A Little Bit Is Better Than Nada--Prime Cuts 1990-1996 (2-CD Set)

Pop music has seen its share of supergroups,

but none of them were (and are) as infectious,

buoyant and plain ol' fun as the Texas Tornados.

And make no mistake--the Tornados were a supergroup; in

fact, when it comes to roots and ethnic music, the pedigree of

the band was unmatched. Accordionist Flaco Jiménez is The

King of Conjunto Music, and has played with everybody from

the Rolling Stones to Buck Owens, while keyboardist Augie

Meyers basically is the Vox organ, having played it with the

Sir Douglas Quintet and on countless other releases by Bob Dylan, Tom

Waits, John Hammond...the list goes on. Freddy Fender was the rare Chicano artist to

achieve crossover pop success with a style that blended swamp pop, rockabilly, country, and

Tejano influences together with a beautiful, crooning vocal style, and Doug Sahm--well, Doug

Sahm was Doug Sahm, an American original if there ever was one, a one-man melting pot of

country, soul, Tejano and rock and roll. Together, these four legends cut four albums (or five,

if you count the Spanish-language version of their debut) for the Reprise label during the '90s

that were among the greatest roots-rock records ever made, a rollicking, utterly irresistible

body of music made for dancing, drinking, laughing, loving and living.

Now, Real Gone Music goes deep into the vaults to present the ultimate Texas Tornados

collection, a 2-CD, 39-track set that includes prime cuts from all of their albums--the

Spanish and English versions of their self-titled debut, plus Zone of Our Own, Hangin' On by a

Thread and 4 Aces--together with rarities and six otherwise unavailable sides including four

instrumentals and a Miller Lite beer spot! Among the non-album tracks are such Tornados

touchstones as "Una Mas Cerveza" and the Fender favorite "Wasted Days and Wasted

Nights," while the album sides are highlighted by "(Hey Baby) Que Paso," "Little Bit Is Better

Than Nada," "Who Were You Thinking Of," the Doug Sahm anthem "Is Anybody Goin' to San

Antone," and many more. Friend of the band Randy Poe has penned the notes based on a

fresh interview with Doug Sahm's son Shawn, latter-day leader of the Tornados and authority

on all things to do with his dad, while the photos come from the dim recesses of the Reprise

label archives. Remastered by Mike Milchner at SonicVision and assembled with love by

compiler Mike Johnson, A Little Bit Is Better Than Nada--Prime Cuts 1990-1996 is a long-

overdue look at a band that never stopped going strong.