Well, I managed to nab a copy of the new album a month before it was released and I thought I'd share my thoughts with my phriends on BuffettNews. The new album is, of course, two CDs and is named "Meet Me in Margaritaville" . It has a cheesy as heck cover with at least a 10 year old picture of Jimmy on it.
The second CD totally kicks the first CD's butt. If you and your friend are going 50/50 on this one, you definitely want to claim the second CD as yours.
The tracks that are not "live" or "new" are just the old recordings of the same songs. It seems to me that on some of them (notably Jolly Mon and Last Mango) the sound levels have been adjusted so the instruments are a bit louder and Jimmy is a little softer. This may be to make it flow better, I don't know.
Read my review and comments on the "new" or "live" tracks
Review of the New Album
Moderator: SMLCHNG
Disc 1:
Holiday
For the life of me, I have no idea why this track made it. First of all, I don't exactly think Holiday belongs on a "best of" album. Second of all, I don't think this is a particularly charming recording. Some words are mixed up here and there, some lines reversed...I just think Jimmy could have picked a better one to fill this slot. Oh well, it's still enjoyable.
Pascagoula Run
This is a recording from the 02/05/03 Columbia, SC show. Jimmy does a decent job with this (if you attended a show you know that Jimmy doesn't quite know the words to the first part of the song, so many times he just makes it up). Anyway, I like this pick and it is neat that he incorporated a song from the 2003 tour in the album.
Disc 2:
Everybody's Talkin'
This is the reason you should buy this album. If you liked this in concert, you'll LOVE the studio recording. It's 3 minutes long, and its got a good Carribbean feel to it. At the end, Jimmy goes really low (kind of like in Altered Boy)...you'd have to listen to it to find out just how nice this song really is. I would pay $25 for the album if it only had this song on it. It's that good.
Volcano
Margaritaville.com doesn't have this listed as a new version or a live version, but it is changed. I think he just recorded a new ending and blended it. It's the same up until the end (where Jimmy changes the words around). It says:
But I don't want to land in no Kuwait City
I'd rather be in Mexico
I don't want to land on no Three Mile Island;
I don't want to feel my skin a-glow.
Don't want to land in Sahara(?) Nantucket
Don't want to land in no Negril Bay
I don't want to land in the San Juan airport, where
Five minutes can feel like a day
I'd rather land in New York City
23rd Street is on my way
Don't want to land on no Mullah Omar
That is all I want to say
Clever, I thought...replacing Ayatolla with Mullah Omar. Anyway, yeah that was cool.
Son of a Son of a Sailor
Jimmy gives one of those cheesy intros to this song:
"Seems like were visiting some old songs like you visit friends or ships visit ports. This song first came out of an album called Son of a Son of a Sailor, back when it cost about as much to do an album as it did to do an album cover. This song's had a great ride, and it's still one of my favorites, and always a perennial favorite when we go out on tour. We've got a new set of sails on it this year, and we have the lovely Ms. Nadirah Shakoor, who's going to help us out on this. The Coral Reefers, as always, on the crew, so let's head down on the dock and set sail, shall we boys."
The recording is great. The reefers and Nadirah do a wonderful job as always. At the end Jimmy says:
"Sail on Gardner McKay, sail on Freddy Neil, sail on George Harrison."
Knees of My Heart
Definitely one of the three top songs on this album. Jimmy didn't add anything new to this one, it just sounds good to see it redone. For some reason it seems more "Carribbean" to me as well.
In the Shelter
Jimmy's intro: "We're gonna time travel back to New Orleans to levy along the Mississippi River for an old song with a little new life."
This song, as we have anticipated, has a very slow, Carribbean feel to it. And the girls do one heck of a job on backup. That's all I have to say about that.
Desperation Samba
This is a live recording from the 2002 show...not sure what date. I always liked this song and I'm glad it made it on the album. It's also good live.
Saxophones
Awesome recording, although there was a slight skip on my copy. Oh well, I'll have to wait for the real thing. The Coral Reefer horns are awesome on this song. An awesome instrumental moment...
He Went to Paris
I'm not sure what to think about this song. Jimmy's singing ability has declined over the past 30 years or so. It used to be he could try to sound nice during slow songs and pull it off. It just doesn't work like that anymore. While I'd rather have this song than not have it, and while it fits well on the album, I still say I'd rather have the original version any day.
