Let It Bleed
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $17.98
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Editorial Review

One of the Stones' most beloved albums, 1969's Let It Bleed was a benchmark for several reasons. First, founding guitarist Brian Jones died during the recording process. Second, the Stones take their last significant look at pure blues (Robert Johnson's spooky "Love in Vain") and country ("Country Honk," the two-stepping alter ego of "Honky-Tonk Women") before folding both styles into a cohesive rock & roll vision. Third, it contains some of the band's most eerie hits, such as the flame-enveloped "Gimme Shelter," the drug-reality anthem "Monkey Man," the epic "You Can't Always Get What You Want," and Mick Jagger's menacing "Midnight Rambler." --Steve Knopper ... Read more

Reviews (129)

An Absolute Masterpiece
I am going through a period where I am very obsessed with everything The World's Greatest RockNRoll Band did, I checked out their albums like "Exile on the Main street" Which is thier best. But "Let it bleed" is not far behind. The album has Two of the greatest rock songs ever recorded, "Gimmie Shelter" and "You Can't always Get what want" are Unreal; two of rock's all-time greatest tunes. But those are only Two songs; "let it Bleed" has Seven more Equally great songs. The title track is one of my favorite Rolling stones songs and "You Got The Silver" is one of their best Love songs. Overall "Let it Bleed" is one the Stones Top Three Albums and one of Rock's all Time great albums.

Stones very, very best album.
This is really the first album I ever remember seeing. My German uncles' and cousins' had it when I was Army Brat growing up in Germany 35 years ago. I had a C2 fx in amotorcycle accident in 1980 and having these tunes running through my head made me realize how wonderful life is and truly strengthend my will to live after the emergency room docsgave me less than a 1 % chance to survive. I remember being pumped full of morphine in the hospital and having the tune "Monkey Man" going through my head. "You cant always get what you want" helped comfort me after my right arm was permanently paralyzed in that wreck. This truly is a very personal album for me and a personal review, but I'll go ahead and post it. Face it, if you love the Stones I'm not telling you anything you don't know already about the quality of these tunes. I'll never tire listening to this and "Sticky Fingers".

Classic stones
They were the best rock & roll band ever. And this is my favorite of all of their greats. Lay back and listen to truly great album. Gimme Shelter has the most haunting guitar intro ever. ... Read more

Asin: B000003BF1
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

London Calling
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 January, 2000)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Editorial Review

Bursting at the seams with creative energy, the Clash's stunning 1979 double album more than made up for the artistic and commercial disappointment of its predecessor, 1978's tried-too-hard Give 'Em Enough Rope. With ex-Mott the Hoople producer Guy Stevens harnessing their sound as never before, the band yielded what proved to be the best work of their career. Bouncing from hard rock (the apocalyptic vision of the title track) to rockabilly ("Brand New Cadillac") to reggae ("Rudy Can't Fail") topop (the Top 40 hit "Train in Vain"), the Clash knocked down all musical walls and, in the process, ended the argument over punk's viability in the U.S. --Billy Altman ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (349)

Amazing album from Strummer and company.
I really love this album. I got into the Clash because a former friend of mine is a Clash fan. Strummer and Jones are amazing, gifted and talented. RIP Joe Strummer. Paul Simonon's Guns of Brixton was stuck in my head for days. I am truly a Clash fan now. I got the album for Christmas and I've been listening to it since. I heard that their other albums weren't as good. Eventually I will get some more Clash albums.

One of the best
The Clash is one of the best punk bands from the older days.

Awesome album, crappy remaster
I replaced my original release cd with this remaster and gave away my original to a friend.Tragically, some dope in the control room, as well as every subsequent jerk at the record label, did not hear the damage done to the elevator bell in the beginning of Koka Kola.

How can it be that the best album ever by the best band ever be treated like this?Later, a new remaster was released as a double cd with other material never before available.Did they fix the problem from the first remaster???NO.

I can't tell you not to buy it if you don't own it because it is a must have for any cd collection to be complete, but write a letter to the jerks at the record label and demand more respect for the Clash!!!

Major labels complain about how much money they are loosing to piraters, etc, then they release material without any apparent quality control.Tell Rod Rooter this is not acceptable! ... Read more

Asin: B00004BZ0N
Subjects:  1. Britain    2. British Punk    3. England    4. Hard Rock    5. New Wave    6. Pop    7. Punk    8. Punk/New Wave    9. Rock    10. Rock & Roll   

Rain Dogs
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (15 June, 1990)
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Editorial Review

The middle album of the trilogy that includes Swordfishtrombones and Franks Wild Years, Rain Dogs is Waits's best overall effort. The songs are first-rate, and there are a lot of them--19 in all, ranging from grim nightlife memoirs ("9th and Hennepin," "Singapore") to portraits of small-time hustlers ("Gun Street Girl," "Union Square") to bursts of street-corner philosophy ("Blind Love," "Time"). The album also contains the original version of "Downtown Train," which Rod Stewart turned into a smash hit. The image of "rain dogs"--animals who've lost their way home because the rain has washed away their scent--is an appropriate symbol for the entire cast of characters Waits has brought to life over the years, and this album has thus far proved to be his most enduring effort. --Daniel Durchholz ... Read more

Reviews (102)

One of his best
Though not quite as brilliant as Bone Machine (but then, what is?), Rain Dogs is yet another fantastic album from the one and only Tom Waits. Its one of his 80s albums, meaning that experimental/avant-garde is added to the already eclectic mix that made up his 70s pre-Swordfishtrombones albums.

Uncompromising in its sparse, experimental instrumentation, Rain Dogs is nonetheless very listenable for those who know what to expect. That's the beauty of Waits - unlike a lot of experimental artists (who still make great music, mind) he doesn't exchange listenability for experimentation.

The music itself is full of variety. Dark, eerie and sparse to loud, bluesy rock, every one of these 19 songs has its own character. Wait's vocals are equally diverse, be it his calm cool bluesy voices, his aggressive growl or his delicate, drunken crooning. As always, the lyrics he's singing are always poetic and full of character which only add to the atmosphere of the song (bearing in kind that the atmosphere changes from song to song).

Ah, sod it. There's already 100 other reviews for this album that praise it and describe it (many of which have done better jobs than me), so I'll just end with this: Tom Waits is one of the finest singers, lyricists and songwriters of the twntieth century and Rain Dogs is one of the strongest albums that proves it. If you like anything about Waits, you'll at least appreciate Rain Dogs. Personally, I love it.

Get it.Its worth it.But it's still overrated.
This album is a landmark in the world of music.You'll find little else like Tom Wait's more experimental side.Rain Dogs is a fantastic introduction to Tom Waits because it provides a fairly thorough taste of Waits' various sounds.

