4 comments about New Morning.

1. I truly believe had this album not come after Self-Portrait, it would have been much more highly regarded. In fact, I was still surprised, and very disappointed, that it did not get the SACD remaster treatment, and such albums as Street Legal did. This is a little gem of an album. True, it does not have the lyrical complexity that graces most of Dylan's albums, but neither did Nashville Skyline, and this is eons better than that album. It is the most overlooked album in Dylan's ouvre, and still impresses today. Though Bob Johnstone is listed as producer, Al Kooper actually was, and does a great job, giving the songs a muscality rare in Dylan's work. An overlooked jem.



2. I have been a big Bob Dylan fan for 40 years, and I have always found "New Morning" to be one of his most underrated albums. Yes, it does represent a major change for the reclusive troubador, who keeps reinventing himself, but it is a good change. The songs on this album have great depth, and the songs are very listenable---except for perhaps "If Dogs Run Free", which is just a fun little diddy which reminds me of hanging out in a smoky bar in the early 60's. listening to "beat" poetry. Ginsberg and Ferlinghetti must have loved the tune.
   
   This is one to pick up, if only for the beautiful "If Not For You", covered by both George Harrison and Olivia Newton-John.



3. Most Bob Dylan fans I have spoken with ether do not like or have not heard of this work. For me it is the only Dylan I like enough to buy. The arangments have more depth than the typical Dyan sound, country and jazz infuances are worked with. Too bad this stuff did not sell better it would of be good to see Dylan's work of this nature fostered insted of more of the same.---If you kind of like Dylan this is an outstanding work---If you like a majority of Dylan sells, you will not like it.



4. This record came out only four months after what many considered to be the disaster that was "Self Portrait" and those fans who thought Dylan went south with that record were glad to have him back with this one. So much so, that they perhaps over praised the record. It is good, this record is, but it's no "John Wesley Hardin'" or "Highway 61 Revisited." Still it's a five star recording of all original material that chronicles where Bob Dylan was in 1970.
   
   "If Not for You", which was covered beautifully by George Harrison on "All Things Must Pass" and by Olivia Newton John, who had a huge hit with it, is a love song that I've played over and over again. It's just simply beautiful. " "The Day of the Locusts" is a four minute dirge about when Dylan had to put on a cap and gown (he didn't want to) and go to Princeton to accept an honorary diploma. "Time Passes Slowly" is a song about time passing. Duh. "Time passes slowly when you're lost in a dream." "Time Passes slowly when you're searching for love." "Time passes slowly when you're lost in the daylight." "Time Passes slowly, then fades away." Only Dylan could string ideas like that together in a little over two minute song.
   
   "Went to See the Gypsy," is a nice song about Dylan's meeting with Elvis Presley and "The Man in Me," seems to be a song about how a man sees himself through his lover's eyes. But the real gem on this record is "Sign on the Window." "Sign on the porch says three's a crowd." Was Dylan talking about his fans and how they wouldn't leave him alone. Seems that way to me, but what do I know? Maybe it's about what my good friend Sophie says it is, a New Beginning for Bob Dylan. "That must be what it's all about." So says Dylan, So says Sophie. Either way, it's a great song. Actually the whole record is pretty good.

5 comments about The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live, 1966: The "Royal Albert Hall Concert".

1. I'll just give it five stars. The fact it's also really well released with an amazing booklet just makes it vital. Dylan at full command of his craft. If you haven't got it... get it!



2. This is the infamous 1966 "Judas" concert at Royal Albert Hall, Manchester, England, where Bob Dylan formally performs electric in front of a British audience. The first half is done in classic acoustic, and I must admit it is awesome. The second half of the show is an electric joke & confrontation between Bob and fans: BUT IT'S HISTORY! Bob was booed, and this was even mentioned on the evening news. (I may be wrong, but I think I remember this was on the evening news).
   
   Bob really knows how to infuriate fans or stir up intense feelings for him. One fan, as I read, felt he had to drink beer in order to drown away his feelings of being let down by a DVD that supposedly had a less-than enthusiastic Bob performing live somewhere--what happened to the boy that once lit up the whole world?--was his observation. In this intense relationship with Bob come intense expectations. After all, Adoration, Admiration, Love, Loyalty, Devotion, and yes, even Worship in some cases, need to be reciprocated with at least some enthusiasm, don't you think? In this second part where he plays really awful renditions of his brilliant songs that were done correctly on the original CDs, he totally traumatizes helpless and horrified fans who don't even want him to go electric. But what you will get, however, is LOADS of ENTHUSIASM. You're not complaining, are you?
   
