Jimmy Buffett - Far Side of the World
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Free Music Notes for Far Side of the World
Free Music Review: A Mixture of Several Worlds
Hit: 5 Stars
Having been a Buffett fan for thirty years, I've concluded there are no bad Jimmy Buffett albums. In my opinion, some records just seem less consistent than others. Before starting my review I need to clarify a couple of subjects. In other reviews DSTC receives a lot of criticism, it's based on a book, I recommend reading the book and understanding the story before criticizing the record. Buffett did an incredible writing job and it is one of the few concept albums that maintains a flow. Also, some need to get over the fact that he will never write another A1A, let it go, especially worshipers of a certain church and former followers of a large canine. Moving on to FSOTW, it is great, you know it will be special when you hear the opening chants of "Blue Guitar". Buffett says he is not a great guitarist but you'll beg to differ after this great track. In fact everything is great until we come to another Bruce Cockburn cover, "All The Ways I Want You". I believe there are other singer-songwriters Buffett could cover that have more interesting and tuneful songs. ("Pacing the Cage" from BHOTM was the weakest track on that record) I don't understand the reason JB continues to cover his songs, just listen to the songs that bookend it, "Savannah Fare You Well" may be one of the best Buffett songs written and it will please those fans who appreciate his c & w influence. The other song, "Last Man Standing" is a great sequel to "Fool Button" from SOASOAS. In other reviews there was a lot of criticism for the next track, "What If The Hokey-Pokey Is All It Really Is About?" This is so much better than "Math Sucks" from BHOTM and nicely brings out Buffett's playful side. The remaining tracks are quite solid lyrically and musically with my favorites being, "Altered Boy", "USS Zydecoldsmobile" and "Far Side Of The World". For some reason, "USS Zydecoldsmobile" reminds me of the Oldsmobile station wagon that was in the parking lot of Irvine Meadows one year, it had the rigging, cannons and jolly roger just like a pirate ship. Buffett even mentioned the car during the show and it gets a paragraph in the Buffett Scrapbook. "Altered Boy" is Buffett's crooner song on the record, a descendant of "Pencil Thin Mustache" > "Slow Boat To China" > "Honey Do" > "Bob Roberts Society Band". The title track is a nice update of OPH and should supplant that song on the set list. Overall this album seems less self absorbed than BS and BW, also less talking which was becoming annoying. The Buffett I like mixes styles of music and adds clever lyrics. I've always maintained he is the king of the 3 minute song (Just check any record) and an outstanding wordsmith. Most of these songs exceed 3 minutes but his choice of musical styles will engage you.Free Music Review: Well worth the wait!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
This is one of the most interesting albums I have listened to in years. There are songs on here to suit many different tastes. Yet while Jimmy experiments (mostly successfully) with different sounds, they all have a common denominator in that they are uniquely his style. He has an uncanny ability to lend his own signature sound to a bunch of totally different styles and come up with a cohesive album. I thoroughly enjoyed about 9 out of 12 songs on this album, was content with one (hokey pokey), and was only really disappointed by two (Autour de Rocher and Altered Boy). The lyrics for these songs are good, but the music is either too experimental for JB (Autour) or a bit too odd for my taste (Altered Boy).
The rest of the album was a delight for me as a lover of good music, and particularly Buffett music. There are several great up-tempo songs which leave you either tapping your feet or driving a bit too fast if you are in you car listening to this CD. There are great Buffettesque tunes such as "Savannah", "Someday I Will", "Mademoiselle" and "Blue Guitar" which instantly transport you to another place, even though that place may not necessarily be Margaritaville. Perhaps the finest work on the album is the title track, "Far Side of the World", which is one of Jimmy's best songs in years, and would stand up to any "greatest hits" list. Jimmy closes the album with "Tonight I Just Need My Guitar", which is a beautiful acoustic guitar song that harks back to his earlier days. It rounds out the album perfectly in that even though he experiments with all these styles and sounds, ultimately it all comes back to Jimmy being himself.
One glaring omission on this album was the absence of Fingers Taylor. There are several parts which would have sounded great as harp, but are mixed in with accordion. Fingers would have made this "A" album an "A+", and possibly the best work put out by JB and crew.