A Pirate Looks at Forty
This is live, probably from last year, but I can't be sure. Some of you will not like the fact that this song is on the album sans-Fingers. Oh well, I say we must get on and live with it. This is Jimmy and Mac acoustic with very good sound.
Sail on Sailor
For those of you who have seen Jimmy do his Barry Manilow thing in concert (ie take the portable mike and prance around stage although he doesn't know the song), you'll be heartened to know that this is a studio recording so the words are all there. This song is 2 mins 44 secs, and it's pretty good. I was kind of expecting a little better recording. If I were making the album, I'd either raise Jimmy's voice a little or drop the instruments a bit. Lots of bass in this one. If you pump the bass in your car and play this you'll look like a hoodlum
Plus, he doesn't put nearly enough into the part where he goes..."Damn the thunder". That "Damn" is supposed to be loud and emphatic. Oh well. He does it well in concert...sometimes.
The Captain and the Kid
The same thing goes for this as He Went to Paris. Kind of neat, and I like the background music, but I'd rather have the old recording. Good track to close with though.
Just some general comments: Integrating just a few live tracks with the recorded tracks would work if it was done well, but they weren't really selective about it. Flowing Pascagoula Run into Tin Cup Chalice isn't easy. So it's a bit awkward, but it's still neat that some stuff recorded live in 2002/2003 made it in. As far as song selection, it goes pretty well. I have no complaints there...if only Jimmy would bring back Cowboy in the Jungle and do it live or re-record it, then I could die happy.
Finally, here's the setlist with the length of the tracks for anyone who hasn't seen it already:
Disc 1: Total Time = 76:05
1. Margaritaville 4:10
2. Migration 4:14
3. Growing Older But Not Up 3:26
4. Holiday - live / new recording 5:24
5. Come Monday 3:09
6. Fruitcakes 7:39
7. We Are The People Our Parents Warned Us About 3:21
8. Cheeseburger In Paradise 2:50
9. Jolly Mon Sing 3:16
10. Pascagoula Run - live / new recording 4:00
11. Tin Cup Chalice 3:37
12. Pencil Thin Moustache 2:52
13. Grapefruit/Juicy Fruit 2:57
14. Coconut Telegraph 2:59
15. Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes 3:17
16. Last Mango In Paris 3:16
17. Fins 3:26
18. Why Don't We Get Drunk 2:43
19. Brown Eyed Girl 3:54
20. One Particular Harbour 5:30
Disc 2: Total Time = 73:57
1. School Boy Heart 4:33
2. Everybody's Talkin' - NEW 3:00
3. Volcano 3:38
4. Son Of A Son Of A Sailor - new recording 4:47
5. Take Another Road 3:41
6. Knees Of My Heart - new recording 3:03
7. In The Shelter - new recording 4:01
8. Havana Daydreamin' 3:39
9. Desperation Samba - live / new recording 4:17
10. Barefoot Children 4:53
11. Saxophones - new recording 3:48
12. Cowboy In The Jungle 5:08
13. He Went To Paris - new recording 3:56
14. Creola 7:01
15. Bob Roberts Society Band 3:43
16. A Pirate Looks At Forty - live / new recording 4:33
17. Sail On Sailor - NEW 2:44
18. The Captain And The Kid - new recording 3:24
Well, I guess that's all I have to say.
Holiday
For the life of me, I have no idea why this track made it. First of all, I don't exactly think Holiday belongs on a "best of" album. Second of all, I don't think this is a particularly charming recording. Some words are mixed up here and there, some lines reversed...I just think Jimmy could have picked a better one to fill this slot. Oh well, it's still enjoyable.
Pascagoula Run
This is a recording from the 02/05/03 Columbia, SC show. Jimmy does a decent job with this (if you attended a show you know that Jimmy doesn't quite know the words to the first part of the song, so many times he just makes it up). Anyway, I like this pick and it is neat that he incorporated a song from the 2003 tour in the album.
Disc 2:
Everybody's Talkin'
This is the reason you should buy this album. If you liked this in concert, you'll LOVE the studio recording. It's 3 minutes long, and its got a good Carribbean feel to it. At the end, Jimmy goes really low (kind of like in Altered Boy)...you'd have to listen to it to find out just how nice this song really is. I would pay $25 for the album if it only had this song on it. It's that good.
