Dixie Fried

Rolling Stone (12/12/02, p.96) - "...[Dickinson] leads a riot of crazed guitars, snake charmer clarinet and his own rib-joint piano through hymns of agony and ecstacy..." Uncut - "There's some kind of manic juju in the air through this set of songs -- it's hard to put your finger on it exactly, but it has the same reckless, careening energy of later, more sainted Dickinson productions like Chilton's 1979 solo set, LIKE FLIES ON SHERBERT." Mojo (Publisher) (3/01/04, p.54) - Included in Mojo's The 67 Lost Albums You Must Own! - "Part blues, part country, DIXIE FRIED presents and unapologetic white-boy vision of the south."

Veteran producer Jim Dickinson had been well-established as a trusted producer and sideman by the time he recorded an album of his own in 1972. Atlantic honcho Jerry Wexler had signed Dickinson and the Dixie Flyers, the label's house band for nearly all its soul recordings at the time, to record an album. Only Dickinson really felt up to it, and Dixie Fried was the result. Mixing blues, country, and unapologetic Southern boogie on nine tunes, Dickinson sounded something like a not-yet-formed Leon Russell or Dr. John (the latter of whom played on the album extensively). His wild, eclectic choice of songs makes for a mixed bag in the end. The sheer barrelhouse abandon of "Wine" is surpassed only by the New Orleans-style R&B of the title track, or the carnival-barker anthem "O How She Dances," a strange and fascinating precursor to Tom Waits' signature style. On Bob Dylan's "John Brown" Dickinson loses his way a bit, and his voice (at once hesitant and overzealous) trips him up in a number of places throughout. A gem to be sure, but one of a very rough cut indeed, and of course this factor may hold special appeal to some listeners. But understandably, Dickinson stuck to producing for awhile after this one. ~ John Duffy