Bloodlines

Description

Since 1970, one of songwriter and visual artist Terry Allen's great companions and friends was writer and art critic Dave Hickey. This reissue is dedicated to him in memoriam, following his passing in 2021. In 1983, the two men were inseparable, and Dave Hickey's acerbic but warm presence haunts the story and the behind-the-scenes of *Bloodlines*, the album Terry Allen released in June of that year. Despite commercial doubts, critical acclaim was not lacking. In 1983, against all odds, the record gained traction in the underground scene through word-of-mouth. This initially circulated among fellow artists and in the rarefied air of the art world, then, after the 1979 release of *Lubbock (On Everything)*, it spread further, among musicians and fans of outlaw country. In this multifaceted fourth album, Terry Allen contemplates kinship – how sex and violence suture and sever the bonds of family, faith, and society – with a caustically satirical and affectionate tone. *Bloodlines* is the first of several albums to revisit selections from *Juarez*, his debut album released in 1975, with full arrangements, notably a terrifying rendition of "There Oughta Be a Law Against Sunny Southern California" featuring Jesse Taylor. The irreverent ballad of the damned highway hitchhiker "Gimme a Ride to Heaven Boy" (featuring Joe Ely) remains a fan favorite. Closing the album, the chorus of "Bloodlines (II)" notably features Dave Hickey, Joe and Sharon Ely, Stubb (famous for his barbecue sauce), his sons Bukka and Bale Allen, as well as eight-year-old Lloyd's daughter, Natalie Maines, who would later become part of the Dixie Chicks – a true testament to the power of bloodlines!