''Arkansas'' is an album by

Col. Bruce Hampton Bruce Hampton (born Gustav Valentine Berglund III; April 30, 1947 – May 1, 2017) was an American musician. He was a key figure in the Atlanta, Georgia music scene, mentoring numerous other musicians who became national stars. His own musical ...

. It was recorded at Southern Living Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, and was released on LP in 1987 by Landslide Records. In 2000, Terminus Records reissued the album on CD. On the album, Hampton is joined by a large group of guest musicians.

Reception

The editors of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

awarded the album 4½ stars. Reviewer Robert Gordon wrote: "This 'Southern Captain Beefheart' misses, but this Colonel (Ret.) is original." A writer for ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' stated: "Hampton's dadaist vision of rock with duo the Late Bronze Age earned him fans on the outer fringes. This solo album is more assorted weirdness aimed at listeners from the Beefheart school, and it boasts a strong cast of support players." Byron Coley, writing for ''

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'', called the album "a sweet mom of a thing to hear," and commented: "Like a screwier version of Van Dyke Parks, Hampton delves into all sortsa cultural rootage... This is the sorta record that should appeal to anybody who gave up on Zappa after ''Weasels Ripped My Flesh''." Swampland's James Calemine remarked: "Colonel Bruce's relentless humor and protean variety place him in the pantheon of American oddball geniuses like Frank Zappa and John Cage. ''Arkansas''—like a horrific picture or a beautiful face—lingers in the mind and haunts the memory long after it is heard."

Track listing

All compositions by Bruce Hampton # "Arkansas" – 3:52 # "Elevator to the Moon" – 2:10 # "Throndossull" – 4:50 # "Brato Ganibe" – 2:10 # "Strange Voices" – 4:40 # "Fixin to Die" – 4:17 # "Basically Frightened" – 2:45 # "Mr. Kane" – 3:30 # "Zumpano's Retreat" – 4:00 # "Baseball Tickets" – 2:49 # "Morgan" – 1:38 (bonus track on CD reissue) # "Cold Mountain" – 4:22 (bonus track on CD reissue)

Personnel

– vocals, slide mandolin, chazoid * Lincoln Metcalfe (Ricky Keller) – bass, horns, potarth *

Paul Barrere Paul Barrere (July 3, 1948 – October 26, 2019) was an American musician most prominent as a member of the band Little Feat, which he joined in 1972 some three years after the band was created by Lowell George. Career Barrere recorded and per ...

– guitar *

Tinsley Ellis Tinsley Ellis (born June 4, 1957) is an American blues and rock musician, who was born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and grew up in South Florida. According to ''Billboard'', "nobody has released more consistently excellent blues albums ...

– guitar * Lamar Metcalfe (Bill Hatcher) – guitar *

T Lavitz Terry "T" Lavitz (April 16, 1956 – October 7, 2010) was an American keyboardist, composer and Record producer, producer. He is best known for his work with the Dixie Dregs and Jazz Is Dead. Biography Born on April 16, 1956, Lavitz grew up in ...

– keyboards * Rev. Oliver Wells – keyboards * Sonny Emory – drums * Jeff Metcalfe – drums * Walter Brewer – drums * Yonrico Scott – drums *

Jimmy Herring Jimmy Herring (born January 22, 1962) is the lead guitarist for the band Widespread Panic. He is a founding member of Aquarium Rescue Unit and Jazz Is Dead and has played with The Allman Brothers Band, Project Z, Derek Trucks Band, Phil Lesh a ...

– guitar (tracks 11 and 12) * Jeff Sipe – drums (tracks 11 and 12) * Rev. Jeff Mosier – banjo (tracks 11 and 12) * Oteil Burbridge – bass (tracks 11 and 12) * Matt Mundy – mandolin (tracks 11 and 12)

References

{{Reflist 1987 albums Southern rock albums