There are so many valuable elements to this album.The instrumentation varies from simply appropriate to utter genius.Only on the songs most similiar to Waits' earlier work have unsurprising or unengaging instrumentation and while elsewhere these songs would drag down a record, on Rain Dogs they simply contribute to its variety and flexibility.Soft tribal drums and brooding stand-up bass thumb behind clinking marimbas and Tom's raspy urban tale in "Clap Hands".A bluesy banjo riff is peppered with abrupt drum hits and a railroad clang in "Gunstreet Girl".A muffled jazz guitar blends magnificently with a funk groove in "Walking Spanish."A drunken piano cascades into a familiar New Orleans weeper colored with a woeful trombone in "Tango till their Sore.This is excitingly different music.

Another element of excellence in this album is Tom Waits' lyrics and poetry.The title track roams around the streets with society's delinquents; the "rain dogs" who can't find their way home after the rain washes away the trail."Walking Spanish" savagely speak-sings the gospel of death row finishing with the courageous line "Tip your hat up to the pilot/Take off your watch your rings and all/Even Jesus wanted just a little more time/When he was walking spanish down the hall.""Time" is a gentle lullaby of quiet desperation.For some reason the line "Its raining hammers its raining nails/and the rain sounds like a round of applause" defines Tom's point: when you're at the bottom, the world and all its abrasive sensations become much more obvious and much more real.

So why only four stars?Its just not the best.Rain Dogs is a great album and is certainly worth picking up.Just don't listen when people tell you it will be the best record you'll ever buy.It won't.The best may be a Tom Waits album but it won't be this one.The songs are brilliant and unforgetable but they get old with heavy listening.The album is long and sometimes very inconsistent in production and mood.The album's less remarkable (but still good) tracks such as "Union Square" and "9th & Hennapin" slow down the album.Its great all around.But Waits' has albums that are significantly more coherent and well constructed.The other reason is that while it has its benefits, the different types of songs on this album shortchange whole sections of Waits' repetoire.There are great creepy polkas on Rain Dogs but their are more affecting ones on Blood Money.There are great ballads on Rain Dogs, but Small Change and Alice dive deeper into Waits' sadder side.

So what should you do?Buy it.But don't take it as definitive Tom Waits and don't take it as a masterpiece.Its just damn good music that shouldn't be overlooked.

Excellent.
This album is to Tom Waits what the White Album is to the Beatles. If you like Waits' music at all, you should hear this brilliant album. ... Read more

Asin: B000001FFJ
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. College Rock    3. Experimental Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Singer/Songwriter    7. United States of America   

I Feel Alright
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (05 March, 1996)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Editorial Review

A little bit country, a little bit rock & roll, Steve Earle has bounced between those extremes for years, producing great albums of nearly-straight country and totally-hard rock. On I Feel Alright, though, Earle finally finds a way to blend the styles seamlessly. Whether begging for a forgiveness he probably doesn't deserve on the deceptively sweet "Valentine's Day," or steadfastly refusing even the idea of forgiveness on the Stonesy "Unrepentant," Earle rocks and twangs in equal measure--and never more thrillingly than on "You're Still Standing There," his grateful duet with Lucinda Williams. Earle's best work, at least so far. --David Cantwell ... Read more

Reviews (33)

THANK YOU STEVE EARLE
Steve's done a lot of great music but this one gets almost daily play by me--if you only own one Steve Earle CD this is the one (but if you are smart, you at least own Jerusalem as well...)

People who don't listen to Steve because they listened to some right wing media spin doctor distort his political views and misquote his songs are missing out on a great talent and are blindly following others as misinformed as they are....

Thanks Steve for the great music

A must have
This CD sounds as good as a CD can sound - The music jumps out of the speakers as if it were a needle hitting the record - A great collection of songs, some of the best of Earle's second career but one of the best sounding (if not the best)CD I have ever heard - a great CD all around

I'm sure it's good but
...I'll never buy another CD from the ultra-left wing, politically abrasive, wonderfully talented Steve Earle.If he wants to appease Saddam Hussein by agreeing in principle with the appeasers on the "Not in My Name Crowd," then he has lost my longtime appreciation for his talent.It's a matter of principle. ... Read more

Asin: B000002N61
Subjects:  1. Country-Rock    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. Singer/Songwriter   

Frisco Mabel Joy
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (21 November, 2000)
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Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (8)

The world will little note...
what I say here about Mickey Newbury and this album - "'Frisco
Mabel Joy."But, if you listen to the songs on this CD, you will surely be as taken as I was with his haunting lyrics and voice.I saw Mickey on TV many years ago and hadn't thought any more of him 'til I heard Waylon Jennings sing "San Francisco Mabel Joy" and happened to notice who wrote it.I'm glad I did because it has opened up a new and wonderful world of the kind of music I enjoy-country ballads.I was surprised to find it on CD and with the addition of "San Francisco Mabel
Joy." It wasn't on the original album.I have since found that most of his albums have been re-issued on CD.I've also pur-
chased the "Harlequin Melodies" CD.It's also a great album, but 'Frisco is my personal favorite.

God Bless Mickey Newbury
Simply one of the greatest albums ever recorded. I first heard Mickey on a jukebox in a small PX/snack bar in the basement of the Army hospital (Nuremberg, West Germany)where I was stationed at the time. The song was "American Trilogy", and a solitary figure was sitting at a table, head down, listening intently. After the song was over I talked to this fella, who, from that moment on became my friend. From that moment, I became a Mickey Newbury fan. That was over 30 years ago. That moment sticks with like it was yesterday.

Like many of the other reviewers, it was an album I wore out. The music is just that enchanting. His voice is haunting. His lyrics melancholy.

I just learned today that he had passed away two years ago. Oh, we live in a busy world! Thankfully, I had the pleasure of seeing him perform live at UCLA (someone who reviewed another album was at the same concert)in the mid-70s and even saw him in the foyer before the show.

This is more a lament than a review, so judge it as such. But, if you have never heard the music of this magnificent man, this is a great place to start.

God Bless you, Mickey. Thanks for the music!

Wow...A Country Concept Album!
I recently bought this album from Amazon after reading so many shining reviews, and knowing how hard it is to find in stock anywhere. This record is full of beautifully written and beautifully sung songs that flow together like a well written movie. I really like the sound of falling rain in between some of the songs, and by the way there's not a mediocre song on the disc. If you buy the disc, don't forget to listen to track 12(San Francisco Mabel Joy),It's not listed anywhere on the cover. The cover/booklet is the only bad thing about this album, it needs a remastering as well. Overall, I am extremely satisfied with this CD from the Late, Great...Mickey Newbury. ... Read more

Asin: B000053W7U
Sales Rank: 10462
Subjects:  1. Bluegrass    2. Folk & Traditional    3. Honky Tonk    4. Outlaw Country    5. Pop    6. Progressive Country    7. Singer/Songwriter    8. Songwriter    9. Traditional Country   

Rear View Mirror
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (21 January, 1997)
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Editorial Review

Rear View Mirror is one of the first two titles in a live-and-obscure series Sugar Hill began preparing prior to the great folksinger's death. Originally given limited release in 1993, it provides an overview of the songwriter's career, reaching back frequently to his most productive period, 1968-72. Backed by second guitarist Danny Rowland and fiddler Owen Cody, Van Zandt works his way through tunes he'd performed hundreds--perhaps thousands--of times in coffeehouses and clubs from Arkansas to Australia. He does so, however, with enduring verve and veracity.--Steven Stolder ... Read more

Reviews (15)

For the sake of the song!
I rarely write reviews of music but feel that I must share my impressions of this CD.I have long heard some of my favorite singers praise the songwriting prowess of Townes but somehow never got around to buying one of his records.I finally picked this one up because it had two songs that were covered by two of my favorite singers--Lyle Lovett-"Lungs" (among others) and Steve Earle-"Tecumseh Valley".I was blown away by the sheer beauty and poetry of every song on this recording.Other reviewers seem to be comparing this to other Townes' records.I come from a different angle.As someone who has long heard Townes sopken of with the highest praise, I can say this disk does not disappoint and will influence me to fill out my collection of his recordings.I will also say that I am deeply frustrated that I never took advantage of the chance to see Townes perform while he was alive.