   Bob changes into his leather jacket for the electric half and he brings out his band. Fans are not happy throughout the second half, but toward the end of the program, you can actually hear someone call him "Judas!" and Bob answers with "I don't believe you" after which he sings with more venum & force--"how does it FEEEEEL!" Bob is booed in the second half (poor Bob). There is confrontation between fans, purists and Bob. INTENSE indignation is felt on both sides of the stage, and Bob, equally very hurt plays even louder and more horrible (you can even hear him saying, "play F--- loud!". You can get highlights of what some of the fans say after the concert from the DVD No Direction Home. Get this as a historical event, and you won't be disappointed. All is forgiven and forgotten by now.
   
   Hey, cool pictures in the insert booklet!
   
   I am pretty much done with my Dylan albums. The only ones I don't have is Self Portrait, (which I won't get because Bob did this album just to get rid of his fans & he hardly wrote any songs in it) and Knocked Out Loaded and Under the Red Sky (maybe a little later I'll get these last two) and maybe a couple of live ones I still don't have.
   
   Now I want to look up and listen and honor Bruce Hornsby a little.
   
   I won't forget Bob. His CDs are still in my stereo (especially Oh Mercy)--see my reviews, and I will jump on his new CD when he makes one, and I wish him a very very very long life. WHAT ON EARTH would we fans do without him?!
   
   (I got this CD a while back, but I guess I'll leave my opinion).



3. Ranks right up with the best live albums ever such as Live at Leeds, Allman Brothers/Fillmore, Frampton Comes Alive, Johnny Cash at San Quenten, Bill Evans at the Village Vanguard. Nuff said. Essential live album and a desert island disk(s).



4. I'd been listening to the Electric half of this record for years before CBS/Sony finally released it as part of the Bootleg Series. Yes, I was listening to the bootleg. What Dylan fan hadn't been. Rolling Stone Magazine certified this as one of the best records of all time, a bootleg, imagine that.
   
   The stuff with the band, Lord or Lord, it's good. The unreleased "Tell Me Momma" is a rocker of the first order. The Electric reworkings of "I Don't Believe You" and "Baby Let Me Follow You Down" turns them into brand new songs, rock and roll beauties. And "One Too Many Mornings" who would've thought you could make a rocker out of that one, but Dylan did and did it well. But the closer here, wow! Bob Dylan shouts out "Like a Rolling Stone," and you just want to scream it along with him. Jeez, I can't say enough good about this record.



5. As a guitar player i am amused of this record. The cohrds are simple and easy and the melody catchy. And the words! he can write so beautifully and you can see this man was born to be an artist. I love all of Bob's music (except for the eighties).Many people at that time (and some now) ruther bob's early music, and think his change to electric was negative, but I think that the change was perfect. He seems to have such a good time and I cant stop smiling whenever I hear that amazing sand and glue voice.He inspired me to write my own music and to not let enything stop me. I have also readen his autobiography, and seen the movie about him by D. A. Pennbaker about bob's 1965 tour in England.Martin scorseze beautiful movie "No direction home"(and the new and cool I'm not there").I think Bob's an amazing artist because he is constantly changin' like he said it "I go to sleep as one person and wake up as another, i am changing all the time". My massage here is to tell you that this is a great album and so is all of Bob's work- so Hear his music! Read his lyrics! see his interviews and shows ant let him change you like he changed me.

5 comments about Abraxas.

1. I borrowed this disc from my sister to see if it was worth laying out a premium for it in the aftermarket. Buyer beware...this is a poor production. The bass is almost non-existent. The highs are overblown and the mix unto itself is bizarre. If you want to pay a premium for an audiophile version of Abraxas then treat yourself to the stereo SACD. It's really ashame as this would have been great album in 5.1 if done properly.



2. Santana-Abraxas ****1/2
   
   When some people think of the Gibson SG guitar they think of Angus Young of AC/DC or Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath or sometimes even Pete Townsend of The Who, and while all of those are great guitarists, None of them was able to make that baby cry like Carlos Santana was on the groups first two albums. Weaving his guitar lines through hit singles like their reading of the (original) Fleetwood Macs 'Black Magic Women' and 'Oye Como Va' for the mainstream to hear that the guitar could be played more than just one way....with passion.
   
