Album Notes

From out of the South Carolina swamps comes folk artist and home recording legend Charlie McAlister. Charlie’s unique brand of homemade lo-fi Psycho Dixie music, released on innumerable self-produced cassettes, has inspired hordes of 4-track enthusiasts since his debut in the mid 80’s. With banjo, toy drums, broken guitars, TV samples and kitchenware, McAlister delivers instantly-catchy songs and sound collage that fall somewhere between Woody Guthrie and Andre Breton. Finally, the bizarre, yet charming work of this crazed backwoods genius is available on CD Baby.

I Haven’t Any Sea Legs is a digital reissue of a classic 1993 cassette release, one of the very best of Charlie’s early period. It’s one of his lesser known recordings, never as well distributed as Suburban Beach Town or Mississippi Luau, an injustice this reissue hopes to correct. Sea Legs features McAlister at his catchiest, with bouncing banjo and guitar riffs supporting beautifully crafted songs. Charlie covers many of the themes he’s known and loved for: escape from the city, springtime, the Old West, heartbreak, Southern locales, the lure of the sea, and the destruction of modern civilization – all delivered with his signature sound. There’s a variety of instruments and colors, a well-rounded sound typical of recordings made in The Fire Ant Mound, Charlie’s former home recording studio in Mt. Pleasant, SC.

Also included is a reproduction of the lyrics booklet from the original cassette release, complete with Charlie’s illustrations.