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Post by kds on Jul 22, 2019 14:14:37 GMT
I've been a tad lax on these. Quite frankly, it's summer, and I'm in too good of a mood to really gripe.
But, since it's summer, I've been listening to a lot of Jimmy Buffett music. And it's recently struck me that, in the grand scheme of things, the guy gets little to no respect as an artist. You almost never hear his name in discussion for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His music almost never pops up on greatest this or greatest that lists.
It's partly due to his own creation. His brand, the Parrotheads, the merch, etc etc. The culture that he's created has pretty much lead to him being considered a novelty act. The Beach Boys have sort of dealt with this as well, however, Mr. Buffett doesn't quite have a Pet Sounds caliber album in his repertoire for people to point to, nor does he have anything as daring as Smile.
But, I think his early stuff in particular has a lot of merit, before he went full on trop rock. I honestly believe had the Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes album been an Eagles album, it would be regarded as a classic. Had A Pirate Looks at Forty been a Springsteen song, it would be on heavy rotation on Classic Rock radio.
So, this isn't really so much a gripe as much as an observation. And, I kinda get it too. The whole Parrothead culture is going to be a turn off for serious music fans. In my early 20s, I used to scoff at the whole thing too. And Buffett seems to be one of those love it or hate it kind of artists.
I'm also guilty in the pigeonholing, as I pretty much only listen to Buffett's music in the warmer months. I love to sit in the heat and humidity, with a cold beer, and some Buffett playing. But, as I began to explore his 70s albums beyond just the tracks on the Songs You Know By Heart comp (ie. the yellow album), it's struck me that there's a lot of really solid music there that tends to be overlooked or downplayed for one reason or another.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 22, 2019 15:17:53 GMT
This response might appear a little negative but it's not supposed to be. I respect Buffett's work, and it wouldn't be summer without hearing some Jimmy Buffett on the radio. But, I can't say that I'm a fan.
Back when I was DJing, I purchased a Jimmy Buffett Greatest Hits CD to utilize as atmosphere music or dinner music. I did get the occasional request, usually for "Margaritaville". I did listen to the entire CD, looking for some of the deeper material that you alluded to in your post.
I don't know...I guess I think that Jimmy Buffett got the most out of his talent. He wasn't blessed with rock star looks (though that's not essential, that's not his image, and he looks fine), his voice is pleasant enough with a wink-in-his-eye quality. I don't think many people associate him with his musicianship. I think he got a lot of mileage out of a handful of songs.
Does Jimmy appear on many lists as candidates for the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame? On a Beach Boys' note, he did cover "Sail On Sailor" though I wasn't overly impressed. Gee, I guess I am being negative. Maybe I should give his catalogue a deeper listen.
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Post by kds on Jul 22, 2019 15:43:49 GMT
If you ever feel compelled to go deeper into his catalog, I would start with his 70s albums - namely A1A, Changes in Latitudes Changes in Attitudes, Havana Daydreamin', Son of a Son of a Sailor, etc. By the mid 80s, he settled into his trop rock persona, and I think, while still enjoyable, the songwriting took a step backwards (sort of like The Beach Boys post Endless Summer, you can almost put a dividing rod after Buffett's SYKBH comp).
I get what you're saying, nobody listens to Buffett for great musicianship, but I think his songwriting, particularly in the early days, is very good.
And I know I'm in the minority among BB fans, but I do like Buffett's version of Sail on Sailor. Also, on the BB front, South American is one of my all time favorite Brian Wilson solo songs.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 22, 2019 18:20:23 GMT
Also, on the BB front, South American is one of my all time favorite Brian Wilson solo songs. Now that one I like. Even though it was copy of "Kokomo", I always felt that "South American" was Brian's best chance at a hit single. Well, probably ever.