   Passion is what fueled Abraxas, the passion to make a better album than their first. This certainly did become a bigger album, and even to this day is the bands signature release, and while I myself am partial to the debut, I must give this the recognition it deserves.
   
   Songs like the Aretha Franklin meets Miles Davis 'Incident At Nesbar' and the rocking 'Hope Your Feeling Better' are straight up rockers. The former contains a fantastic organ solo from Rolie, and the latter has amazing production and a catchy chorus, not to mention some amazing wha-wha pedal work from Carlos. The Carlos original 'Samba Pa Ti' transcends beauty with power to create one of the most sublime recordings in all of rock, rivaled only by his own 'Europa' which would come a few albums later. 'Se A Cabo' 'Mothers Daughter' and 'El Nicoya' show the percussion of the band as heard on the debut, and that is my only complaint with Abraxas is that the Latin and African rhythm has almost all but disappeared.
   
   Santana set out to make a great rock n' roll record with Abraxas and ultimately that is what they did. I loved the debut because of it's variety and instrumental prowess into multiple genres and worldly music, some of that was lost here, but this still remains a great rock album, and one of the all time best in fact.
   
   Now some releases of Abraxas come with three bonus tracks. 'Se A Cabo' and 'Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen' are both here live recorded at The Royal Albert Hall in 1970, but 'Toussaint L'Overture' is also included live from that same show, and it is one hell of a performance. So if you have the choice of either the original version or with the bonus tracks go for the extra as it costs the same and is way worth it.



3. And this is even better than the last one, or any other Santana album, for that matter! They're broadening out here, with some tracks even leaning towards fusion ("Incident at Neshabur") or even progressive rock ("Singing Winds, Crying Beasts"), and the branching out results in goodness - I especially dig "Singing Winds", an underrated song with a great atmosphere, though I also adore Rollie's piano solo on "Incident". Of course, the real selling point behind this is the pair of massive FM hits, which both are classics of the era. The group's creepy retelling of "Black Magic Woman" (with the rapid, fantastic guitar solo "Gypsy Queen" included on the end) is the bigger of the two, but my favorite is "Oye Como Va". It's not just because of Carlos, though his playing is up to his usual standard, but Gregg Rollie's organ solo is quite excellent too, and the percussion is awesome. And, of course, both of these songs are covers. Now, when they try to compose their own rock songs, things get a bit uglier. "Mother's Daughter" is poor generic blues complete with mock-Clapton vocals; "Hope You're Feeling Better" is a pale Hendrix imitation. But there are plenty of great moments to make up for that, especially Carlos' melodic solo "Samba Pa' Ti" (the obvious basis for the later "Europa") and the driving Latin rock of "Se a Cabo". It's not as consistent as the debut, III, or Caravanesari, but it hits higher, more frequent heights than any of them.



4. This is a review of the sound quality of the latest MoFi remastering of this album, NOT a review of the merit or stature of Abraxas (we already know it is classic).
   
   Having had several iterations of this album over the years, most recently the last Sony remaster, this MoFi blows everything else away. Incredible clarity, great 3-dimensional imaging... it's hard to believe that after all these years, Sony hasn't been able to get so much musical information out of the mastertape for their previous releases of Abraxas and that MoFi just did. I should note that the earlier MoFi release of this paled in comparison. It was surpassed by the last remastering of Abraxas that Sony did, BUT it was state of the art at time of release, and that's been many, many years ago... FIVE STARS!!!



5. If you think to spent your money on this DTS, save it.
   If you already have it and think that it sounds good, please send me your recommendations in order that I can hear it to.
   It's the worst mix of the century.

5 comments about Aha Shake Heartbreak.

1. This album is awesome from the first song to the last. It is a complete work of art. These guys are super talented. Each time I listen to the album I hear something new and like it a little bit more. I have had it for over a year now and I'm still not tired of it.



2. This cd is great! Had one before, but got lost in the move or something. Came to Amazon to find it and I did for a fraction of the price. Mint condition and Excellent!



3. Ok, this being the second KOL release it has a lot to live up to. But it does so and admirably. KOL is one of the first bands in recent memory to have that "Southern sound" that is both fresh and place-centric. The first album was amazing even through its use of simple chords and straight forward arrangements. I loved it. Aha Shake Heartbreak still respects its Southern roots and rock and roll sensibility, but it is certainly more mature. Both musically and lyrically.
   As an after-the-fact-review, I must admit I also own the third album and listen to it frequently. I like it, but not as much as the first two. If you are a fan (or perhaps even if not) get it too. But this is the best. I look forward to the next release and hope KOL keeps growing and putting out some of the best current American rock-and-roll.



