Genre: rock
Rating: 4 stars ****
Title: Yeah!
Company: Big Tree
Catalog: BT 2101
Year: 1973
Country/State: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+
Comments: --
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 5041
Price: $20.00
Even if it didn't include the classic teen age rebellion song 'Smokin' In the Boys Room', 1973's "Yeah!" would deserve classic status and the creative and commercial highlight of Brownsville Station's recording career.
Produced by Big Tree President Doug Morris, the album served as a perfect showcase for Koda's role as rock historian and the band's fun brand of rock and roll. Sadly, describing an album as 'fun' certainly sounds kind of odd in this day and age. That's made even stranger by the fact most of the ten tracks were covers. Still, fun is an apt description for the album. Name another band who could cover a Jimmy Cliff song ('Let Your Yeah Be Yeah), a 1960s obscurity like The Balloon Farm's 'Question of Temperature' and a Lou Reed track ('Sweet Jane') with equal success !!! So what were the other highlights? Well they were certainly a talented trio with lead singer Michael Lutz having a voice that was quite versatile and highly commercial. His cover of Reed's 'Sweet Jane' was irrisistable and would have made a dandy single. Coda may have been the biggest surprise emerging as an excellent vocalist. While his snarling delivery wasn't as commercial as Lutz, it was perfect for punkier numbers like 'Love, Love, Love' and 'Smokin' In the Boys Room'. And then there was the band's song selection ... not a loser in the bunch. Literally any of these ten tracks would have made for a top-40 single.
Big Tree also tapped the LP for two singles:
- 1973's 'Let Your Yeah Be Yeah' b/w 'Mr. Robert' (Big Tree catalog number BT-161)
- 1973's 'Smokin' In the Boys Room' b/w 'Barefootin'' (Big Tree catalog number BT-10611)
"Yeah!" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Question of Temperature (M. Appel - E. Schnug - D. Henny) - 3:25
2.) Lightnin' Bar Blues (Hoyt Axton) - 2:40
3.) Take It Or Leave It (H. Cardell) - 2:53
4,) All Night Long (Michael Lutz - Cub Koda) - 2:50
5.) Let Your Yeah
Be Yeah (Jimmy Cliff) - 3:30
(side
2)
1.) Sweet Jane (Lou Reed) - 2:53
2.) Love, Love, Love (Terry Knight) - 2:48
3.) Go Out and Get Her (Doug Morris) - 2:55
4.) Barefootin' (Robert Parker) - 2:15
5.) Smokin' In the Boys Room (Michael Lutz - Cub Koda) - 2:54