Perhaps his best disk
As a longtime fan, I own most of Townes Van Zant's cd's.This one is my favorite, the one I listen to over and over.If you're reading this, you should just buy it.

A great overview of a great songwriter....
One of the greatest...Steve Earle once said something like ""TOWNES VAN ZANDT is the best songwriter in the whole world, and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that." I agree... ... Read more

Asin: B000000EXO
Subjects:  1. Folk & Traditional    2. Pop    3. Progressive Country    4. Singer/Songwriter   

Rediscovered
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (11 August, 1998)
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Editorial Review

John Hurt's playful country blues was first heard in the late 1920s, when herecorded a handful of poorly selling sides for Okeh Records. It wasn't until hisrediscovery during the 1960s folk revival that his remarkable talent was fully appreciated.Hurt's rediscovery only lasted a few years--he died in 1966--but his legacy, preserved onseveral albums recorded for Vanguard during that period, is indeed daunting. Hurt'sintricate fingerpicking style--evidenced here on popular pieces like "Make Me a Pallet onYour Floor," "Richland Women Blues," "Salty Dog Blues," and "Candy Man"--went onto influence a generation of urban folk and blues artists. His music remains a sweetreminder of the pre-depression-era ragtime blues of which he was a humble and subtlemaster. --Billy Altman ... Read more

Reviews (3)

John is my friend
This is my favorite feel-good sing-along album.There is not a bad vibe in this guy's being, as far as I can tell.The songs are all great, John's voice is warm and rounded, his guitar picking is a treat, it's just goodness all around and I dig it.There's nobody else out there like this (if there is, please let me know!).

This is the blues
Mississippi John Hurt is raw blues. Only he and his guitar star in most of the songs on Rediscovered and the two of them make for an incredible listening experience. Each song has meat to it-- stories that will hold your attention, make you smile and make you relax. Put this CD on, grab some iced tea, go out on the porch with a book and take it easy.

A Great Talent
John Hurt is the only musician I know of who can, on one guitar, simultaneously play a bassline, chords, and a melody, and sing at the same time! You may think the best guitar player is Jimi Hendrix or Stevie RayVaughan, but I disagree. They were fast, but Hurt is a true guitar master."Coffee Blues," "Pallet on Your Floor," "MondayMorning Blues," and "StaggoLee" are fantastic songs, greatfor summer driving and to sing along with. ... Read more

Asin: B000009NLR
Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Country Blues    4. Pop   

Elementary Doctor Watson/Then & Now
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 March, 1997)
list price: $13.98
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Reviews (1)

The Best of the Best.
I first listened to Doc and Merle Watson 25 years ago in college. I lost my old albums and cassettesand lost Doc Watson as well. I was surfing through Amazon.com and ran across Doc and Merle. I ordered this CD and itimmediately sent me back 25 years.The CD is a two album set. The firstalbumElementary Doc Watson.That was the album that took me back. It isliterally fantastic and cannot be surpassed.I was ready to turn off theCD player when to my surprise, the second "album" started.It isjust as good as "Elementary".The CD concludes with 3 fantasticsongs. "If I Needed You". This song will remind you of whateversweetheart you hold dear. I was working on a building project and literallyreplayed that song 20 times over and over again. The next song to look foris "Meet Me Somewhere in Your Dreams." It is similar to "IfI Needed You" and again, you'll be thinking of your sweetheart. Thelast song is "Old Camp Meet Time." This is an old revival songand you'll be clapping your hands and repeating the chorus after one timethrough.Buy it! You can't lose. ... Read more

Asin: B00000093I
Sales Rank: 142378
Subjects:  1. Bluegrass    2. Country    3. Old-Timey    4. Pop    5. Traditional Country    6. Traditional Folk   

Bring the Family
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Editorial Review

Even John Hiatt's most ardent fans weren't ready for this masterpiece to be dropped in their laps in 1987. Hiatt had spent most of the 70's and 80's playing pick-a-style, bouncing from southern country rock to Elvis Costello redux and back again. With Family, though, he pared away every bit of excess and delivered his best set of songs with the understated, impossibly tasteful backing of Nick Lowe on bass, Ry Cooder on guitar and Jim Keltner on drums. Hiatt's sober, uncompromising examination of his previously drunken life was breathtaking; producing instant classics in "Have a Little Faith in Me" and "Thing Called Love." Family remains a landmark of adult album rock. --Michael Ruby ... Read more

Reviews (21)

One irreplaceable track
The rest of the album is fine, good, entertaining ("Memphis in the Meantime"), lovely ("Lipstick Sunset").

But "Have a Little Faith in Me" is one of my two or three favorite cuts by anyone, ever, period.

Wny?Two things.First, there's the combination of Hiatt's rhythmic, measured, controlled solo piano with his emotional, sandpapery, soul- and gospel-flavored pleading vocal.

But second, and more importantly, there's a big emotional wallop in what I see as the ambiguity of the lyrics.This is on its face a romantic song -- a man pleading to someone (addressed only once, as "girl") to have faith in him.But change that one word, and listen to the lyric thinking of the singer as God addressing someone.It works, totally.

However you want to imagine the singer, this cut is deeply satisfying.

John Hiatt Sings For Adults
I have listened to this album at least 500 times since it was released, and I have never tired of it. John Hiatt's warmth, humanity and sense of humor shine in every track on this album. A John Hiatt record captivates on many levels. You can appreciate his lyrics, delivered with warmth and wit. You can appreciate the music, not a misplaced note,everything fits perfectly and works! You can appreciate the production and the sound. Of all his albums,and I have and listen to all of them, Bring the Family is my favorite. If you still spin vinyl,and your stereo is good enough,find the Mobile Fidelity version on LP. It sounds WAY better than the CD.