4. I heard about Kings of Leon in 2004 when the single "The Bucket" was released. I have to admit I wasn't a fan at first, but the song grew on me and I decided to purchase the album. Each and every song on the album, but one, is absolutely terrific and demands repeat listens.
   
   From the get go on "Slow Night, So Long" the musical creativity just flows from the speakers. The lyrics are not overly inspriring but still memorable enough to sing along with. The better songs on the album would have to be "Taper Jean Girl", "The Bucket" & "Pistol of Fire".
   
   The reasoning that this album does not warrant the five star rating is due to one horrible song. The fifth track, "Milk" is absolutely treacherous. Absent is any real substance other than the occasional gallup drum and bass line that is rather subpar compared to the rest of the work. The vocal arrangement on the track is strained and is just plain wretched.
   
   Other than one mishap on the recording, this is an album that many people will purchase and listen to hundreds, if not, thousands of times. The constant complaining about not being able to add it to an iPOD is absolute rubbish, as well. Anyone with a half-way decent opperating system and understands how to use it will have absolutely no problem adding. Purchase the album and add 11 of the best songs you'll ever listen to your iPOD today, you won't be disappointed.



5. The boys have created a decent album, with a few memorable tunes and other that won't grab your attention, unless you're into quirky lyrics without restrictions and into southern USA & its implications.

5 comments about The Best of Hootie & the Blowfish (1993 Thru 2003).

1. This CD is compiled with some of the greatest songs from Hootie and the Blowfish and every song on the disc is great. I haven't listened to any other CD of mine since I got it about a month ago! Once the CD was ordered it only took two days to arrive in perfect condition.



2. A MUST HAVE for a big Hootie and the Blowfish fan!! Every song is great, and will get stuck in your head for days.



3. I personally cannot review this cd because I bought it as a gift for someone, but that someone said it is an AWESOME cd! So, if you are a Hootie fan, and the recipent most definitely was, I would not hesitate to recommend this cd. Besides, it has like every hit song they did, how can you go wrong??? I'm glad to see that Hootie is still around. Makes me feel not so old!!!! Enjoy it! Oh, and I AM going to get this for myself too!!!



4. Recieved this cd within several days. Original packaging, cd in excellent condition and exactly what I ordered. Enjoying the music.



5. I REALLY ENJOYED THIS CD! CONTAINS ALL THE SONGS
   WE KNOW AND LOVE....WOULD MAKE A GREAT GIFT!

5 comments about Loverboy Classics: Their Greatest Hits.

1. Canadian band Loverboy released their debut to little or no notice in 1980. After almost slipping into oblivion, the new-wavey keyboards and funky bassline of "Turn Me Loose" caught on with a few rock radio programmers, then rippled out to become a national smash. The follow-up, the propulsive "The Kid Is Hot Tonight," followed suit.
   
   These set the stage for Loverboy's career. Synthesizers that sounded very much of the 80's, Mike Reno's distinctive voice and guitarist Paul Dean's hot licks proved to be a potent combination, making Loverboy akin to many of the era's album rockers. (Think Foreigner, Journey, REO Speedwagon or Bon Jovi.) The second album, Get Lucky, contained one of the best known Friday Afternoon radio staples in "Working For The Weekend" (great three stroke cowbell there!). "Get Lucky" was so loaded with hits that it comprises the bulk of this CD.
   
   The follow up was Keep It Up, which seemed to indicate that the band was kind of in on the critics hate us/fans love us joke...after all, once you "get lucky," you're going to have to "keep it up." It managed again to lay down hits with "Hot Girls in Love." But when the band tried to toughen up the sound on Lovin' Every Minute of It, things didn't click quite as hard. The chain-gang call-and-response of the title track was interesting, but the temptation to take on power-ballads (the top-ten "This Could Be The Night") tilt the balance away from the band's solid party rock. Wildside tried hard to get the mojo back, with the Bon Jovi cowritten single "Notorious" the best thing there (and includes the immortal couplet "Little girl don't you hesitate/Cause you're using live bait").
   
