As I understand it, The Return of Wayne Douglas is a CD that Doug Sahm was working on in the year prior to his death on November 18, 1999. This CD was given to me at the Mucky Duck on October 21 and for some reason I didn't listen to it until Clay and I, having completed the February/March band tour, were driving back from New York.
From the very first notes, we were pleasantly surprised. It's instantly recognizable as true Texas heart and soul. There's something very warm about the sound of this record, and there seems to have been a lot of spontaneity in the recording process.
I should go ahead and say that he covers "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" by Bob Dylan (as many of you know, Bob appeared on one of Doug's records in the early '70s, contributing an original tune called "Wallflower," which seemed oddly to me like an imitation of John Prine, and obviously didn't go unnoticed by Bob's son, Jakob). Doug's "Love Minus Zero" stands on its own. There are some really good original songs here as well, particularly "Beautiful Texas Sunshine" and "You Was for Real." Track 6, which is a cover of the Leon Payne song, "They'll Never Take Her Love from Me," is, I might say, devastating. It may be the best version I've ever heard of this sad, unique song, and that includes Hank Williams Sr. and the Coward Brothers.
Back with us on this posthumous release, Wayne Douglas makes a charming return.
Originally posted to SteveForbert.com in March 2001.
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