# County Fair 2000 > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/County_Fair_2000 > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/County_Fair_2000.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Fair_2000 > Source revision: 1290903444 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 1994 studio album by Phil Alvin County Fair 2000 Studio album by Phil Alvin Released 1994 Label HighTone Producer Phil Alvin Phil Alvin chronology Un "Sung Stories" (1986) County Fair 2000 (1994) Common Ground: Dave & Phil Alvin Play and Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy (2014) ***County Fair 2000*** is the second solo album by the American musician [Phil Alvin](/source/Phil_Alvin), released in 1994.[1][2] It arrived eight years after his solo debut, *[Un "Sung Stories"](/source/Un_%22Sung_Stories%22)*, and followed years Alvin devoted to mathematics work.[3][4] Alvin supported the album by touring with a [Dave Alvin](/source/Dave_Alvin)-less version of [the Blasters](/source/The_Blasters).[5] Alvin called the album "American minstrel music".[6] ## Production Alvin used the concept of a small-town midcentury county fair to tie together the album; he was primarily influenced by music from the 1920s to 1940s.[7][8] Members of his jazz side project, the Faultline Syncopators, contributed to the songs.[9] [Cesar Rosas](/source/Cesar_Rosas) played guitar on the album.[10] [Billy Boy Arnold](/source/Billy_Boy_Arnold) contributed on harmonica, the [Dirty Dozen Brass Band](/source/Dirty_Dozen_Brass_Band) on brass instruments.[11][12] [Fayard Nicholas](/source/Fayard_Nicholas) tapped out the rhythm to one of the songs.[13] "Ankh" is a cover of the [Sun Ra](/source/Sun_Ra) song.[14] ## Critical reception Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating AllMusic [10] Robert Christgau [15] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide [16] *[Trouser Press](/source/Trouser_Press)* wrote that "it's a marvel to hear such musty chapters from music's history books brought to robust modern life in the hands of such a well-versed scholar."[14] *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)* concluded: "Brilliant in patches; it's a pity Alvin's voice doesn't match his guitar work."[13] [NPR](/source/NPR) stated that "there's room in his melting pot for ragtime, doo-wop, country music, the blues, and lots more."[7] The *[St. Petersburg Times](/source/St._Petersburg_Times)* determined that, "while there is an understated attempt to preserve the musical forms, these fun-loving performances extend beyond the usual archivist or traditionalist boundaries."[17] The *[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)* noted that, "known for his high-voltage, larger-than-life delivery, Alvin shows a different dimension by playing it low-key throughout this album."[12] [AllMusic](/source/AllMusic) wrote that "*County Fair 2000* leaves no doubt that Phil Alvin is a premier musicologist, preserving and staying true to what he loves."[10] The *[Spin Alternative Record Guide](/source/Spin_Alternative_Record_Guide)* labeled Alvin the "West-Coast Buster Poindexter."[18] ## Track listing No. Title Length 1. "County Fair" 2. "Wreck Your V-8 Ford" 3. "The Blue Line" 4. "That Thing" 5. "Turnin' Blues into Gold" 6. "Starlight" 7. "Keep in Touch" 8. "What's the Reason I'm Not Pleasin' You" 9. "She Loves So Good" 10. "Callin' Corrine" 11. "The Terror" 12. "Oh, Doctor" 13. "Mr. Satellite Man" 14. "Low Down Rhythm" 15. "Danny Boy's Mourning Sunset: The Old Rugged Cross / Ankh / Didn't He Ramble" ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Morris, Chris (July 23, 1994). "Hightone Reissue Series Stands Testament to the Blues". *Billboard*. Vol. 106, no. 30. p. 60. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Sinclair, David (December 2, 199). "Still believe in yesterday?". Features. *The Times*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Wolff, Kurt (2000). *Country Music: The Rough Guide*. Rough Guides. p. 266. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Herndon, David (May 12, 1995). "Master Blaster Re-Forms Band". *Newsday*. p. B22. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** McVicker, Steve (February 9, 1995). ["Blasters Redux"](https://www.houstonpress.com/music/blasters-redux-6572440). *Houston Press*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Dickinson, Chris (March 17, 1995). "Explosive Rockabilly". Friday. *Chicago Tribune*. p. P. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-NPR_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-NPR_7-1) Weinstein, Ted (January 18, 1995). "Ted Weinstein Pays a Visit to 'County Fair 2000'". *All Things Considered*. NPR. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Shuster, Fred (January 27, 1995). "Playing by the Numbers". *Los Angeles Daily News*. p. L20. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Phil Alvin Biography by Jason Ankeny"](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/phil-alvin-mn0000333891/biography). *AllMusic*. Retrieved October 6, 2023. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-AM_10-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-AM_10-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-AM_10-2) ["County Fair 2000 Review by Al Campbell"](https://www.allmusic.com/album/county-fair-2000-mw0000123666). *AllMusic*. Retrieved October 6, 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** DeLuca, Dan (December 9, 1994). "Alvin all over the map, and worth finding". *Orange County Register*. Knight Ridder. p. P54. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-LA_12-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-LA_12-1) Boehm, Mike (March 23, 1995). "New Pick of the Week". OC Live. *Los Angeles Times*. p. 5. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-TG_13-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-TG_13-1) Denselow, Robin (January 20, 1995). "Phil Alvin County Fair 2000". *The Guardian*. p. T12. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-TP_14-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-TP_14-1) ["Phil Alvin"](https://trouserpress.com/reviews/phil-alvin/). *Trouser Press*. Retrieved October 6, 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-RC_15-0)** ["Phil Alvin"](https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Phil+Alvin). *Robert Christgau*. Retrieved October 6, 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-MH_16-0)** *MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide*. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 71. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Proplesch, Richard (February 10, 1995). "Phil Alvin, County Fair 2000". Weekend. *St. Petersburg Times*. p. 12. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** *Spin Alternative Record Guide*. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 48. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [County Fair 2000](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Fair_2000) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Fair_2000?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.