OK PowWow, here are my thoughts, after playing it. Cool stuff.
1. "Needle in the Camel's Eye" - Reminds me a lot of Tusk-era Fleetwood Mac, where Lindsey Buckingham did most of the work. Which is a compliment, good tune.
Probably the best track. The guitar rhythm in the middle is definitely very cool and tasteful.
2. "The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch" - Very cool music-scape.
3. "Baby's on Fire" - Really like the guitar-riffing in it, and the abrupt ending.
4. "Cindy Tells Me" - Probably the most pop-sounding song, good hooks.
5. "Driving Me Backwards" - Provides a mystic mesmerizing atmosphere. Very cool. Reminds me a little of Pink Floyd's first album stuff.
6. "On Some Faraway Beach" - Cool instrumental, wonder if The Eagles got the idea for "Best of My Love" from the first part of the repeating riff. The solo piano at
the end of it is the best part.
7. "Blank Frank" - Reminds me of something Lennon would do with The Beatles if left to his own devices. Like "Polythene Pam" on sterroids.
8. "Dead Finks Don't Talk" - Probably his best vocal performance so far on this, though the lyrics are abstract.
That guitar player, who is it? Looks like Brian Eno from the credits. Sounds good.
9. "Some of Them Are Old." - I'll bet George Harrison would have liked to take a try at the slide guitar items going on in this song, reminds me of him a lot. Love the
synth guitar thing in the solo too, a nice big sound; but the top guitar synth solo would have to be in "Sunset Grill" by Don Henley, as pretty sure that's a synth
guitar.
10. "Here Come the Warm Jets" - Great feel to it, works really well. Straightforward musical theme, with not too much clutter.
Star Rating: 4.2 out of 5
Prime Cuts: "Needle in the Camel's Eye", "On Some Faraway Beach", "Some of Them Are Old", "Here Come the Warm Jets"
Bottom Line: Interesting soundscapes and music from rock and roll's perhaps most ambient musician.
Definitely a solid album, that keeps the interest throughout. Seems like he can do more to showcase his good vocals; and in some cases reduce the clutter of the
ambient soundscape, because most of the better moments on the album are when there is less rather than more.
My jury has always been out on his involvement on Paul Simon's "Surprise" CD. But now, understanding Brian Eno and what he is all about a little bit better, I want to go and give that CD a fresh listen, and see what I think now.
Thanks for the introduction to Brian Eno, PowWow, definitely someone I've always meant to check out but never had a much chance to.
Jim