BUY THIS CD!!!!!
I recently saw John in concert for the eighth time and I cannot believe this man is not more popular.This is his greatest CD and one of the best of all time.Buy it.There isn't a bad song on the entire CD- Memphis in the meantime, thing called love, your dad did, lipstick sunset, tip of my tongue, have a little faith - do yourself a favor, buy this CD.You won't regret it.Trust me. ... Read more

Asin: B000002GHH
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

The Ultimate Collection
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 June, 1999)
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Reviews (10)

It Is the ULTIMATE COLLECTION
I love this albumn! I bought if for my husband (who is far from [anti-women]), he's a big fan of Delbert McClinton and Bonnie Raitt. I had never even heard of Delbert or Bonnie until I met my husband.I'm just glad he introduced me to a genere of music I have come to love and appreiciate. There is nothing any more [anti-women]),about Delbert McClinton than any other music genere. If you don't like it don't listen but, obviously someone isn't appreciating these songs as a whole, the beat and rhythm is awesome.I can't listen to this album and just sit still . My house cleaning gets done when I put this album on, it just makes you want to get up and move. My favorite song on the collection is Love Rustler!I'd like to think at some point in my younger days I may have been someones secret Love Rustler. ;)I personally think Delbert is giving nothing but a big compliment to women and I for one take it as such.

Another Iowa music lover
Alas, there are a vast minority of Iowans who cannot see the artistic value in Delbert's music.I manage to see him atleast every other year, live.His mix of "roadhouse blues/country" is just part of the inspiration behind his lyrics. Anyone listening to his music, live or on CD, that is not either dancing in the aisles or tapping their toes, should be at home listening to rap or watching reruns of Lawrence Welk on TV. A big Texas "hats off" to you Delbert!

Hello?
For the cornpone "Iowa fan"...you must have listened to some album other than the one I did.Imus?Who's that? Delbert's a national treasure! ... Read more

Asin: B00000J7R3
Sales Rank: 46069
Subjects:  1. Blues-Rock    2. Country-Rock    3. Modern Electric Blues    4. Pop    5. Progressive Country    6. Rock    7. Roots Rock   

One Fair Summer Evening
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $9.98 -- our price: $9.98
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Editorial Review

Nanci Griffith first built her audience through intimate, well-timed, and energetic concerts. This live set, recorded in August 1988 at the legendary Anderson Fair in Houston, contains her best performances of originals like "Workin' in Corners," "The Wing and the Wheel," and "Love at the Five and Dime," as well as songs by Bill Staines, Eric Taylor, and Julie Gold, songs she helped bring just shy of fame: "Roseville Fair," "Deadwood, South Dakota," and "From a Distance." Griffith learned her craft and got her chops down at Anderson Fair, and her gift for narrative shines brilliantly in her (often hilarious) between-song stories, and her unaffected, twangy whisper. She's backed by the subtlest and most sympathetic of bands, the Blue Moon Orchestra, and there's nary a misstep, a rare thing for a live album. --Roy Kasten ... Read more

Features

• Live

Reviews (32)

Live Nanci is a Triumph
What a wonderful recording. It is full of gems like "Roseville Fair" and "I Would Give You Ireland."

This CD gives you a good feel for the unpretentious, soulful way of Nanci.What you see is what you get and what you get is beautiful.

How good is she?
This one is a gem. This is what a live album should be. Especially the acoustic sound of "Trouble in the Fields" is sensational! It is a must buy!

A BIG FAN
I HAVE BEEN A FAN OF NANCI GRIFFITH SINCE SHE DID " FROM A DISTANCE" I LOVE HER PLAYING AND HER ABILITY TO WRITE SONGS.I WOULD LOVETO HAVE HER MAKE MORE DVD'S.I HAVE PURCHASED MOST OF HER CD'S AND HER ONE DVD.PLAN TO SEE HER WHEN SHE COMES TO HUNTSVILLE, AL. THANKS,JENNIE SCOTT ... Read more

Asin: B000002PID
Subjects:  1. Contemporary Country    2. Folk & Traditional    3. Pop    4. Singer/Songwriter   

A Quiet Normal Life: The Best of Warren Zevon
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $11.98
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Reviews (19)

Solid, One-Disc Compilation
Zevon is a great ballad artist, and it is very sad to hear that he died so early. This CD gave me my first taste of Zevon and I won't forget it.

A great disc overall...I like "Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner"

Skip This for "Genius"
Warren Zevon is a lost American Treasure. Like John Prine and maybe Randy Newman, he understood that songs could also stand as separate literary structures. But since "Genius" contains his post Elektra/Asylum output and the uncensored version of "Lawyers Guns and Money" (the you-know-what does not hit the fan on "AQNL"), "Genius" is the better buy. Of course, if you're feeling adventurous and have a few extra bucks, you should spring for "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead."

"Genius" does trade off "AQNL's" "Ain't That Pretty at All" and the title track to the brilliant "The Envoy." Maybe someday that album and the live "Stand In The Fire" will make it to CD....

Warren Zevon - A Unique Songwriter
Even though "The Best Of Warren Zevon" only covers the years he was on Asylum records, it is still worth getting.Among the quirky characters and twisted love songs, Warren Zevon wrote "The Envoy" in 1982.Its lyrics are eerily prophetic and just as relevant, if not more so, to the state of the world today."Nuclear arms in the Middle East.Israel's attacking the Iraquis.The Syrians are mad at the Labanese, and Baghdad does whatever she please.Looks like another threat to world peace, for the envoy."The fact that the album "The Envoy" is out of print makes this Zevon collection indispensable.The version of "Lawyers, Guns And Money" included in this compilation is the single, edited version.That makes the song highly collectible, since it's the only edited version available on CD."I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" is sadly ironic, as Warren Zevon is fast approaching the big sleep.I hope this CD helps people to remember him for much more than "Werewolves Of London." ... Read more

Asin: B000002H42
Sales Rank: 46678
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Hard Rock    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Rock    6. Singer/Songwriter   

The Very Best of Elvis Costello
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (17 April, 2001)
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Editorial Review

The debate over whether he is punk or new wave is long over; today Elvis Costello is less likely to be found on a list with Strummer and Scabies than he is with Bacharach and David and Jimmy Webb. Lauded initially for his energetic and literate attacks on the social ills of Thatcher's England, he has become a peerless master of the popular song. The evolution of Costello's craft as a songwriter and performer, from the early high-octane polemics, through his stylistic experiments with country and soul, and on to standards written for others, is splendidly documented on this elegant two-disc set. Chronology is ignored in favor of a thoughtful program that catalogs the jewels from his prolific output and a sprinkling of covers that demonstrate the maturing of his singing voice. The 42 tracks here lean generously to the first 10 years with the Attractions, but also collects the best of his subsequent collaborations with the cream of America's session musicians and on through to "She," his contribution to the soundtrack of 1999's Notting Hill. --Rob Stewart ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Fine introduction to the McManus canon
Sure I would have had some different songs in here (Deep, Dark Truthful Mirror, All Grown Up) and taken a few out (Tokyo Storm Warning) but then who wouldn't? All in all a decent (and decent-priced-for-what-you-get) collection of songs that may or may not act as a catalyst for the purchase of other EC albums.

A fine intro for anyone unlucky enough not to have heard much of Elvis Costello.

Great for newbies, frustrating for me
No doubt, if you don't really know Elvis Costello but you know some songs, those songs are probably on this disc.

