have my original vinyl copies on hand to compare to at present, I do seem to remember my old copy of Hillbilly Deluxe sounding similar to the new LP — very bright and punchy. As I mentioned, Yoakam’s country sound, while rooted with one toe in 1950s along with ’60s flavors from Nashville to Bakersfield, is ultimately more modern and in step with the shiny sparkle of many 1980s productions. One could easily segue between Yoakam, The Stray Cats, early k.d. lang, Los Lobos, The Blasters, X, NRBQ, and even the Americana-tinged music Elvis Costello made around that time (as heard on The Costello Show’s February 1986 offering King of America, for example).

These recordings generally sound sleek as a freshly washed fin-tipped classic ’59 Cadillac, so don’t go into this box set expecting a gritty, early Sam Philips-style production. I don’t know if these albums were recorded digitally, but it is entirely possible that some of them might have been, given the bright crisp vibe.

As to the tracks I like most, two tunes off of the rarities disc, So Forth & So On, jumped out at me as especially strong. “Long White Cadillac” (Side 2, Track 5) is a great little rocker, pure and simple (and a tribute to The Blasters). I also enjoyed Yoakam’s duet with k.d. lang on “Sin City” (Side 2, Track 6). Overall, I most enjoyed the maturing sound of Yoakum’s work on Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room, his third release.

If I have any nits to pick, they’re related to certain aspects of the pressing quality. Mostly, the albums do sound good. I did, however, hear a bit of distortion on “Heartaches by the Number” (Side 2, Track 5) from Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. (though AP editor Mike Mettler didn’t hear any on his copy). And Hillbilly Deluxe lost some point power due to my Side 2 being a little off-center, and also having a bit of distortion apparent at the end of Side 1. Hopefully those anomalies are not widespread (and they may not be, as Mettler’s copy of Deluxe happened to be well-centered, and it evidenced no distortion at the end of Side 1 as mine did). Accordingly, our box set Sound rating came in at an 8 overall. We rate each album in the set as a 9 for Music, and, hence, the 9 also goes for the Music rating of the box inclusive.

All told, Dwight Yoakam’s The Beginning and Then Some: The Albums of the ’80s is a solid value. It is a fairly priced and generally well-produced opportunity to score some of the most fun, rockin’ country sounds of the ’80s on fresh vinyl without breaking the bank — and that is never a bad thing.

Mark Smotroff is an avid vinyl collector who has also worked in marketing communications for decades. He has reviewed music for AudiophileReview.com, among others, and you can see more of his impressive C.V. at LinkedIn.

DWIGHT YOAKAM
THE BEGINNING AND THEN SOME: THE ALBUMS OF THE ’80s
4LP (Reprise/Rhino/Via)

GUITARS, CADILLACS, ETC., ETC. (1986)

Side 1
1. Honky Tonk Man
2. It Won’t Hurt
3. I’ll Be Gone
4. South Of Cincinnati
5. Bury Me (Duet With Maria McKee)

Side 2
1. Guitars, Cadillacs
2. Twenty Years
3. Ring Of Fire
4. Miner’s Prayer
5. Heartaches By The Number

HILLBILLY DELUXE (1987)

Side 1
1. Little Ways
2. Smoke Along The Track
3. Johnson’s Love
4. Please, Please Baby
5, Readin’, Rightin’, Rt. 23

Side 2
1. Always Late With Your Kisses
2. 1,000 Miles
3. Throughout All Time
4. Little Sister
5. This Drinkin’ Will Kill Me

BUENAS NOCHES FROM A LONELY ROOM (1988)

Side 1
1. I Got You
2. One More Name
3. What I Don’t Know
4. Home Of The Blues
5. Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room (She Wore Red Dresses)

Side 2
1. I Hear You Knockin’
2. I Sang Dixie
3. Streets Of Bakersfield
4. Floyd County
5. Send Me To The Pillow
6. Hold On To God

SO FORTH & SO ON

Side 1
1. This Drinkin’ Will Kill Me (1981 Demo)
2. It Won’t Hurt (1981 Demo)
3. I’ll Be Gone (1981 Demo)
4. Floyd County (1981 Demo)
5. You’re The One (1981 Demo)
6. Twenty Years (1981 Demo)

Side 2
1. Please Daddy (1981 Demo)
2. Miner’s Prayer (1981 Demo)
3. I Sang Dixie (1981 Demo)
4. Bury Me (1981 Demo)
5. Long White Cadillac
6. Sin City (With k.d. lang)
7. Christmas Eve With The Babylonian Cowboys