Volcano
Margaritaville.com doesn't have this listed as a new version or a live version, but it is changed. I think he just recorded a new ending and blended it. It's the same up until the end (where Jimmy changes the words around). It says:
But I don't want to land in no Kuwait City
I'd rather be in Mexico
I don't want to land on no Three Mile Island;
I don't want to feel my skin a-glow.
Don't want to land in Sahara(?) Nantucket
Don't want to land in no Negril Bay
I don't want to land in the San Juan airport, where
Five minutes can feel like a day
I'd rather land in New York City
23rd Street is on my way
Don't want to land on no Mullah Omar
That is all I want to say
Clever, I thought...replacing Ayatolla with Mullah Omar. Anyway, yeah that was cool.
Son of a Son of a Sailor
Jimmy gives one of those cheesy intros to this song:
"Seems like were visiting some old songs like you visit friends or ships visit ports. This song first came out of an album called Son of a Son of a Sailor, back when it cost about as much to do an album as it did to do an album cover. This song's had a great ride, and it's still one of my favorites, and always a perennial favorite when we go out on tour. We've got a new set of sails on it this year, and we have the lovely Ms. Nadirah Shakoor, who's going to help us out on this. The Coral Reefers, as always, on the crew, so let's head down on the dock and set sail, shall we boys."
The recording is great. The reefers and Nadirah do a wonderful job as always. At the end Jimmy says:
"Sail on Gardner McKay, sail on Freddy Neil, sail on George Harrison."
Knees of My Heart
Definitely one of the three top songs on this album. Jimmy didn't add anything new to this one, it just sounds good to see it redone. For some reason it seems more "Carribbean" to me as well.
In the Shelter
Jimmy's intro: "We're gonna time travel back to New Orleans to levy along the Mississippi River for an old song with a little new life."
This song, as we have anticipated, has a very slow, Carribbean feel to it. And the girls do one heck of a job on backup. That's all I have to say about that.
Desperation Samba
This is a live recording from the 2002 show...not sure what date. I always liked this song and I'm glad it made it on the album. It's also good live.
Saxophones
Awesome recording, although there was a slight skip on my copy. Oh well, I'll have to wait for the real thing. The Coral Reefer horns are awesome on this song. An awesome instrumental moment...
He Went to Paris
I'm not sure what to think about this song. Jimmy's singing ability has declined over the past 30 years or so. It used to be he could try to sound nice during slow songs and pull it off. It just doesn't work like that anymore. While I'd rather have this song than not have it, and while it fits well on the album, I still say I'd rather have the original version any day.
A Pirate Looks at Forty
This is live, probably from last year, but I can't be sure. Some of you will not like the fact that this song is on the album sans-Fingers. Oh well, I say we must get on and live with it. This is Jimmy and Mac acoustic with very good sound.
Sail on Sailor
For those of you who have seen Jimmy do his Barry Manilow thing in concert (ie take the portable mike and prance around stage although he doesn't know the song), you'll be heartened to know that this is a studio recording so the words are all there. This song is 2 mins 44 secs, and it's pretty good. I was kind of expecting a little better recording. If I were making the album, I'd either raise Jimmy's voice a little or drop the instruments a bit. Lots of bass in this one. If you pump the bass in your car and play this you'll look like a hoodlum
Plus, he doesn't put nearly enough into the part where he goes..."Damn the thunder". That "Damn" is supposed to be loud and emphatic. Oh well. He does it well in concert...sometimes.The Captain and the Kid
The same thing goes for this as He Went to Paris. Kind of neat, and I like the background music, but I'd rather have the old recording. Good track to close with though.
Just some general comments: Integrating just a few live tracks with the recorded tracks would work if it was done well, but they weren't really selective about it. Flowing Pascagoula Run into Tin Cup Chalice isn't easy. So it's a bit awkward, but it's still neat that some stuff recorded live in 2002/2003 made it in. As far as song selection, it goes pretty well. I have no complaints there...if only Jimmy would bring back Cowboy in the Jungle and do it live or re-record it, then I could die happy.