But sometimes even a fan wants a mix, as opposed to pulling out a bunch of albums and giving them a partial spin.And this collection is frustrating for this fan right here.

I used to own the Rykodisc Very Best of Elvis and the Attractions, which I thought was great, if a little anticlimactic, as the energy level seemed to sink as the disc went from '77 to '86.So I was very pleased that this disc put things in a more mixtape-type order, rather than chronological.

But unlike what some have said, there is definitely some less-than-very-best tunes on this disc, and at least one BAD track -- "I Wanna Be Loved" from GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD, an album I can't bring myself to listen to more than one track per sitting.You need to represent the album CRUEL WORLD, sure, but why not stick with "Love Field" from the Rykodisc collection, or even "The Only Flame In Town," which, under the layers of hit-chasing '80s-pop production, is actually a BETTER SONG than "Loved."

The choice seems to have been made because this collection was originally geared toward Brit audiences, and so it leans heavily on what was released as British singles.Is there any other explanation for including BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE's "Tokyo Storm Warning" while excluding SPIKE's "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror"?

Which brings up my next quibble: the makers of this disc have decided, rather than build upon the foundation of the Rykodisc and add on an equally satisfying amount of Warner Bros.-and-beyond material to make up the second half, to add more old stuff and breeze through the later years with the barest essentials.I mean, as nice as it is to see "The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes" added here, would it have hurt to put an upbeat newer number like "Pads, Paws, and Claws" in its place?

I mean, EXTREME HONEY: THE VERY BEST OF THE WARNER BROS. YEARS is out of print, right?

Eclectic, Prolific, and Brillian
This work has influenced more artists than they may have you think. Poignant and thoughtful, all of his lyrics are superb. Although the tempo often changes and the ideas often vary, his brilliance has to be considered. Plus he looks like the quintessential hipster!!! ... Read more

Asin: B00005ARFU
Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. British Punk    3. College Rock    4. New Wave    5. Pop    6. Pub Rock    7. Punk    8. Rock    9. Rock & Roll    10. Singer/Songwriter   

Pontiac
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
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Editorial Review

Pontiac is Lyle Lovett's finest album, but it still contains the strengths and weaknesses that have become Lyle's hallmarks. Crack playing, keen observations and clever lyrics, and a neo-traditionalist aesthetic that pulls in everything from Texas folk, honky-tonk and Western swing to old-school pop all shine brightly here, but they're consistently dulled by an ironic distance and a bitterness toward women that approaches misogyny. On Pontiac, the strengths generally win out, however, as Lovett convincingly stalks an old lover ("L.A. County"), says "take my wife, please" ("She's No Lady"), and, on the title track, offers a character sketch that could've been penned by Raymond Carver. --David Cantwell ... Read more

Reviews (33)

highly dubious pseudo folk for the Starbucks set
Lyle Lovett is only the latest in a long series of posers presenting a gussied up, slicked down, safe version of the folk blues to a 99% white audience.It all started with Elvis.Sure, Elvis was fairly talented, but why were so many people enamored with him when his version of "that's alright mama" was a shadow of the much more visceral original by Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup?Why did his "Hounddog" sell like hotcakes when Big Mama Thornton's original version smoked his like a cheap cigar?Its simple my friends: race.I'm not saying all the white audiences were racist (though many undoubtedly were) or that Elvis was a racist, but it was and is just more palatable, more safe if you will, for white people to listen to black music performed by white artists.Its just a fact.However, its also an undisputed fact (by respected critics) that black music is done better by the orginal black artists.Look, why drink tap water when there's a crystal clear, ice cold spring to drink from?Why have spam when you could have prime rib?Why listen to Vanilla Ice level folk/blues when there are oceans of inspiration like John Lee Hooker, Taj Mahal, Joe Williams etc. etc. etc.If you like Lyle Lovett, take it to the next level and check out the real deal.He's OK, and has a certain amount of pseudo-hipster appeal, but come on, enough is enough.In the inimitable words of Bob Dylan,Its cellulose: Cows can't digest it and neither can I.

I'm not sure I'm gonna stick around
Ok, I'm a new fan of Lyle Lovett's. And I dont know how long thats gonna last. The first song i ever heard by him was a Gospel tune he did called "pass me not". I thought his singing in the song was flawless and beautiful. I went out and bought ponitac, on the basis of critics saying it was his Best album. I just finished listening to it all the way through. And Maybe it will grow on me, but right now, im a little disappointed. I mean how do you write a song about a World War 2 vet and then follow it with "Shes Hot to Go". That felt weird to me after listening to it. I did like a few songs, although not that much. Simple Song was ok, so were a few others. "If I had a Boat" didn't do it for me at all, not like i was told it would. My firs impression of this album: Its like a bad mix tape with a couple dark songs, with little emotion, and a couple run-off-the-mill lighthearted ones.

what "kind of blue" was to jazz, "pontiac" is to country
I own all of Lyle's albums. This is the first one I ever heard (when I was 5 years old.} It made a very strong impression on me All of his cd's are amazing in their own ways, but I think this one is still the best. I don't like country music, but Lyle has an extremely sophisticated style of songwriting, that incorporates elements of folk, jazz, blues,southern gospel,big band swing, and contemporary country. There is a very sly and smooth quality in Lyle's voice and the way he writes songs that will give you chills. The first song "If I had a boat" is what won me over as a fan. A very catchy and charming folk song with well played twangy guitars. "Give back my heart" is humorous country blues at its best, "I loved you yesterday" is a Texan style country ballad that sounds a little like a Spanish folk song. "Walk through the bottomland" is a great folk song with just the right amount of twang with good harmony vocals from Emmylou Harris {very haunting vibe on this one.} "L.A.County" has an interesting approach, the song is upbeat country, but the lyrics are dark and talk about thekilling of an ex lover at her wedding, Matt Rollings plays some great synthesizer on this one. "She's no lady" is a great sly jazzy song. Although it's kind of bitter toward women, its a damn catchy number, good short piano solo too! "Money" is a good blues song about how to get classy women {funny}. Things get darker with "black and blue" very sly with a big band sound you sorta feel like your'e chillin at a smoky jazz club while this song is playing. "simple song" is beautifully morbid. It's a guitar song played around an ominous D minor chord with chilling strings, sounds kinda like Everlast's "What it's like" things get even lonelier and darker with "pontiac" a song with just a guitar and violin about a world war two vet coping with his haunting memories of what he did overseas many years ago... Lyle hits us with the funny and upbeat "she's hot to go" as the closer.If you like this one check out "thats right {your not from Texas}This is an all around awesome listening experience and well recorded/produced album.{I wish MCA would remaster Lyle's first three Cd's, maybe some more pictures or bonus tracks?!} If you like this I would also reccomend Bruce Hornsby's "the way it is" anything by Jim Croce {r.i.p.} and Nick Cave's "the boatman's call."Pontiac is amazing no matter what musical style you enjoy highly recommended!! your cd collection is hurting without it. ... Read more

Asin: B000002PG7
Subjects:  1. Alternative Country    2. Alternative Country-Rock    3. Contemporary Country    4. Country    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Singer/Songwriter    8. United States of America   

