Doug Sahm: You're Doing It Too Hard

When the Sir Douglas Quintet broke up and Doug moved to Atlantic, Mercury records culled through a bunch of chaotic, mislabelled SDQ tapes from '68 and '69 and compiled the Rough Edges album, released in 1973. While presumably an attempt to cash in on the hypothetical success of his Atlantic debut Doug Sahm and Band, this is by far the better album. Everything you want in a Mercury-era Doug Sahm LP is here: fun rambling autobiographical self mythologizing, stoner philosophy, some blues, some country, outstandingly selected and performed cover songs, mumbled introductions, Lone Star Beer references, Augie Meyer. In "Dynamite Woman" there's even a hit.  Plus there's the out-and-out rocker "You're Doing It Too Hard". Songwise it's not much more than a jam - it sort of sounds like they're making it up in the studio as they go along. But performance wise it smokes, especially in the last minute when Doug stomps on the distortion and unleashes a wild chordal guitar solo.

You're Doing It Too Hard