Though it's barely half an hour long,
The Ultimate Moe & Joe compiles all the singles by one of the hottest country duos of the '80s into one absolutely outrageous, indispensable package that need not be one second longer.
Moe Bandy & Joe Stampley used a Hee Haw satire aesthetic and got some of the hottest country songwriters to pen redneck anthems for them -- including
Boudleaux Bryant with the duo's "Hey Joe (Hey Moe)" Cajun-dipped theme. It all began as a one-off with
Ray Baker,
Moe Bandy's producer, as the duo recorded a version of
Johnny Horton's "Honky Tonk Man," and the formula worked so well that the pair's albums and singles never left the Top Ten. They disbanded amicably and perform together on occasion to this day. Here is the evidence: the first honky tonk drag queen anthem, "Honky Tonk Queen,"
Ansley Fleetwood's "Just Good Ol' Boys," which blared out of frat house speakers all over the South and Texas in the '80s, and the amazing anthem "Let's Hear It for the Workin' Man," which George Bush would do well to listen to. In addition, "Country Boys" and "Holding the Bag" round out what is indeed a flawless collection.