Roses in the Snow
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $11.98
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Editorial Review

Harris's 1980 back-to-the-roots album marks a high point in her career. With stellar support form Tony Rice (acoustic guitar), Albert Lee (mandolin), and Ricky Skaggs (fiddle), Harris wanders comfortably and warmly through traditional-country and bluegrass pastures. Skaggs, Dolly Parton, and the Whites add beautiful harmonies as Harris slides effortlessly from the Carter Family to the Stanley Brothers to the Louvin Brothers to Paul Simon. Among the set's peaks are Flatt and Scruggs's "I'll Go Stepping Too," with Rice, Skaggs, Lee (on superb electric guitar), and dobro master Jerry Douglas turning up the instrumental heat, and the spiritual "Jordan," with Harris, Skaggs, Rice, and Johnny Cash engaging in buoyant four-part harmonies. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Will you marry me? (5 stars)
This album was played to me as a kid (born in 74) and I still love it today.My three year old love the duets and fiddle playin. One of the most beautiful and best loved voices ever to hit a stage, Emmylou has always had a ear for great songs. Put that together with Ricky and you got a winning combo. My mother used to sing these songs to me as the record played and they still sound as good and fresh today as they did when she put it out. I also admit I was a little in love with the beutiful Emmylou way back when! Buy it now and songs like the title track and green pastures will make you fall in love to.

High lonesome Emmylou
I think you'd have to do a very nitty-gritty search to find many other recording artists who have been as true to country traditions as Emmylou Harris. That she doesn't get the heavy rotation other country artists do these days is a sad commentary on the tastemongers in Nashville, Branson, TNN and other country venues, not on her. ROSES IN THE SNOW just may be Harris' finest album in a string of fine albums, completely bluegrass and done up right. On it, Harris runs the gamut from fast (the title song), to slow ("Wayfaring Stranger"), to sacred ("Green Pastures," "The Darkest Hour Is Just Before Dawn"), to lovelorn ("You're Learning") and hits the mark every time. She's helped by a lot of folks here, including Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Tony Rice and especially Ricky Skaggs, whose considerable talents are the linchpin to everthing working as well as it does. She even tries a rather audacious move and covers the Paul Simon evergreen "The Boxer" in full bluegrass mode. Some efforts at doing non-bluegrass songs in bluegrass style fail utterly, but Harris and company give an understated grace to this song that is wonderful to hear.

You may or may not be an avid bluegrass fan---I can take it in small doses myself---but I'm willing to bet that if you get this CD, it won't leave your player for quite some time.

A Masterpiece
Emmylou Harris came to prominence with a string of exceptional albums recorded during the late seventies.Although she would make other recordings later in her career that are just as outstanding, her initial string of albums Pieces of the Sky (1975), Elite Hotel (1975), Luxury Liner (1977), Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town (1978), Blue Kentucky Girl (1979), and Roses in the Snow (1980) are amazing for their consistency and diversity, and they all showcase Emmylou's voice before it became a bit frayed from wear (although that fraying actually seemed to add more than it took away: witness the incredible beauty of her voice on Wrecking Ball).

Some critics had complained that Emmylou's albums weren't "country" enough, even after the more-or-less traditional sound of Blue Kentucky Girl.Roses in the Snow resulted.It's an ultra-traditional country album, without drums, and with very few electric instruments.Bluegrass predominates: banjos and fiddles; country gospel standards predominate: "Green Pastures", "Wayfaring Stranger", "Darkest Hour is Just Before Dawn": "The darkest hour is just before dawn / The narrow way leads home / Lay down your soul / Let Jesus in / The darkest hour is just before dawn."

This music is worlds away from Wrecking Ball and Spyboy, but (if you give it a chance) you may be captivated by it just as I was.I'd never dreamed I'd come to like bluegrass, but I loved Wrecking Ball and decided to investigate Emmylou's back catalog. That was a happy thing for me because I discovered that Emmylou had been making amazing music for years before I discovered it; Roses in the Snow is as good as Wrecking Ball, and in its own way just as adventurous.

By that I mean that, in 1980 when it was released, strictly traditional bluegrass-styled country music was not the best way to further commercially a career based on the rock, pop, and folk-flavored country music of Emmylou's earlier recordings.She didn't let that stop her, of course.She felt the need to make a basically bluegrass album, and nothing stood in her way.

There's not a weak track on the album.If your basically a rocker, intrigued by Wrecking Ball, turn the volume up a bit and listen to the amazing musicianship evinced on such songs as Roses in the Snow and Gold Watch and Chain.I'm convinced that bluegrass music, as played here, is more demanding than the rock and roll you and I grew up on.These are incredibly talented musicians playing inspired music.And Emmylou's voice is there, blending perfectly with the music.

I guarantee that, if you have open ears and are ready to let the music startle you, and if Wrecking Ball or Spyboy or Red Dirt Girl captivated you, Roses in the Snow will do the same; maybe it will snag a different corner of your heart, but it will indeed snag something inside. ... Read more

Asin: B000002KL5
Subjects:  1. Country    2. Pop    3. Traditional Country    4. Traditional Folk   

Carl Perkins - Original Sun Greatest Hits
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
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Editorial Review

There's something about Carl Perkins's original version of "Blue Suede Shoes" that's wilder than Elvis's less popular, though today better known, cover of the song. It's not that Perkins is in your face; his version is remarkably restrained. But that restraint hides a real sense of hillbilly threat--Elvis is playing, but Carl sounds like he'd kick your teeth in. That vocal edge, along with his influential lead guitar, is what makes Perkins' sides such as "Honey Don't" and "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby" the very definition of rockabilly's darker edge--all of which becomes perfectly clear when he finally cuts loose and gets "Dixie Fried." --David Cantwell ... Read more

Reviews (15)

You Need This Album
Not just a primal rocker whose influence on those who came after oozes out of every track...the man could flat out play!!Carl was a superb guitar player and never better than in these Sun cuts.Listen and enjoy

An Essential
For an avid collector, this is a must-have CD.The other reviewers, who seem quite knowledgeable, have heapedjustifiable praise on Perkins but some of the facts are off just a bit. For instance, Jerry Lee Lewis didn't start doing his own thing later AFTER playing on a Carl Perkins record; in fact, I assume as a joke, it's said he told Perkins he had to get paid and settled for $15 cash on the spot for his not-impressive improv on the 88s.As for Elvis Presley, he caused the release of his own version of "Blue Suede Shoes" to be delayed so Carl Perkins' original could have a good run.It's documented. I have no clear memory of Elvis doing "Blue Suede Shoes" on the Sullivan show but I know he was welcomed there and sung some OTHER songs. And Elvis COULD play the guitar (though Eric Clapton's legend is safe) and the piano as well.Carl Perkins' reputation can stand on its own without denigrating other performers.If you don't believe it, listen to this CD.But rockabilly faded (until its influence re-emerged with the early Eagles) and Perkins spent years as an appendage to Johnny Cash (the pill years), did a bit of impressive acting, a video appearance and of course got recognition for his contributions to RNR.This CD is all you need to know about Carl Perkins of Jackson, TN.But no slavering please.

