''Snockgrass'' is a 1980
folk
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album by
Michael Hurley. The album was released by
Rounder Records
Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...
, with a reissue in 1997.
The album places emphasis on Hurley's vocals. There is traditional folk influenced by freakbeat, blues and jazz. Lyrics on the tracks tend to be serious, satirical, and humorous. Hurley sometimes shift tones in the middle of a song, creating humor out of a serious situation or vice versa.
Hurley was backed by a band that he dubbed the Sensitivos. He played mandolin on "Goin' to Florida".
Critical reception
''
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 ...
'' called ''Snockgrass'' Hurley's "brightest and most accessible record."
[
In 1993, the '' Daily Press'' wrote that "thoughtful love songs alancesome of Hurley's funniest deprave-ups."][ Reviewing the 1997 reissue, '']The Star-Ledger
''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...
'' determined that "Hurley's deadpan delivery, his chunky rhythm guitar, the occasional loopy background vocals, off-center drums and groaning fiddles conjure up a vanished era of American hippiedom." ''City Pages
''City Pages'' was an alternative newspaper serving the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. It featured news, film, theatre and restaurant reviews and music criticism, available free every Wednesday. It ceased publication in 2020 due to a ...
'' stated that Hurley "found mercy in weaving simple, languid, folk tunes, rooted in detailed accounts of quotidian delights—watching sunsets, drinking porter, eating pork chops, going down."
Track listing
Side one
# "Midnite Rounder" – 3:09
# "O My Stars" – 3:29
# "Tia Marie" – 4:01
# "I'm Gettin' Ready to Go" - 3:52
# "Watchin' the Show" – 3:34
# "Automatic Slim & the Fat Boys" – 4:05
Side two
# "Don't Treat Me Bad" – 2:32
# "I Heard the Voice of a Porkchop" (Jim Jackson) – 2:46
# "No Home" – 2:02
# "Jolé Blon" – 2:34
# "I Think I'll Move" – 3:23
# "Goin' to Florida" – 3:42
# "You Gonna Look Like a Monkey" (Williams, Hall) - 3:57
1997 CD release bonus tracks
# "Sweet Lucy" (alternative take) - 4:02
# "Grapefruit Juice Blues" - 4:24
References
{{Authority control
Michael Hurley (musician) albums
1980 albums
Rounder Records albums