I highly recommend this album to old and new JB fans, as well as anyone looking for a very diverse sounding, pleasant, fun album. This one gets better and better with each listen.
Free Music Review: The Best Buffett Album in years
Hit: 5 Stars
In 1976, I bought Havana Daydreamin'...I have never enjoyed an artist and the style of music more than Mr. Buffett's...I have enjoyed Buffett's albums of the late 90's, sometimes in a faithful devotee fashion, sometimes in a crank the tunes and wear out the CD mode, and Farside of the World will definitely be of the latter group.The first half of the CD is simply wonderful, with Blue Guitar, Voulez-Vous Danser, Autour Du Rocher, Savannah Fare You Well, and his Bruce Cockburn cover - All the Ways I Want You, alone being worth the price of purchase. The next four songs for me are abit more on the average side, though Altered Boy reminds me strongly of the songs from Somewhere Over China or Last Mango in Paris, and Last Man Standing, while having current production values and sound, has a flavor of some of his ealier songs with a bit of a country twang. Finally the album finishes on a strong note with Someday I Will, the title track, and a final look with Tonight I Just Need My Guitar. In the seventies Buffett's music had a bit of an edge, of an artist at the beginning of a career, and the music of the eighties had some reflection of his high flying partying style, the music of the nineties seemed more to acknowledge his fame, success, and lifestyle of the world's most succesful "beach bum". The Far Side of the World has a little of all of that for me. If you are classic Buffett fan, or Parrotthead, or just thinking of giving him a try finally this album is worth your time and money.
Free Music Review: Buffett's Found What He's Been Looking For
Hit: 5 Stars
It's been quite a long time since Buffett has cranked out a CD with as much flavor and consistently enjoyable sound as Far Side of the World, but it was well worth the wait. All too often you see critics pointing to his earliest work (i.e., the stuff he wrote back when Ford was President) and attempting to make a rigid, unworkable comparison between a songwriter barely out of his twenties to a guy with three kids lookin' at sixty. But in this album, Buffett has actually managed to throw in those untamed lyrics that made him a beach bum icon right along with the relaxed anecdotes and introspection that can only come from years of living the life (or something approaching that) which he writes about. Songs like "Last Man Standing" and "Zydecoldsmobile" have something about them that's vaguely reminiscent of his work in the late 70s early 80s, while "Tonight I Just Need my Guitar" and "Altered Boy" seem to achieve that new groove Buffett has been laboriously attempting to create since Barometer Soup.
All and all, I think this album is fantastic--arguably his best work since Off to See the Lizard. Far Side of the World should undoubtedly be seen as one of the peaks in Buffett's repertoire, the finished product of many years of attempting to create a "new sound" that, while undeniably different, is no less palatable to long-time Parrotheads and aspiring beach bums than A1A or Coconut Telegraph. Enjoy!
Free Music Review: Buffett's Found What He's Been Looking For
Hit: 5 Stars
It's been quite a long time since Buffett has cranked out a CD with as much flavor and consistently enjoyable sound as Far Side of the World, but it was well worth the wait. All too often you see critics pointing to his earliest work (i.e., the stuff he wrote back when Ford was President) and attempting to make a rigid, unworkable comparison between a songwriter barely out of his twenties to a guy with three kids lookin' at sixty. But in this album, Buffett has actually managed to throw in those untamed lyrics that made him a beach bum icon right along with the relaxed anecdotes and introspection that can only come from years of living the life (or something approaching that) which he writes about. Songs like "Last Man Standing" and "Zydecoldsmobile" have something about them that's vaguely reminiscent of his work in the late 70s early 80s, while "Tonight I Just Need my Guitar" and "Altered Boy" seem to achieve that new groove Buffett has been laboriously attempting to create since Barometer Soup.
All and all, I think this album is fantastic--arguably his best work since Off to See the Lizard. Far Side of the World should undoubtedly be seen as one of the peaks in Buffett's repertoire, the finished product of many years of attempting to create a "new sound" that, while undeniably different, is no less palatable to long-time Parrotheads and aspiring beach bums than A1A or Coconut Telegraph. Enjoy!