An Essential
For an avid collector, this is a must-have CD.The other reviewers, who seem quite knowledgeable, have heapedjustifiable praise on Perkins but some of the facts are off just a bit. For instance, Jerry Lee Lewis didn't start doing his own thing later AFTER playing on a Carl Perkins record; in fact, I assume as a joke, it's said he told Perkins he had to get paid and settled for $15 cash on the spot for his not-impressive improv on the 88s.As for Elvis Presley, he caused the release of his own version of "Blue Suede Shoes" to be delayed so Carl Perkins' original could have a good run.It's documented. I have no clear memory of Elvis doing "Blue Suede Shoes" on the Sullivan show but I know he was welcomed there and sung some OTHER songs. And Elvis COULD play the guitar (though Eric Clapton's legend is safe) and the piano as well.Carl Perkins' reputation can stand on its own without denigrating other performers.If you don't believe it, listen to this CD.But rockabilly faded (until its influence re-emerged with the early Eagles) and Perkins spent years as an appendage to Johnny Cash (the pill years), did a bit of impressive acting, a video appearance and of course got recognition for his contributions to RNR.This CD is all you need to know about Carl Perkins of Jackson, TN.But no slavering please. ... Read more

Asin: B000003492
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock    3. Rock & Roll    4. Rockabilly    5. United States of America   

At San Quentin (The Complete 1969 Concert)
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (04 July, 2000)
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Editorial Review

While Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, the 1968 album that made Cash a household word, spent only two weeks at No. 1, this 1969 follow-up topped the charts for 20 weeks. As with Folsom, the San Quentin LP had to be edited due to space limitations. Now, 31 years after the fact, the show can at last be heard in true perspective. All the original performances hold up, including the album's hit single: Shel Silverstein's "A Boy Named Sue," presented unbleeped for the first time. Equally impressive are the eight restored tracks and unexpurgated between-song patter. Cash's opening renditions of "Big River" and "I Still Miss Someone" are bracing. So are four closing songs teaming Cash with his complete performing troupe (the Carter Family, Carl Perkins, and the Statler Brothers). Their gospel performances ("He Turned the Water into Wine," "The Old Account," and an early version of "Daddy Sang Bass") are electrifying, as is a concluding medley featuring everyone. Cash is presented here at his roaring, primal best. --Rich Kienzle ... Read more

Features

• Live
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (50)

An American classic
Asking "Which Cash prison album is best: San Quentin or Folsom Prison?" is like saying "Which of your lungs is your favourite?". They're both essential to ANY music collection. (If pressed by a particularly menacing and armed inmate, I'd lean towards the more atmospheric FOLSOM.) Which one you like best will probably depend on whether you want a more comprehensive take on Cash's music (the love songs and gospel on this one) or one aimed square at his audience (the prison song laden "Folsom").

Read the glowing praise from Merle Haggard (or Marty Stuart if you want someone of more recent vintage) and look at any critic's list of "Essential" country music and this will be on it. Look at the better pop critics' lists and even they will recognize this as the epochal moment in music that it is.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Choosing the best tunes here is hard, but I'll try. As on Folsom, Johnny performs an actual prisoner's song (T. Cuttie's "I Don't Know Where I'm Bound"). Cuttie's lyric is a classic tale about "rambling" and the search for identity. The reaction to the title song's line "San Quentin, may you rot and burn in He*l" is a "goosebump" moment for me. The audience loved it so much they demanded he sing it again...immediately. (Afterwards Cash remarks "I'm starting to like it myself" with a grin...) "Wanted Man" is surprisingly "commercial" for a collaboration with Bob Dylan. The "funny" songs on this one are also better than "Folsom": "Starkville City Jail" and alltime classic "Boy Named Sue" (which the liners note was being performed for the first time at this show..Cash actually had to read the lyrics off a sheet). "Daddy Sang Bass" is a great number,too...no doubt because the lyric (from Carl Perkins) reflected Cash's own upbringing. It's abetted by June Carter Cash, Perkins himself, and the Statler Brothers' harmony.

LOWS:
No clunkers at all this time. There's nothing here I'd remove...and that includes the bonus songs. This is as perfect as it gets on a song by song basis.

BOTTOM LINE:
I hope you're looking at this for 1 of 2 reasons:
1) You came here to vote on reviews
2) You're updating the copy you have to the newer remastered version.

If it's because you don't actually own this, click "Buy this" and hope that no one sees you do it. If someone does, lie and say you HAD a copy but it was stolen and you're replacing it.ESSENTIAL to every music collection.

One of the three best live albums ever(JC had 2/3)
This album is Amazing, This and Cash's Folsom prison album rank up there as 2/3 of the best live albums ever, the other slot belonging to James Browns original Live at the Apollo.

Geez, where to start, the original of this was great, just the energy put into the banter alone was great, but this new expanded, uncut edition, w/ ALL the songs is fantastic. Frantic energy, slower, calm down tracks, and jabs at the powers that be. Johnny was amazing. The greats like (a very energetic) Folsom prison Blues, Ring of Fire, and I walk the line, mixed with the not so common to obscure tracks.

Some of the tracks I am most fond of are the two takes on the San Quentin song( took gusto to do this song or at least attempt it twice), the Starkville City Jail, Wanted Man(Co-penned w/ Bob Dylan), Boy named Sue( written by Shel Silverstein, yea, The Giving Tree and Where the Sidewalk Ends, childrens author) and Daddy Sang Bass( w/ the vocal help of the Statler brothers).

Check this out for the great live performance. Johnny at one of his heights.I especially like how The Live at Folsom Prison album, which was not released that much earlier than this has an almost completely track list with it's one unique batch of songs.Check out Live at San Quentin and Live at Folsom prison for two of the best Live albums you'll ever hear. Buy them seperate, dont buy that disc w/ both original recordings, buy the new ones that are uncut for the full effect.

Don't like Country you say?
Guess what, I don't either, but these are truly some of the best albums ever produced and recorded live.

on the record the bad words are bleeped.
i really like to listen to this (and also folsom prison, probably more so actually) while packing a suitcase to get ready to go on a trip.it is really so good that i don't know what to do. ... Read more

Asin: B00004U2GH
Subjects:  1. Country    2. Country-Pop    3. Guitar    4. Pop    5. Progressive Country    6. Rock & Roll    7. Rockabilly    8. Spirituals    9. Traditional Country    10. United States of America    11. Vocals   

Honky Tonk Heroes
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 June, 1999)
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Editorial Review

According to legend, it was at Willie Nelson's Fourth of July picnic when Waylon Jennings drunkenly promised a nobody named Billy Joe Shaver that he'd record a whole album of his songs. Apparently it wasn't until Shaver threatened physical violence on Jennings (in front of a Nashville studio full of people) that he finally made good on his promise, although Jennings had only recently been granted full artistic control by RCA. The result was a stunning achievement: 1973's Honky Tonk Heroes was the defining record of the anti-Nashville Outlaw movement--the term came after the album--and a cornerstone in country music history. Featuring bare-bones production and plainspoken, hard-nosed lyrics that celebrated personal freedoms and simple pleasures, the record was a far cry from the demure Nashville Sound. In each other, Jennings and Shaver had found a kindred spirit, and together they rewrote the country rulebook. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (15)

THE ALBUM THAT CONVERTED THIS OLE ROCK N ROLLER!!!
This is one of those rare musical masterpieces that transends genra. Country, Blues, Rock, Folk you name it. There are elements of it all done so well that the result is one of the most powerfulmusical experiances to ever be recorded. The music on this disc creates an amazing atmosphere that has the ability to transport you to a hazy barroom, where the smell of stale beer and broken dreams hover in the air as thick as the cigarette smoke that stings your eyes. Its in this place that Waylon sings what I can only descibe as an emotionaly charged tecnocolor tapestry of songs that weaves a spell and gives us all a glimpse of the raw outlaw spirit shining bright.

