THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Kudzu Records Presents an expanded reissue of Southern Culture On The Skids‘ very limited edition 45 rpm vinyl-only box set from 2003. The addition of six new songs brings it to a total of 12 tunes.
The Kudzu Records Presents box set was the rarest of all Kudzu Records releases. Only 1,000 units were pressed. It was an “all analog” project that was recorded to a 16 track 2” tape machine and mixed down to a ½” master tape by Rick Miller and Mark Williams at the Kudzu Ranch. “I am so glad we are finally getting to it,” says Miller. “Even better now because the band is expanding the original project with four more covers and two original instrumentals.”
The original six songs included on Kudzu Records Presents were heavy on NOLA recording artists and songs: Jesse Hill (Whip It On Me), Ernie K. Doe (A Certain Girl) and Smiley Lewis (Lost Weekend and One Night of Sin). The other two cuts had Mary Huff hitting The Pretty Things catalog with her take on Buzz the Jerk and Midnight to Six.
On the new album, SCOTS have added four more favorite songs by their favorite artists. Devil with The Blue Dress On is based on the version by Shorty Long. “Shorty wrote the song and his version is the best,” says Rick. “Lots of people have covered this song but very few do it as greasy and groovy as Shorty.” Doug Sahm has been an inspiration to the band since Day 1 and his version of Is Anybody Going to San Antone? is a favorite. Check out Mary doing her best to channel Augie Meyers with her Farfisa playing on this cut.
Just Like You Treat Me is a Howling Wolf song that Mary fattens up with some flatulent Moog grooves while Rick lays down a chugged-out Diddling Daddy rhythm guitar. And Dave’s driving beat puts in the forward momentum that turns the Willie Dixon-penned tune into a SCOTS swamp stomper. The last song is a Slim Whitman gospel number from the late ’50s. “I am a Slim Whitman fan,” Rick adds. “His lonesome yodel gets stuck in my craw. I can’t yodel like Slim, so we got Mary to add a high sci-fi vocal and then we topped it off with some strange whistling gospel organ. I sang the lyrics thorough a bullet mic and that gave the song a revival tent, cinder block am radio vibe. Yeah!”
The two instrumentals on the album are original compositions in a southern groove. “The instros fit in with the vibe of the record,” Rick says. “The Bank Walker is the soundtrack to walking along the Eno River sipping from a warm tall boy on a hot summer evening. Tripping at the Admiral Benbow name-checks the Memphis hotel of the same name where the band used to stay (and party – HARD)! Tripping is a bastard Memphis groove with a psychedelic edge. Bon Voyage!”