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Post by kds on Jul 22, 2019 18:54:36 GMT
Also, on the BB front, South American is one of my all time favorite Brian Wilson solo songs. Now that one I like. Even though it was copy of "Kokomo", I always felt that "South American" was Brian's best chance at a hit single. Well, probably ever. Maybe with more of a push. But, 1998 wasn't a great time to try to score a hit with a collaboration between a former Beach Boys and Jimmy Buffett. I think Saturday Night could've been a legit hit in 2015, since it seemed like everything Nate Ruess sang on was a hit.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 22, 2019 20:12:30 GMT
Now that one I like. Even though it was copy of "Kokomo", I always felt that "South American" was Brian's best chance at a hit single. Well, probably ever. Maybe with more of a push. But, 1998 wasn't a great time to try to score a hit with a collaboration between a former Beach Boys and Jimmy Buffett. I think Saturday Night could've been a legit hit in 2015, since it seemed like everything Nate Ruess sang on was a hit. Yes, I like "Saturrday Night" a lot, too. I wonder how much Brian had to do with that song other than the bridge?
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Post by kds on Jul 23, 2019 12:11:39 GMT
Maybe with more of a push. But, 1998 wasn't a great time to try to score a hit with a collaboration between a former Beach Boys and Jimmy Buffett. I think Saturday Night could've been a legit hit in 2015, since it seemed like everything Nate Ruess sang on was a hit. Yes, I like "Saturrday Night" a lot, too. I wonder how much Brian had to do with that song other than the bridge? That's a whole other ball of wax. Similarly, I suspect South American was much more Buffett than Brian, as it sounds very similar to the material Buffett was doing at the time, and really sounds like an outlier on the Imagination album.
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Post by kds on May 23, 2022 14:49:13 GMT
I'm bumping this thread to post my personal Top 50 Jimmy Buffett songs without derailing the Top Lists thread
1. A Pirate Looks at 40 2. Son of a Son of a Sailor 3. Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes 4. Trying to Reason With Hurricane Season 5. Wonder Why We Ever Go Home 6. Remittance Man 7. Tin Cup Chalice 8. Nobody Speaks to the Captain No More 9. Come Monday 10. One Particular Harbor
11. The Slow Lane 12. Banana Republics 13. Colour of the Sun 14. When the Coast is Clear 15. Cheeseburger in Paradise 16. He Went to Paris 17. Oceans of Time 18. Cowboy in the Jungle 19. Beach House on the Moon 20. Boat Drinks
21. Margaritaville 22. Fins 23. Slack Tide 24. In the Shelter 25. Biloxi 26. Changing Channels 27. The Captain and the Kid 28. Floridays 29. Jolly Mon Sing 30. The Last Mango in Paris
31. Boats to Build 32. Jamaica Mistaica 33. Coconut Telegraph 34. Growing Older, but Not Up 35. We Are the People Are Parents Warned Us About 36. Barefoot Children 37. Landfall 38. Migration 39. Havana Daydreamin’ 40. Nautical Wheelers
41. Beautiful Swimmers 42. Volcano 43. Survive 44. In the Shelter 45. Coast of Marseilles 46. Semi True Stories 47. Fruitcakes 48. Bama Breeze 49. Oysters and Pearls 50. Brahma Fear
EDIT - I realized I forgot to include Survive, so I'd just swapped out the cover of Sail On Sailor for Survive at #43.
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Post by lonelysummer on May 27, 2022 0:37:18 GMT
I'm most familiar with the Buffett stuff from the 70's and 80's. I love the sound of those early albums - they're almost country. Country rock? Some great songs there - He Went to Paris, The Captain and the Kid, Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season, Ballad of Spider John, Pencil Thin Mustache, Come Monday, Banana Republics, Biloxi, Treat Her Like a Lady. I think I liked his stuff less as his band got larger, and it became more heavily tropical and less country or rock.
