The Reverend Horton Heat
[#] Smoke 'em if You Got 'em (1990)
Twisted twang for the less fine things in life.
Reviewed November 17, 2025
What's it say when your record's less twisted moments still tell of dwarf rodeos and butchering cows, complete with the details of removing their eyeballs? You might just be listening to Smoke 'em if You Got 'em, The Reverend Horton Heat's mighty fine 1990 debut. Recorded live in the studio, supposedly to two-track (I think that's apocryphal, given the existence of stems for "Psychobilly Freakout"), the Rev and his rhythm section Jimbo Wallace and Taz Bentley combine the speed of classic punk, the twang of classic country, and the grease from a pound of bacon into something wickedly fun. A few less distinguished tracks keep the band from their full potential here, but they don't ruin the thrill.
Vocally, Heat moves between a honky-tonk croon, a foreboding baritone, and a high-pitched snarl to tell of women just as twisted as he is, tiny horses for the vertically inept, and, y'know, steak. A good number of these tracks ("Bullet", "Psychobilly Freakout", "Marijuana") are effectively instrumental, which works out, as the upright basses and hollow-body guitar shredding fill up more space and evoke more chaos than the vocals do. It's not bulletproof—not necessarily a knock against it, but "Bad Reputation" is Brian Setzer by any other name, and ""D" for Dangerous" should really be called ""F" for Filler" instead. These guys deliver their cravings for women (sexually or nutritionally, your choice) with enough gusto that you forgive the odd misstep anyway.
| Essential: | "Bad Reputation", "Psychobilly Freakout", "Eat Steak" |
|---|---|
| Quintessential: | "Marijuana" |
| Non-Essential: | ""D" for Dangerous" |
| Rating: |  |
| Further listening: | Download from the Reverend Horton Heat's Bandcamp |