Finally, here's the setlist with the length of the tracks for anyone who hasn't seen it already:
Disc 1: Total Time = 76:05
1. Margaritaville 4:10
2. Migration 4:14
3. Growing Older But Not Up 3:26
4. Holiday - live / new recording 5:24
5. Come Monday 3:09
6. Fruitcakes 7:39
7. We Are The People Our Parents Warned Us About 3:21
8. Cheeseburger In Paradise 2:50
9. Jolly Mon Sing 3:16
10. Pascagoula Run - live / new recording 4:00
11. Tin Cup Chalice 3:37
12. Pencil Thin Moustache 2:52
13. Grapefruit/Juicy Fruit 2:57
14. Coconut Telegraph 2:59
15. Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes 3:17
16. Last Mango In Paris 3:16
17. Fins 3:26
18. Why Don't We Get Drunk 2:43
19. Brown Eyed Girl 3:54
20. One Particular Harbour 5:30
Disc 2: Total Time = 73:57
1. School Boy Heart 4:33
2. Everybody's Talkin' - NEW 3:00
3. Volcano 3:38
4. Son Of A Son Of A Sailor - new recording 4:47
5. Take Another Road 3:41
6. Knees Of My Heart - new recording 3:03
7. In The Shelter - new recording 4:01
8. Havana Daydreamin' 3:39
9. Desperation Samba - live / new recording 4:17
10. Barefoot Children 4:53
11. Saxophones - new recording 3:48
12. Cowboy In The Jungle 5:08
13. He Went To Paris - new recording 3:56
14. Creola 7:01
15. Bob Roberts Society Band 3:43
16. A Pirate Looks At Forty - live / new recording 4:33
17. Sail On Sailor - NEW 2:44
18. The Captain And The Kid - new recording 3:24
Well, I guess that's all I have to say.
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changingchannels
- License to Chill
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Thanks for the heads up on the album! I must admit I was/am worried about the remakes of the old classics because his voice has changed and hearing a remake of the songs on a studio album may have not been the
greatest of choices on Jimmy's part. Live is one thing, but studio remakes do have a tendency to show how much an artist has changed in terms of vocal ability over the years. And some fans don't accept that to well! I for one think Jimmy is better live, and thats why I don't believe in studio remakes, but I do think altered live versions are a better choice if you want a different take on a song!
greatest of choices on Jimmy's part. Live is one thing, but studio remakes do have a tendency to show how much an artist has changed in terms of vocal ability over the years. And some fans don't accept that to well! I for one think Jimmy is better live, and thats why I don't believe in studio remakes, but I do think altered live versions are a better choice if you want a different take on a song!
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Luni'sBackYard
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CANADIANPARROTHEAD
- If we weren't all crazy ...
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CANADIANPARROTHEAD
- If we weren't all crazy ...
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Gumbo
- If we weren't all crazy ...
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I know I'm in the minority, but I actually like it done best with just the acoustic guitars. My favorite version is actually off my Greensboro 2002 CD where its just Jimmy and Mac. Gives it a more stripped down feel and the two acoustic guitars add amazing tone to it. I'm excited about this track.A Pirate Looks at Forty
This is live, probably from last year, but I can't be sure. Some of you will not like the fact that this song is on the album sans-Fingers. Oh well, I say we must get on and live with it. This is Jimmy and Mac acoustic with very good sound.
Hoping upon hoping that he picked a live track from the Raleigh 2003 show! I want to be on the album!!!!!
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Guest
The only difference in Jimmy singing from the old days and today is he tries to sing outside his range way to much today. In the old days he would tune his guitar down and sing like a bird. Ofcourse with age you may loose a little range,but if a singer takes care of his voice he or she will not loose that much in range.
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FINSUPinIdaho
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BlackBeard
- I have found me a home
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Guest
I agree about Jimmy's voice changing significantly over the years. One would think he would alter the key in which he sings a particular song if he can't hit the high notes anymore. When he did "Honey Do" in Columbia, SC, on Feb. 5, his intro lyrics were way off. I had to kinda cringe to hear him tryin' to hit the old key.....
Oh well, not many singers still have their same range after 30 years -- except McCartney. He can still hit the notes from almost 40 years ago! Amazing!
Oh well, not many singers still have their same range after 30 years -- except McCartney. He can still hit the notes from almost 40 years ago! Amazing!
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Guest
Most singers do alter the key of songs and it wouldn't take a blink of an eye for any of Jimmy's band members to do so for him. He does a great job to be pushing near 60. He can still sing his tail off,but at times he reaches for some high notes which could do some damage to his vocal chords/folds. He has never really had a high voice and in his younger years he would tune down his guitar and was able to hit notes a lot easier. For the average fan that doesn't play guitar you wouldn't pick up on it.
Still love him regardless. He's the man !
Still love him regardless. He's the man !
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Guest