   Dean and Reno got the solo artist bug and broke up the band afterwards, although a reunited Loverboy still records and tours. This is a solid document of a band that knew exactly what they were doing and were more than happy to deliver with a wink and a smile. The hilarious liner notes by bassist Scott Smith (who tragically drowned in a 2000 boating accident) note that the soundtrack ballads "Heaven in Your Eyes (from Top Gun)" and "Almost Paradise (from Footloose)" are included so they could "sell more of this collection." Slick, funny and multi-platinum...what more could you ask for from a hitmaking 80's hair band?



2. I am dissappointed that Bullet In The Chamber isn't on this but all in all it's classic Loverboy. If you like Loverboy you will love this cd.



3. Think about it. Loverboy is a band that doesn't exactly fit the stale arena rock mold because of their sheer propensity for fun. But then again, their quasi-proggy keyboards don't exactly translate into the hairspray crowd's standard repetoire. As such, I think purchasing this compilation can not only lead to the acquisition of one heck of a party album, but it can also serve as an anthropological study.
   
   Ugh, that sounds pretentious, but it's worth pondering.
   
   Anyhoo, the tracks here are all, for the most part, superb pieces of 80s pop rock. "Working for the Weekend" and "Turn Me Loose" are the obvious highlights, but the collection is laden with highlights. In fact, every song is a 4 to 5 star track in its own right. Well, except for the ponderous "Lovin' Every Minute of It." That one's just dull. Everything else is a blast, though. The best thing is that the songs are peppered with a most amusing kind of synth workouts that just accentuate the goodness of the material. Fantastic.
   
   Overall, fans of music from Kansas to Poison will enjoy this. This is upbeat music to celebrate the good times in a rockin' manner, but it's also got a pseudo-intelligent gloss over it. Great stuff, and a definite value. Buy it today!



4. Including Mike's weak duet with Ann Wilson of Heart ( by far a stronger vocilist then you Mike...so let her shine ...next time ) can't be right...
   
   Were the heck is Strike Zone....one of their best songs on their last origianal run albums..Still very good...but definitly misses in some key areas!



5. I've always liked Loverboy, they had some very great songs. This disc, though maybe not as extensive as it could be, is good enough, in my opinion. It contains the songs I like and it brings back a lot of great memories. If you're a Loverboy fan and you want more songs, you'll have to get at least one more CD, of theirs, to give you all you want. As for me, I'm content with this compilation. Recommended for the 80's rock fan.

5 comments about Yellow Submarine (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).

1. What if the Beatles had released this album without the movie. And if they themselves had written the orchestral music on the B-side. And released this as an epic semi-progressive rock tale about a Yellow Submarine. Then this might have been a real classic album in the progressive rock genre, almost a year before King Crimson appeared.
   But when we know that these songs were just thrown together, 2 of them previously released, 2 of them from the archives being Sgt Pepper-rejects, and the orchestral score of course being written by George Martin for a film, then it's considered a disappointment. Even if the music in both cases sounds exactly the same. Isn't that an interesting thought?
   My advise is this: take YELLOW SUBMARINE with a grain of salt and find that it's an interesting mix between whacky psychedelic rock and lovely classical sounding music. And all in a good spirit. The result is actually not too far from TALES OF MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION by Alan Parsons Project.



2. Yellow Submmarine is unique. You have to remember it is a soundtrack to the movie. They do Yellow Submarine and All You need is love from other albums.
   They do however come out with four new songs.
   John contributes Hey Bulldog, which has alot of energy and is probably the best of the rour new tunes.
   McCartney contributes the very simple but catchy, All together now, which is not up to his usual standard, but not bad.
   Harrison does Its only a Northern Song which was written when he was fueding with his publishing company. George Harrison at this point in the career of the Beatles, was writing his best music.
   It's all too much is another Harrison song, but to me is not as favored as Northern Song.
   The rest is soundtrack music for the film. This is certainly not their best album, but for Beatle addicts like myself it is worth purchasing to complete the collection.



3. I was puzzled by the re-issue of the Yellow Submarine soundtrack's omission of George Martin's brilliant score, which set the tone for the film more than the periodic Beatles song. Not knocking the Beatles mind you, but not underrating George Martin.
   
   For tuned-in boomers, this is one of the soundtracks of their youth.



4. Okay, I must admit although I thought I knew what I was purchasing, I was disappointed at first with the CD in the reality that it didn't have all the songs from the movies. But after listening too it, I am glad I purchased it and have come to appreciate and enjoy the instrumentals. This is a George Martin project more than the Beatles....but that ain't bad.



