Bobby Bare and the Family “Singin’ in the Kitchen”

I’m a Bobby Bare fan, just based on how much I love his duet record with Skeeter Davis (“Tunes for Two”), but I’ll get to the bottom of his bottomless discography, like, never. No doubt I bought this stay-at-home 1974 album because the cover is so excellent—a photo of BB, a couple of rugrats, and a couple of women—featuring a chaotic table of dirty dishes (including a partly eaten watermelon) in the foreground, partly out of focus, and looking more real than anything you’re ever going to see on an album cover. I didn’t realize until listening to it that eight of the ten songs are by Shel Silverstein! (Also didn’t realize “The Giving Tree” was a song as well as a classic book.) Did I tell my Shel S. story recently? Remind me, later, after coffee. I’m not familiar with any of these songs, but they’re all okay. Standouts? “She Thinks I Can” and “Lovin’ You Anyway,” perhaps. Admittedly, the energy peters toward the end, or maybe I was so tired by coffee-time that I nodded off while drinking it and now it’s cold. Ever do that? The needle then made thousands of useless revolutions in no-man’s-land. Kids? If you buy a turntable, two words: Automatic Return. No credits whatsoever, so I’m compelled to use the Big I, as I’m curious. I didn’t presume “The Family” is the albinos in The Omega Man (1971). Not as easy as you’d think to get to the bottom of—this record is dying to have liner notes. Anyway, I got this much—besides Bobby we have Bobby Jr., Jeannie Bare, Chet A., Larrie, Bobby, Chip, Dave, Lloyd, Bill, Tommy, Joe, Randy, and Billy. Lot’s of Bobs and Bills—and I’m thrilled there’s a Randy. I don’t know who the more mature woman singer is, but she can sing. Did I say Bobby Bare can sing? He’s excellent. The hoards of singing kids isn’t my mug of Ovaltine, but it did remind me to encourage anyone reading this to look for the youtube video of Lee Hazlewood and a bunch of Swedish brats singing “(Let’s Take a Walk) Down Valhallavägen”—besides being twisted, it’s the absolute best thing on the entire internet.

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