Down On The Drag ; Live Shots (1980)

"Reissue label BGO does an excellent job on this grand two-fer featuring thoroughly remastered versions of two of Ely's finest. The first, 1979's "Down On the Drag", was among Ely's most underrated at the time, but remains among the most enduring in his catalog. There are 4 stellar Butch Hancock numbers, incl. "Standing at the Big Hotel," "Fools Fall in Love," and the title track. The set also includes some Ely gems, in "Crazy Lemon," "She Leaves You Where You Are," and "Maria." "Live Shots" is one of the finest live records to ever come out of Texas -- perhaps because it was recorded in the UK while Ely and band were on tour opening for The Clash in 1979. He had something to prove to the punters, and he dealt it hot, hard and fast. From the Jerry Lee Lewis-esque opener "Fingernails" and the swaggering rockabilly of "Annie's Been Workin On The Midnight Shift" to the hard Texas country of "Honky Tonk Masquerade," a rockin' cover of Hank Williams' "Honky Tonkin', it's all killer no filler." (T. Jurek, Allmusic)