Look At the Caveman Go!

In many ways, Hasil Adkins was a perfect candidate for concert recordings. His home recordings were so lo-fi that concert tapes, no matter how sloppy, could only be a step up. More importantly, Adkins’ style was tailored to please sweaty, tightly packed nightclubs. The dingier, the rowdier: all the better. Look at That Caveman Go! was recorded at various venues following Adkins’ rediscovery and reintroduction to the touring circuit while in his 50s. The emphasis here is on his dance songs: "Good Golly Miss Molly,” “Boo Boo the Car,” “Let’s Do Like We Done,” “Shake That Thing,” and of course, “Chicken Walk,” with its instructional dance (“Push in, push out, push in, push out”). Adkins’ caveman drumbeats, itchy guitar work, and arsenal of vocal shrieks are fueled by the club audiences, whose faces we're left to imagine. (The crowd on “She Goes Like This” probably wins the award for most raucous.) Amid the gutbucket revelry, don’t miss “My Blue Star,” a heartfelt original that lets Hasil’s lovelorn heart shine proudly for all the audience to see.