''Lik My Trakter'' (pronounced "like my tractor") is the first album by the Canadian band

the Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book '' Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 fil ...

, released in 1992. Initially released independently, it received a national release on

Warner Music Canada Warner Music Canada is the Canadian division of Warner Music Group. The label previously operated as WEA Music of Canada, Ltd. (French: ''WEA Musique du Canada, Ltée''), often shortened to WEA Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of WEA Internationa ...

; it was released by

Sire Records Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records. History Beginnings The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehre ...

in the U.S. The band supported the album with a Canadian tour, often playing with Barenaked Ladies. The album was certified gold in Canada.

Production

Recorded in Toronto, the album was produced by John Switzer. Many songs reference the band's

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 census, Regina had a city populatio ...

, upbringing. The band was influenced by the songwriting of

Andy Partridge Andrew John Partridge (born 11 November 1953) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer who founded the rock band XTC. He and Colin Moulding each acted as a songwriter and frontman for XTC, with Partridge writing and sing ...

. Kim Deschamps played mandolin and guitar on the album. The album title was based on a child's misspelling.

Critical reception

'' The Kitchener-Waterloo Record'' stated that "the Waltons are best compared to the early '70s country-folk-rockers, with the major updates coming in the form of '90s-style highly ironic lyrics." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' opined that "the acoustic riffs and relationship lyrics make the record, on the whole, about as exciting as oatmeal." The ''

Fort Worth Star-Telegram The ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' is an American daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History In May 1905, Amon G. Carter ...

'' concluded that ''Lik My Trakter'' is "marred by rhyming-dictionary lyrics and clunky song structures." ''

The Tampa Tribune ''The Tampa Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Tampa, Florida. Along with the competing ''Tampa Bay Times'', the ''Tampa Tribune'' was one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area. The newspaper also published a ''St. Pe ...

'' contended that "''Lik My Trakter'' most closely resembles Christian rock without the religious conviction." The ''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Pos ...

'' deemed the album "one of the finest sets of acoustic pop we've heard since the first Crowded House album." ''

The Buffalo News ''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It recently sold its headquarters to Uniland Development Corp. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by W ...

'' considered it "filled with the folky, alternative rocking sounds that make the Waltons so refreshing." ''

The Palm Beach Post ''The Palm Beach Post'' is an American daily newspaper serving Palm Beach County in South Florida, and parts of the Treasure Coast. On March 18, 2018, in a deal worth US$42.35 million, ''The Palm Beach Post'' and ''The Palm Beach Daily News'' ...

'' called it "intelligent, snappy acoustic pop." ''

The Virginian-Pilot ''The Virginian-Pilot'' is the daily newspaper for Norfolk, Virginia. Commonly known as ''The Pilot'', it is Virginia's largest daily. It serves the five cities of South Hampton Roads as well as several smaller towns across southeast Virgini ...

'' determined that the "tight, acoustic, melodic pop seems simple on first listen but more complex with each spin."

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 databa ...

wrote: " Singer/songwriter Jason Plumb has a fine line in minor-key ballads, but a dozen politely acoustic songs in a row with subtle shadings of lap steel and organ leave the listener itching for something with a little more sonic variety."

Track listing

References

{{Authority control Waltons (band) albums 1992 albums