Title:  Travis Wammack
Company: Fame
Catalog: FAS-1801
Year: 1972
Country/State: Walnut, Mississippi
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: radio station copy;
WAMV' written in ballpoint pen once on front; three times on back; two stickers on cover; cut top right corner

By 1969 Wammack was on the Fame Records payroll as a full time sessions player adding his guitar to scores of pop, rock and soul albums recorded in Muscle Shoals. In 1972 Wamack was given a chance to record a solo album. Produced by Hall, the cleverly-titled "Travis Wammack" proved surprising on a number of fronts. 1.) For a guy known for his speed-of-light fret work, Wammack had a great voice. Quite versatile, he was one of those guys with an almost chameleon-like ability to adapt his voice to virtually any genre. As a result he was equally adept at a pretty ballad like Cat Steven's 'How Can I tell You', or a crushing rocker such as 'Be Good'. 2.) I'm usually skeptical of cover album, but for a non-writer Wammack showed excellent, if eclectic tastes across these ten tracks. 3.) You can't ignore his guitar. The fact of the matter is that Wammack may well be one of America's most overlooked rock guitarists. Even though he seems to have made a concious decision to downplay his playing, what was on display was pretty amazing - anyone doubting his chops need only check out his performance on the James Gang's 'Funk # 49'.

- Co-written by Joey Levine 'Be Good' was a bubblegum rock song given a true hard rock arrangement. It may not have sounded like a great concept, but Wammack managed to make it work with a great raw vocal (love the way he stretched out the phrase 'your love is so fine') and a fantastic solo. Easy to see why Fame tapped it as a single. rating: **** stars
- I've never been a big Cat Stevens fan, but I have to give Wammack credit for making me change my mind via his cover of 'How Can I Tell You'. Simply a beautiful song with a simple, but stunning acoustic arrangement (the simply guitar figure he played was nothing less than mesmerizing), This was also one of the few songs I've heard where I actually liked the pedal steel guitar arrangement. rating: **** stars
- 'Put On Your Shoes And Walk' was the kind of country-soul story-teller song that someone like Clarence Carter, or Joe Tex would have loved to have recorded. Surprisingly funky, it had a beat that drilled into your head and wouldn't let go. Not only that, but it had a great lyric that should have won Wammack loads of admirers within the ranks of feminsts. rating: **** stars
- It may sound like a strange comparison, but 'You Better Move On' was a smooth, tortured slice of soul with a jazzy flavor that sounded like something Marvin Gaye might have written and recorded during his mid-1970s prime. Not to take anything away from Wammack, but whoever provided the bass (not sure if it was Joe Hamilton, or Lenny LeBlanc) deserved special kudos for their killer contribution to the tune. rating: **** stars
- The album's first disappointment, it wasn't that I didn't like Wammack's cover of The James Gang's 'Funky $49', rather he really didn't mess with the song all that much - adding a hamronica solo to the song wasn't a significant enhancement. I will give the song an extra star for sporting an amazing fuzz solo ... rating: *** stars
- I'm not even sure how to begin to describe Wammack's cover of 'You Are My Sunshine'. It isn't really bluesy. It isn't really jazzy. It isn't really soul. It's a bizarre but fully engaging mixture of all of those genres and more. Anyone know if he was playing a voicebox effect on the guitar? Fantastic song. rating: **** stars
- Anyone who doubted a white guy could sing real soul only needs to check out 'Whatever Turns You On'. Play this for ten people and I guarantee you nine will think it was some old blues or soul guy .... rating: **** stars
- While I found Wammack's ragged vocal really interesting and liked the Herb Albert and the Tijuana Horns styled trumpets, overall 'Darling You're All That I Had' didn't do a great deal for me. On someone else's album it probably would have been a standout performance. Here it was an also-ran. rating: ** stars
- Kicked along by some great fuzz guitar, Wammack's cover of 'Slip Away' was a magical performance. Commercial beyond belief, you had to wonder how Fame overlooked it as a single (it ended up on the 'B' side of 'Whatever Turns You On'). rating: **** stars
- The album's most commercial and radio-ready track, 'I Don't Really Want You' had everything you would have looked for in a top-40 single - great melody, killer hook, slashing fuzz guitar that would have made Clapton proud, and an amazing vocal. I hummed this one for a solid week the first time I heard it. My favorite performance on the album. rating: ***** stars

Elsewhere the album was tapped for a couple of singles:


- 1972's 'Whatever Turns You On' b/w 'Slip Away' (Fame catalog number 91001) # 93 pop
- 1972's 'So Good' b/w 'How Can I Tell You' (Fame catalog number 91007)
- 1972's 'How Can I Tell You' b/w 'So Goody' (Fame catalog number 91008)

I know I have a tendency to over-rate many album, but I have to tell you this was one of the biggest surprises of the year.

"Travis Wammack" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Be Good (Joey Levine - J. Carroll) - 3:52
2.) How Can I Tell You (Cat Stevens) - 4:29
3.) Put On Your Shoes And Walk (C. Williams - J.R. Baily) - 2:43
4.) You Better Move On (A. Alexander) - 3:19
5.) Funk #49 (Jim Fox - D. Peters - Joe Walsh) - 4:05
(side 2)
1.) You Are My Sunshine (J. Davis - C. Mitchell) - 4:09
2.) Whatever Turns You On (George Jackson - B. Moore) - 3:10
3.) Darling You're All That I Had (R. Carter - J. Betis) - 3:54
4.) Slip Away (W. Terrell - W. Armstrong) - 2:50
5.) I Don't Really Want You (D. Linde) - 3:09