Joe Ely (born February 9, 1947, Amarillo, Texas, United States) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist whose music touches on honky-tonk, Texas country, Tex-Mex and rock and roll.
Due to its title, its stylized cover, and articles portraying Joe Ely as having fallen in love with computers and synthesizers, Hi-Res, his fifth studio album, unfairly got a reputation as some sort of synth pop effort, a sort of “Joe Ely meets Kraftwerk” monstrosity.
So, those who actually hear it may be surprised to find that it actually sounds like most of Joe Ely‘s other records, the musical arrangements dominated by slashing electric guitar work, the songs often bearing Ely‘s cockeyed sense of humor. There are synthesized keyboards and even synth-drums to be heard here and there, and the arrangements are more elaborate and somewhat more pop-oriented than before, but this is still the same Joe Ely who made Musta Notta Gotta Lotta.
That album, however, had largely erased the country influences in Ely‘s music, and here they are only a memory. “Dame Tu Mano” has a distinct Tex-Mex feel, but that’s just about it. Still, if Hi-Res is an essentially misunderstood album, that’s not to say it is a great one. The real problem with the disc is not the sound of it, it’s the material. For once, Ely is not relying heavily on Butch Hancock to augment the songwriting, and it shows. “What’s Shakin’ Tonight” is a dynamic opener; “Cool Rockin’ Loretta” is a keeper, and so is “Letter to Laredo.” But “She Gotta Get the Gettin'” and “Locked in a Boxcar with the Queen of Spain” sound like retreads, and the rest of the songs are just forgettable.
Thus, this is an uneven collection, and unfortunately it came at a time, more than three years after Ely‘s last studio album, when he needed to reintroduce himself to his audience and expand on it. Instead, his audience was put off, and nobody else joined in.
01. What’s Shakin’ Tonight (3:45)
02. Cool Rockin’ Loretta (3:23)
03. Madame Wo (3:22)
04. Dream Camera (4:30)
05. Letter To Laredo (4:53)
06. She Gotta Get The Gettin’ (4:39)
07. Lipstick In The Night (2:59)
08. Imagine Houston (4:29)
09. Dame Tu Mano (5:20)
10. Locked In A Boxcar With The Queen Of Spain (5:38)
Personnel
Joe Ely – Composer, Guitar, Primary Artist, Vocals
C. Roscoe Beck – Bass
Eddie Beethoven – Composer, Vocals
Ponty Bone – Keyboards
James Fenner – Percussion
Bill Ginn – Keyboards, Synthesizer
Mark Hallman – Vocals
Steve Meador – Drums, Percussion
Smokey Joe Miller – Saxophone
Bill Peace – Wind
Michael Ramos – Synthesizer
Mitch Watkins – Guitar, Synthesizer, Vocals
Production
Released: 1984
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country Rock, Country
Length: 43:15
© 1984
Label - MCA Records
So, those who actually hear it may be surprised to find that it actually sounds like most of Joe Ely‘s other records, the musical arrangements dominated by slashing electric guitar work, the songs often bearing Ely‘s cockeyed sense of humor. There are synthesized keyboards and even synth-drums to be heard here and there, and the arrangements are more elaborate and somewhat more pop-oriented than before, but this is still the same Joe Ely who made Musta Notta Gotta Lotta.
That album, however, had largely erased the country influences in Ely‘s music, and here they are only a memory. “Dame Tu Mano” has a distinct Tex-Mex feel, but that’s just about it. Still, if Hi-Res is an essentially misunderstood album, that’s not to say it is a great one. The real problem with the disc is not the sound of it, it’s the material. For once, Ely is not relying heavily on Butch Hancock to augment the songwriting, and it shows. “What’s Shakin’ Tonight” is a dynamic opener; “Cool Rockin’ Loretta” is a keeper, and so is “Letter to Laredo.” But “She Gotta Get the Gettin'” and “Locked in a Boxcar with the Queen of Spain” sound like retreads, and the rest of the songs are just forgettable.
Thus, this is an uneven collection, and unfortunately it came at a time, more than three years after Ely‘s last studio album, when he needed to reintroduce himself to his audience and expand on it. Instead, his audience was put off, and nobody else joined in.
01. What’s Shakin’ Tonight (3:45)
02. Cool Rockin’ Loretta (3:23)
03. Madame Wo (3:22)
04. Dream Camera (4:30)
05. Letter To Laredo (4:53)
06. She Gotta Get The Gettin’ (4:39)
07. Lipstick In The Night (2:59)
08. Imagine Houston (4:29)
09. Dame Tu Mano (5:20)
10. Locked In A Boxcar With The Queen Of Spain (5:38)
Personnel
Joe Ely – Composer, Guitar, Primary Artist, Vocals
C. Roscoe Beck – Bass
Eddie Beethoven – Composer, Vocals
Ponty Bone – Keyboards
James Fenner – Percussion
Bill Ginn – Keyboards, Synthesizer
Mark Hallman – Vocals
Steve Meador – Drums, Percussion
Smokey Joe Miller – Saxophone
Bill Peace – Wind
Michael Ramos – Synthesizer
Mitch Watkins – Guitar, Synthesizer, Vocals
Production
- Producer – Joe Ely
- Producer [Associate] – Mitch Watkins
- Producer, Executive Producer – Michael Brovsky
Released: 1984
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country Rock, Country
Length: 43:15
© 1984
Label - MCA Records
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