Border Wave

by Eugene ChadbourneHow someone as old wave as Doug Sahm hooked into the new wave of the 80s is not exactly so mysterious if one examines the rich stylistic makeup of the Sir Douglas Quintet repertoire, and how so many of these grooves were finding their way into the sounds of the so-called new wave era. This album was put together as a partial result of Sahm's efforts to revive his group during those times, one that led to an increased touring and release schedule. It all turns out better than expected in the case of this session, which is beautifully recorded and played and features not only good Sahm tunes -- some old and some new -- but a refreshing brace of cover tunes from Ray Davies to Butch Hancock. Needless to say, Sahm makes each tune his own and is in fine vocal form. The remake of "Revolutionary Ways" is terrific, but the real showstopper is "Old Habits Die Hard," another entry in the long list of cooking rock songs that sound like they should have been hits -- and that in reality nobody has ever heard of.