Doug Sahm has quite a bit to answer for when it comes to my musical tastes. I was a youngster, just barely a teen, when this song and album came into my orbit. I do not recall where I was, but as I was surrounded by elder siblings and their friends and cousins, someone had discovered Doug well before me.
Teeny bopper, my teenage lover
I caught your wave last night
It sent my mind a-wonderin’
You’re such a groove, please don’t move
Please stay in my love house by the river
Fast-talkin’ guys with strange red eyes
Have put things in your head
And start your mind a-wonderin’
I love you so, please don’t go
Please stay here with me in Mendocino
Mendocino, Mendocino
Where life’s such a groove
You’ll blow your mind in the mornin’
We used to walk through the park
Make love along the way in Mendocino
Like I told you, can you dig it?
If you wanna groove
I’ll be glad to have you
Ah, ‘cause I love you so, please don’t go
Please stay here with me in Mendocino
Mendocino, Mendocino
Where life’s such a groove
You’ll blow your mind in the mornin’
We used to walk through the park
Make love along the way in Mendocino-Mendocino-Doug Sahm
I loved the mix of dreamy psychedelic production, the echoing sound of Sahm’s singing on At The Crossroads, the Tex-Mex-farfisa beat of She’s About A Mover with Augie Meyers on that organ, and the catchy, infectious title track. “Fast-talking guys, with strange red eyes…” and “you’ll blow your mind in the mornin’” fed my head.
The doors of perception were about to open up for me, and this music was taking me to San Francisco and beyond.
They did not seem like the other San Francisco bands I had come across….there was some spice happening that caught my ear. There was a Texas influence I was soon to discover more of.
Doug Sahm now became a name I looked for as I scoured the cut-out bins and record stores in my neighbourhood. I was flicking through the vinyl on a spring day and Doug Sahm and Band leapt out at me. The cover was the recognisable work of Gilbert Shelton of The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers fame. If you were a young wanna be hippie back then you knew his work.
I thought I was holding a piece of gold in my hands. The bright yellow cover had caricatures of Doug, Dr John, and others. I quickly flipped the record over to see the names of Fathead Newman, Augie Meyers, Flaco Jimenez, David Bromberg…..I could not wait to get this home and onto the turntable.
We had songs written by Sahm, Don Robey, Willie Nelson, Bob Wills and others. There was this one song Wallflower that really caught my eye. The songwriter was one Bob Dylan and my excited eyes also saw that he played on the record. What is this song Wallflower? How did this record end up in a bin for 99 cents???
Dylan did not release a version of Wallflower until 1991 on this collection, The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991. Bob was coming out of ‘hiding’ around this time and the 1974 tour with the band was just around the corner. This was truly like finding a treasure chest for this teenager. I love Wallflower to this day and think it is one of Bobster’s best country tunes.
Dylan contributed to 8 tracks on the record, adding guitar, vocals and organ and of course, the first appearance of Wallflower.
This album slipped into constant rotation. I was already listening to old Bob Wills records, new albums by Asleep At The Wheel and Commander Cody and The Lost Planet Airmen, Willie, Waylon and Merle and more. Sahm had moved back to Austin for this record and the scene there was filled with stoned faces that do not lie. The hippie scene in Austin must have been quite the place to be, with tequila and Mexican weed keeping things loose. I am glad they managed to get it together to hit record.
Doug Sahm continued to put out records and tour until his passing in 1999 at the young age of 58. He played just about everything from pedal steel (at the age of 6) to fiddle, brought Tex-Mex music to the world, and truly was the original Cosmic Texas Cowboy. He played and looked the part. The real deal….an original.
If this is your first entry into the marvel that was Doug Sahm, enjoy the ride.
Groover’s Paradise was the next one into the cut-out bin for Doug. There are a couple of beauties within this ½ hour of vinyl but Catch Me In The Morning is a Sahm classic. The record was produced by Doug Clifford, the drummer of Creedence Clearwater Revivial. That did not help sales either….
Bob Wills may still be The King but Doug Sahm sure is royalty.
The next cut-out bin LP will be science fiction from San Francisco... things were getting a bit spacey at 2400 Fulton Avenue.
Until then….