The World Famous Ultimate Twang: Mac Davis "Texas In My Rear View Mirror" Classic Album Review

Greetings from Asheville, where good music is always on the turntable. Today, we look back at a Mac Davis effort on the Classic Album Review; his 1980 Casablanca release Texas In My Rear View Mirror”. The album would climb as high as twelve on the Country bestseller lists, while also breaking into the Pop 100. The album featured four singles, including two top ten hits.

The album kicks off with one of the two top ten hits, “Hooked On Music”, a piece of 1980′s style Rockabilly, that conjurs up images of Buddy Holly, and Elvis. Not my favorite Mac Davis song, but you can’t argue with it’s success, as it was his highest charting Country single, peaking at two in the Spring of 1981.

The album is a mix of songs that fall into the Country and Pop categories, not unexpected given his success in both fields. ”Remember When (Beverly’s Song)” falls squarely into the latter, with a soft Pop sound that is pretty much what was being heard on early 80′s Top 40 radio. With that in mind, it’s a good track, showing his abilities with Pop are as solid as with Country.

Also leaning more in the Pop side, is “Me ‘n Fat Boy”, in which the intro sounds like an impersonation of Jimmy Riddle and Jackie Phelps from “Hee Haw”. The rest of the song, though, actually has a melody and rhythm that remind me of Paul Simon’s “Me And Julio Down By The School Yard”. Not the album’s strongest piece, but still a quality song that is worth a listen or two.

The pendulum swings back towards Country with “Hot Texas Night”. A slow ballad that reminds me a bit of his first big hit, “Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me”, but it’s certainly not the same song, at all. This is a strong ballad, and gives a good argument that one could make of Mac Davis being underrated, when it comes to ballad singing.

Side one ends with pure country on the track “Sad Songs”. A 3/4 time, with a heavy dose of steel guitar, this is pure country, Texas style. Good song, but the overall performance is excellent. A Hidden Gem contender.

Side two opens with the album’s other top ten hit, which also happens to be the title track. One of my favorite Mac Davis songs, “Texas In My Rear View Mirror” would sneak into the top ten, in late 1981, peaking at nine.

“Hello, Hollywood” falls more along the Pop reins, utilizing unique chord structures and a minimal arrangement (for early 1980′s Pop) to create a one of the album’s better tracks, a definite Hidden Gem contender.

“Rodeo Clown” was the album’s final single, but wasn’t released until after he had already scored a hit with “You’re My Bestest Friend” from his next album, Midnight Crazy. The single just snuck into the Country 40, during the Summer of 1982.

“Secrets” also saw life as a single, but could only muster a peak of forty-seven on the Country chart. The main reason, I think, is that even for the early 1980′s, it’s sound was just too Pop for Country radio. The single also briefly charted on the Pop 100, as well. Not a bad song, with a medium tempo and heavy drum rhythm. It’s a pure Pop sound, but a pretty good one.

The album wraps with a ballad, “In The Eyes Of My People”. A nice ballad that gives a good end to this album.

The album is off the market, but was originally released on vinyl, 8-track, and cassette. Used copies seem to be pretty easy to find, most going under $10.

“Texas In My Rear View Mirror” is my Standout Track, while I give “Sad Songs” the Hidden Gem, though you could argue strongly for “Hello, Hollywood”, too. Quality-wise, the album is pretty consistent, really, so to call one weak is really hard to do. Some tracks I like better than others, but they are all pretty comparable.

Overall, Mac Davis does a good job of mixing the Pop and the Country, together, and the album has a surprisingly good flow to it, with the mix of sounds. Good solid material, here. I rate it a 4 out of 5.

Your thoughts?

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