Jimmie Dale Gilmore w/ Mudhoney – Buckskin Stallion Blues

If three and four was seven only
where would that leave one and two?
If love can be and still be lonely
where does that leave me and you?

When CB sent me this link… it was like listening to something I’ve heard all of my life but I haven’t… a very cool and inviting song and voice. The song Buckskin Stallion Blues was written by Townes Van Zandt.

Jimmie Dale Gilmore grew up in Lubbock, Texas, and moved to Austin in the 1960s. In the 1970s he joined forces with fellow musicians Joe Ely and Butch Hancock to form the influential country-folk band called The Flatlanders. The band was ahead of its time, blending traditional country music with rock and roll elements. They have been playing off and on since 1972…they have had 10 albums and the last one was released in 2021.

He released his solo debut album Fair & Square in 1988. His music has introspective lyrics, and a blend of country, folk, and rock influences. What I’ve heard is authenticity and depth. He has released 9 solo albums with his last one in 2018. But…there is more. He also acted in some movies…he was Smokey in The Big Lebowski and was Reverend Saunders in Parkland. He also has songs on soundtracks.

Mudhoney is a band out of Seattle in the early 90s. I have a friend who really likes them and I have heard some songs by them I really liked. They are often credited as pioneers of the grunge genre and were a prominent part of the Seattle music scene that eventually gave rise to bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden.

This collaboration was unlikely on paper but it worked! The joint EP Buckskin Stallion Blues was released in 1994. Allmusic labeled the style as Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Garage Punk, Grunge, Country-Folk, and Progressive Country. After listening to it I thought that was a fair assessment. The EP has 5 tracks…2 by Mudhoney alone and the other 3 by Gilmore and Mudhoney.

Buckskin Stallion Blues

heard her sing in tongues of silver
I heard her cry on a summer storm
I loved her, but she did not know it
So I don’t think about her anymore
Now she’s gone, and I can’t believe it
So I don’t think about her anymore

If three and four was seven only
Where would that leave one and two?
If love can be and still be lonely
Where does that leave me and you?
Time there was, and time there will be
Where does that leave me and you?

If I had a buckskin stallion
I’d tame him down and ride away.
If I had a flyin’ schooner
I’d sail into the light of day
If I had your love forever
Sail into the light of day

Pretty songs and pretty places
Places that I’ve never seen
Pretty songs and pretty faces
Tell me what their laughter means
Some look like they’ll cry forever
Tell me what their laughter means.

If I had a buckskin stallion
I’d tame him down and ride away.
If I had a golden galleon
I’d sail into the light of day
If I had your love forever
Sail into the light of day

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

36 thoughts on “Jimmie Dale Gilmore w/ Mudhoney – Buckskin Stallion Blues”

  5. Just listening to this EP as I type. Jimmie doing Mudhoney’s ‘Blinding Sun’. So good. Yeah Jimmie can get in your skin and it sounds like he’s got into yours. I grabbed his first solo when he released it and have never looked back. This collaboration was out of left field but it worked. The Flatlanders were and are a different bunch. Joe worked with the Clash and Butch with Richard Lloyd from Television. Gilmore’s vocals have a haunting feel and others stuff coming through. Love the guy.

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    1. I struck by his voice right off the bat dude. Then I found out how multitalented he is…I listened to the EP and some of both on their own.
      I also like what I heard from the Flatlanders…again in that Texas bubble there is a lot of talent…to spare.

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      1. When I first got into Ely, the song credits led me to Hancock and Gilmore. Finding a Flatlanders record back then was hard but I was successful.
        Max here’s the first cut I heard Jimmie on. The first Flatlander song I heard. Like you I was instantly taken in. Like I said before the song and music chose me. Apologize for clogging up your take but I’m still on topic.

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      2. I like that CB….it has some of the country Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, and regular country in it. They mashed it all really well. I heard some last night but not this one…and I loved it.
        I read where their first album didn’t get released wide scale until the 90s I believe.

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      4. I do like that sound as well…I had a buddy who could do that…it was better than a electronic sound.

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  10. kick.ass Townes is the master lyricist. He knows just how to tune into the secrets of the soul.
    “If I had your love forever
    Sail into the light of day”
    And he means it.
    The collaboration works is right. They give just enough twang and the singer honors Townes in the way he sings it. Love it!

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