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Post by kds on May 27, 2022 12:16:17 GMT
I'm most familiar with the Buffett stuff from the 70's and 80's. I love the sound of those early albums - they're almost country. Country rock? Some great songs there - He Went to Paris, The Captain and the Kid, Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season, Ballad of Spider John, Pencil Thin Mustache, Come Monday, Banana Republics, Biloxi, Treat Her Like a Lady. I think I liked his stuff less as his band got larger, and it became more heavily tropical and less country or rock. I tend to agree. I gravitate most to Buffett's earlier material. I still like his late 80s and 90s stuff, but he tended to get into a bit of a trop rock / paint by numbers Buffett pattern by then. I will say, if you enjoy the earlier, country-esque Buffett, his 21st Century output is worth checking out. After the success of It's Five O Clock Somewhere with Alan Jackson in 2003, Buffett re-embraced his country roots on subsequent albums. His albums from 2004's License to Chill to 2020's Life on the Flip Side sound more in tune with his earlier work.
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Post by kds on Jun 1, 2022 13:44:51 GMT
I was thinking randomly the other day about the 1985 Jimmy Buffett compilation - Songs You Know By Heart.
Back in the summer of 2006, at the same time I purchased Sounds of Summer, I also bought a used copy of SYKBH on Amazon to add to my summer music library.
I was thinking about it, as it's a compilation from a bygone era. It was released before CD's really became the dominant medium, and long before digital music. Back when compilations were sometimes album length. SYKBH is just over 42 minutes long (13 songs). There's actually a bit of an ebb and flow to it, as opposed to many modern compilations that tend to fit as much music as possible across two discs, without any real regard for a running order, often just putting the songs on unimaginatively in chronological order.
I think a concise compilation like SYKBH is a little more inviting to fans. It gives you a good taste of Buffett's music, without being overwhelming. To me, the length welcomes repeat listens. And, for me, it was those repeat listens that finally steered me towards the rest of the man's catalog.
This is probably why it's still widely popular. It might not be the "definitive" or "essential" song collection. But, it's warm, it's enticing, and it's fan friendly.
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Post by Kapitan on Jun 1, 2022 13:50:30 GMT
For many artists, I also think a single-disc compilation is just the most appropriate. Often a single album--say 12-16 songs?--can literally include all the hits, and maybe then some. Especially of those artists a person might be most interested in just hearing the hits. (If somebody has 35 or 45 great, great songs, you might be more interested in buying some albums, too. There is likely more than just hits to those artists, even if the catalogs are intimidating.)
Obviously some super-fans will always be upset that this or that cult classic didn't make it, but for plenty of people, I'd say one album's worth of hits or favorites is enough.
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Post by kds on Jun 1, 2022 14:43:27 GMT
For many artists, I also think a single-disc compilation is just the most appropriate. Often a single album--say 12-16 songs?--can literally include all the hits, and maybe then some. Especially of those artists a person might be most interested in just hearing the hits. (If somebody has 35 or 45 great, great songs, you might be more interested in buying some albums, too. There is likely more than just hits to those artists, even if the catalogs are intimidating.)
Obviously some super-fans will always be upset that this or that cult classic didn't make it, but for plenty of people, I'd say one album's worth of hits or favorites is enough.
I remember when I first really started collecting CDs in high school, many of my purchases were one disc compilations - ie. Journey, The Moody Blues, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Tom Petty, Aerosmith, Deep Purple, etc. Back to Buffett, about a year or two after I bought Songs You Know By Heart, I did find a two disc compilation called Meet Me in Margaritaville. That collection got far less spins in my early, more casual fandom days. It didn't help that many of his classics were re-recorded specifically for that comp for some reason. Plus, the one disc comps are better for the car.
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Post by kds on Jun 3, 2022 14:25:52 GMT
I've been buying some Buffett CDs lately to try to complete my collection. Listening to Off to See the Lizard (1989), I was struck how much Take Another Road sounds like the title track to SIP.
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Post by lonelysummer on Jun 6, 2022 2:52:49 GMT
I've been buying some Buffett CDs lately to try to complete my collection. Listening to Off to See the Lizard (1989), I was struck how much Take Another Road sounds like the title track to SIP. That's the most recent JB album I have - if you don't count Christmas Island. Lizard suffers from the over production typical of the era. BTW, I do enjoy his Xmas album a lot. I guess he's got a newer one out now.
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