5. When one looks back at the Beatles 13 studio albums, "Yellow Submarine" (1969) is not the one people usually point out as their favorite. "Yellow Submarine" is sort of like the Rodney Dangerfield of Beatle albums in the sense that it doesn't get any respect. Thrown in with twelve classic albums though, the standards are pretty high. That said, even if "Yellow Submarine" isn't a masterpiece by the Beatles standards, it's still worth owning if you are a fan.
   
   The first half of "Yellow Submarine" consists of six songs, two previously released and four new recordings. While the inclusion of the title track "Yellow Submarine" and "All you Need is Love" may be redundant for people who own "Revolver" (1966) and "Magical Mystery Tour" (1967) their presence really fits the flow and feel of the album and their inclusion works in the album's favor. "Only a Northern Song," written by George Harrison is spacey, psychedelic and thoroughly engrossing. It just sort of picks you up and takes you for a ride. "Only a Northern Song" was actually meant to be included on "Sgt. Pepper" and why it was left off makes no sense to me as I feel it stands as one of Harrison's finest compositions. McCartney's sing-along "All Together Now" is pretty lame, but still kind of fun. Lennon's "Hey Bulldog" kicks all kinds of ass and is one of the most rocking, ballsy, underrated songs he ever wrote in the Beatles. Another psychedelic Harrison composition, "It's All Too Much" is maybe a little more subdued that "Only a Northern Song" yet is as strong.
   
   The remaining seven songs are quasi-classical instrumental pieces composed by Beatles producer George Martin. While I don't listen to the instrumental side of "Yellow Submarine" all that much, I still enjoy it. While Martin's compositions may not be great art, they are still pleasant and the music is tuneful and soothing.
   
   I rate this album so low not because the music is mediocre, but rather because when "Abbey Road" and "Revolver" are the standard, the bar is set pretty high. Three of the new songs on this album, "Only a Northern Song," "Hey Bulldog" and "It's All Too Much" stand as some of the Beatles best music and I'd rate each of those five stars. And while Martin's instrumental side may not be brilliant, it's still memorable in its own right.

5 comments about Stranger in Town.

1. Any Bob Segar fan who was of age when this ablums was originally released should be able to remember it with a great fondness.



2. This album features one of the GREATEST and prettiest songs Seger ever wrote- "Till it Shines". THAT is a fantastic song! In fact, this is one pretty solid album overall, with only the atrocious "Old Time Rock and Roll" doing a nice job irritating the heck out of me. Seger sure had some brilliant songs, and I'm really happy this is yet another solid album. Yes, it was one of his most popular albums, but you can't argue with the quality of the songwriting and Seger's excellent voice. "Feel Like a Number" is another song worth hearing for its excellent vocals and rocking vibe, not to mention featuring lyrics I can relate to.



3. I had ordered a used copy from another buyer through amazon. I got the order confirmation and waited. I finally received a refund notice in my email with no explanation...nothing. So I ordered another one through Amazon. Got it within a week. Fast. Thanks.



4. Is there anything better than the version of "Old Time Rock & Roll" done by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band? Not for my money, there isn't.
   
   And 1978's Stranger in Town is full of great rockin' tracks like that. "Hollywood Nights" is a true rock n' roll classic, and "Feels Like a Number" and "Ain't Got No Money" have that same bluesy rockin' vibe that infuses this album with a good amount of old fashioned rock n' roll fun.
   
   This is balanced by Seger's great ability to pen a more thoughtful, softer rock tune, as he does in "Still the Same," "We've Got Tonite," and "The Famous Final Scene."
   
   It all adds up to a great, classic album. Not Seger's best, but still very strong and thoroughly enjoyable.



5. Great music from track one until the end! Really takes me back! Not his most commercially successful peice but I highly recommend it to any fan of Seger!

5 comments about Nebraska.

