This is arguably the best album from this long-running Grateful Dead spin-off band; the songs are consistently strong, and, within their country-rock format, surprisingly varied. The playing, particularly by steel guitar wiz Buddy Cage, is more focused than ever, perhaps due to the presence of veteran country producer Norbert Putnam at the helm.
Highlights include the cleverly self-mythologizing title song, the very funny "Lonesome L.A. Cowboy," which chronicles the group's bemused encounter with the nascent glam-rock culture, and the ironically upbeat cry-in-your-beer anthem "Teardrops in My Eyes." Long time fans will be pleased to learn that the CD booklet includes the "Panama Red" comic strip that graced the original album's back cover.