Music that came to define a genre...
Country music--and, largely, rock n roll--would not be what it is today without the teaming of Waylon Jennings and Billy Joe Shaver. The result of their combined efforts--the hostility, the respect--is HONKY TONK HEROES, an album of pure, unfiltered music that strikes straight to the heart.

Songs such as the title track, "Black Rose," and "Ain't No God in Mexico" use upbeat rhythms and pounding guitars to convey their serious messages; other tracks, such as "Old Five and Dimers" and "Low Down Freedom," are so haunting you'll shiver. Shaver's songwriting is nearly unparalleled in music history, and, let's face it, nobody could sing a tune quite like Waylon Jennings. HONKY TONK HEROES is a classic, pure and simple--a true classic.

Billy Joe and Waylon...it don't get no better
This is a great album. I've worn out my vinyl copy. Waylon's gone but Billy Joe is still out there making wonderful music. I saw him in Johnson City, TN last month for a great show. He's also very approachable and a helluva nice guy. ... Read more

Asin: B00000J7AQ
Subjects:  1. Country    2. Pop   

Chicken Skin Music
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Editorial Review

This 1976 effort contains some of Cooder's most compelling work and findshim reexploring some of the fundamental influences on a musician known forremarkable eclecticism.Most notable are "Always Lift Him Up," "Smack Dab in theMiddle," and a beautiful adaptation of "Stand By Me" (which includes Flaco Jimenez onaccordion.) The album opens and closes with covers of Leadbelly, namely "TheBourgeois Blues" and (you guessed it) "Goodnight Irene." Also notable is a fine reworking of the traditional number "I Got Mine." --Wayne Pernu ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Cooder's Vision of American Roots Music
Ry Cooder is one of my all-time favorite artists.[One of my first amazon.com reviews back in 1999 was for Cooder's classic PARADISE AND LUNCH.] And CHICKEN SKIN MUSIC is right there at the top of my list of favoirte Cooder albums.While he's spent the better part of the last two decades doing soundtrack work, this album displays his encylopedic knowledge of musical styles. He's also a gifted mulit-instrumentalist (bajo sexto, mandola, mandolin, even accordion, in addition to being a superb guitarist. Also, Cooder relies on a wealth of talented session musicians, including Jim Keltner, drums; Flaco Jimenez, accordion; and Chris Ethridge, bass.

The album opens and closes with a couple classic Leadbelly songs, "The Bourgeois Blues" and "Good Night Irene."In between he coversgospel ("I Got Mine"), Tex-Mex ("He'll Have to Go," "Stand By Me"), Hawaiian ("Yellow Roses, "Chloe"--both actually recorded in Hawaii, with native musicians Gabby Pahinui and Atta Isaacs), and all of it filtered though Cooder's vision of what constitutes the roots of American music.

In his liner notes, Cooder states, "For me, this album reaches a level of real understanding and mutuality in music." It is one of Cooder's most satisfying albums.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Polaroid
A very nice effort from one of the most respected guitar players around. I'd say this resembles hawaiian folk music with strong US blues/rock influences, allthough the voice and guitar-playing of Ry Cooder and his companions really takes it all to another level. There's nothing new, nothing exceptional to be found here - it's this record's spirit that really drives it forward.
Oh, and just a comment to the previous reviewer; I think the cover art of this album fits the music quite nicely. It's a picture of a skeleton having a go with what seems to be a hawaiian woman - giving the record an edge while still justifying some of the more strange fusion stuff going on here.
Just my 2 cents off course.

A child's intro to his parents' music
I'd read a concert review of Ry Cooder in Rolling Stone; sounded fascinating, so I bought this Chicken Skin thing that'd just come out. Here I was tryin' t'stay hip with Dylan & Beatles solo mat.

He'll Have to Go was such a tear-jerker, you wished he could've recorded it with Jim Reeves. Always Lift Him Up: later this would be called world music (as opposed, I'd reckon, to non-world music), but back then it was just a loving confluence of modern pop & creaking standards.

This was basically a child's intro to my parents' music, although I think they thought Cooder was making fun of it, because of his off-kilter & animated singing. It was also my intro to jazz, really, & I never again looked to Dylan or Beatles for hip. ... Read more

Asin: B000002KCO
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blues-Rock    3. Country-Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Roots Rock    7. Slide Guitar Blues   

Just Add Ice
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (10 September, 1996)
list price: $16.98
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Reviews (3)

Just Add Ice=Instant Rock Classic
Possibly the greatest rock band of the late 90's.Each song is 3 minutes of perfect pure power pop, only to be topped by seeing them live...may they rest in peace.

Classic debut album from a criminally overooked band
In the tradition of "Alternative Country" pioneers Uncle Tupelo, Knoxville, Tennessee's V-Roys featured two first rate singer-songwriters whose inevitable split eventually did the band in. The V-Roys use country music as a reference point for a sound that actaully rocks pretty hard, especilly on tracks like "Wind Down." and "Sooner or Later."Other first rate cuts include "What's She Found," "Guess I Know I'm Right," and "Lie I Believe."Truth be told, there are no weak cuts on this consistantly excellent CD.It ends with the playful "Cold Beer Hello," which is good enough to make you thirsty.

Great even without Earle
Another on a long list of Steve Earle's discoveries.This is probably his most impressive, however.The V-Roys sound like a car crash between The Bottle Rockets and BR5-49's tour busses, combining the Rockets raucousbar-room sound with BR's tight harmonies and clean vocals.

You might haveheard "Sooner or Later", and as you listen to this album you'llprobably think that you've heard more than that.Don't expectground-breaking originality here, but do expect to not be able to stoplistening to this album.It's infectious.

As is so often the case,however, a brilliant debut album spells disaster, and the V-Roy's are nomore.Don't let that deter you from buying this album, though.

If youare at all interested in the Alt-country-no-depression sound, pick thisalbum up.It won't disappoint you. ... Read more

Asin: B00003TFQX
Sales Rank: 240956
Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Pop    3. Power Pop    4. Rock    5. Roots Rock    6. United States of America