1. Twelve and a half years after the release of his debut, Greetings from Asbury Park N.J. and two years after The River was delivered, Bruce Springsteen gave us Nebraska. This 1982 record represented an abrupt change in direction for this most popular of American artists. Springsteen's new course was so surprising and dramatic that you would be hard-pressed to find adequate words to describe it to a fan who had not yet been exposed. Gone are the horns; gone are Springsteen's electric guitar solos; gone are the anthems. We are no longer cruising in Jersey. We have moved to the mid-west and we are running from murder. Rock music is replaced by folk music - not gentle folk music either, but, rather, sparse music that is roots-driven, edgy and minimalist. We have Springsteen, his acoustic guitar and his harmonica. There is no-one else. On his prior recordings Springsteen told many stories that were not exactly uplifting. He wrote of economic and romantic hardships. On Nebraska he addresses violent death, the narrator's longing for a time when life was better and suicidal depression brought on by plant closings. The bleakness is unrelenting. The narrator of each song is at one stage of despair or another. Some suggest that the final cut, Reason to Believe, offers some hope. I don't think so. These people may think that they have a reason to believe but in reality they are done like toast.
   
   If you love Born to Run or Born in the USA there is absolutely no guaranty that you'll appreciate Nebraska. By the same token, if you are turned off by Springsteen's "anthemic" rockers but enjoy, say, the moody cds released by Johnny Cash in his last years then this may be for you.. Nebraska doesn't represent "popular" music. These aren't background songs for a cocktail party! The record is not an easy listen. However, if you do play it you must listen. The power is in the lyrics.



2. If you painted pictures from these songs, they'd be in starkest black and white with splashes of red. The music itself is stark--just Bruce singing with his guitar and a harmonica howling sharp.
   
   The title track is probably one of the scariest songs I have ever heard. The opening lyrics will make your hair stand up on end:
   
   "I saw her standin' on her front lawn just twirlin' her baton
   Me and her went for a ride sir and ten innocent people died"
   
   If Bruce isn't talking killers, he's talking cops. In "Highway Patrolman", Sgt Joe Roberts has got to put up with family trouble:
   
   "Now ever since we was young kids it's been the same come down
   I get a call over the radio Franky's in trouble downtown
   Well if it was any other man, I'd put him straight away
   But when it's your brother sometimes you look the other way..."
   
   There's poor kids watching how the rich live in "Mansion on the Hill," driving in the dark in "Open all Night," and a whole lot more. It's harsh, but in some cases hopeful. This is definitely not a party album or one you would listen to if you were needing to be cheered up, but the storytelling's some of the most solid around.
   
   Rebecca Kyle, June 2008



3. Take your car on a late afternoon and drive to a wide open place far from the city, with short wild vegetation and rocky mountains in the background. Find a spot beside the road where to park your car, get off and walk to some old abandoned rusty car frame.
   Sit down, while the sun is setting and the soft wind is clanging against and through the metal.
   Listen. This is Nebraska.



4. The atmospheric sound of this classic album is made up of only voice, guitar and harmonica. The stories are told in compelling imagery over stately melodies. Although the sentiment is deeply melancholic, the promise of redemption is never entirely absent. Places like Lincoln, Atlantic City, Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, Johnstown, Wyoming and Linden Town provide the setting for these tales of nostalgia, trouble and heartbreak.
   
   If you've seen the 1973 movie Badlands (Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen) you'll have a more profound understanding of the title track. Both it and Mansion on the Hill are slow and mournful whilst Atlantic City has a lilting beat and Johnny 99 is edgy with its nervous guitar riffs that also infuse State Trooper, a song that thematically relates to Highway Patrolman.
   
   Springsteen's characteristic car and road imagery surfaces in Used Cars with its poignant childhood recollections as well as in Open All Night, an uptempo rock song, the only one on the album. The line "radios jammed up with gospel stations, lost souls callin' lost distance salvation" reminds me of Far Away Eyes by the Stones, a tongue-in-cheek country song on Some Girls. For some reason, it also makes me think of Hank Williams.
   
   Guilt, remorse and the yearning for redemption are expressed in vivid oneiric imagery on the haunting track My Father's House. Reason to Believe concludes this outstanding album on an uplifting note with the observation that people ultimately do find meaning. It echoes a similar hope earlier expressed in Atlantic City, the notion that perhaps everything that dies someday comes back. Its simplicity, profundity and power make Nebraska a masterpiece and a highly influential work.



5. Sparse, stark and brilliant--Springsteen at his best--all alone with just an acoustic guitar and a harmonica. When I first heard this one(many years ago) I wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but after a couple more listens it grew on me more and more until it really became one of my favorite Springsteen albums. I love his stuff with the E St. Band, but this is a nice change of pace--The Boss at his basic best.Give this one a couple of serious listens and I bet you'll come away feeling the same.

5 comments about Don't Look Back.

1. I purchased this CD, for a good price from Amazon, to replace the heavily scratched original which kept skipping. I've since ripped this to my MP3 player.
   
   I've got to say, the remaster has a little more dynamics, but the biggest difference is the liner notes. Where the original only had a few lines and photos (my favorite quote is from Tom, "Thanks to CBS for their patience" a sarcastic remark for rushing him to finish the album), this album has more photos and a 'critique' if you will from a friend of Tom's.
   
   Tom may have been rushed into making the album, but it was the '70s. Every record label was pushing their artists to put out an album every year, sometimes more. As a Rush fan, Neil Peart once spoke of 'finally emerging from a long, dark tunnel' after which the band put out no fewer than 11 albums in 8 years (1974-1981). Record and tour, that was the way things were done back then.
   
   Obviously, this album doesn't sound nowhere near as tight as the first or third albums. But there are still 4-5 really good songs on the album; not a bad sophmore recording if you ask me.



2. Boston's follow up to their #1 selling debut record. Another excellent recording that no collection should be without. Title track "Don't Look back" is an excellent track that still gets tons of radio play today. Combined with other excellent tracks like a man I'll never be and Used to bad news. Don't hesitate on buying this great LP from one of the most respected rock and roll bands of all time. Enjoy!



3. This CD brought back alot of old memories also as well as the other CD's I've ordered.



4. The perception is that this was a disappointing follow-up to their spectacular debut. However, if you listen to it today, without the unfair comparisons to the first album, you realize this is just more great music from an underrated, overcritized band.
   Ironically, the biggest complaint about the album when it came out was that it took "so long" for them to release their second album. It was only 2 years! Now, a lot of bands go five years between releases.
   The centerpiece of the album, for me is "A Man I'll Never Be." This brilliant, gut-wrenching" song is especially poignant now with the suicide of lead singer Brad Delp. Fortunately, Brad lives on forever in this incredible vocal.



5. THE BAND: Tom Scholz (guitars, piano), Brad Delp (vocals, guitar), Barry Goudreau (guitar), Fran Sheehan (bass), Sib Hashian (drums & percussion).
   
   THE DISC: (1978) 8 tracks clocking in at approximately 33 minutes. Remastered* edition released in 2006. Included with the disc* is a 10-page booklet containing song titles/credits, 4-page intro from writer David Wild, numerous band photos, and thank you's. All songs written by Tom Scholz, except "Party" (by Scholz and Delp) and "Used To Bad News" (by Delp). Label - Sony/Legacy/Epic.
   
   COMMENTS: After Boston's amazing '76 debut, their next album was bound to be a let down (after all, their 1st album is still the all-time selling debut, ever). But can you really compare them? I prefer not to. I don't compare Led Zeppelin's first album to their 2nd, Van Halen's 1st to their 2nd, or Nirvana's "Nevermind" to "In Utero". I accept these 2nd releases for what they are... sometimes a continuation, other times a complete departure. Though "Don't Look Back" took 2 years in the making, I think of it as a continuation. Similar songs - similar sounds - trademark guitars and Delp's soaring vocals. It's a good rock album. Though honestly, if I'm in the mood for some Boston, 4 out of 5 times I still pull out their debut. As the numbers go, "Don't Look Back" reached #1 on the Billboard pop charts in 1978 and had 3 hits - "Don't Look Back" (#4), "A Man I'll Never Be" (#31), and "Feelin' Satisfied" (#46). With 4 million albums sold in the 1st month of it's release, the listening public was clearly hoping for another powerhouse album. For me, the best songs were always the title track, "Party" and "Feelin' Satisfied". The power ballad "A Man I'll Never Be" may have been geared toward the ladies - but to my ears, it was simply too soft with depressing lyrics. "Don't Look Back" also had 2 very obscure tracks - the last 2 songs on the album, "Used To Bad News" and "Don't Be Afraid". Both decent rock songs, but the melodies ultimately forgettable... thus ending the album on a down note. While this album can't match the power of their enduring debut, it's easily the band's 2nd best effort. Label and contract issues came into play on every album after (Boston's 3rd album, "Third Stage" was released an amazing 8 year after "Don't Look Back" to mixed/poor reviews). "Don't Look Back" as a whole is very short. Some will say that you shouldn't mess with a classic. I say the label missed a nice opportunity to fill some space with some unreleased songs or live material from the era. Remastered sound is crisp to a flaw as Scholz himself looked after the project (4 stars).