Riddles in the Sand aka Gulf and Western
Posted: July 7, 2010 1:02 am
“Riddles in the Sand” was recorded at Sound Stage Studio in Nashville, Tennessee and released in September 1984. Originally, the title of the album was supposed to be “Gulf and Western Music.” For Buffett, the album marked a concerted effort to create a more country sound. Pop music, in the mid-1980s, was unpredictable and capricious. According to Buffett, producers seemed more interested in finding people who looked good in a video rather than who wrote good songs. Rather than deal with the flammability of the Pop music market, Buffett returned to a more country sound. He said that the music he wrote in the 70s was where, in his opinion, country music was in the 80s.
“Riddles in the Sand” exemplifies why Buffett’s style is so difficult to classify. It ranges from country to calypso to blues to reggae. It truly is Gulf and Western. And there are elements of Pop music in it that mark it clearly as a product of the 1980s. “Who’s the Blonde Stranger” is a mixture of country and calypso. “Knees of My Heart” is a mixture of reggae and calypso. “Burn that Bridge” incorporates elements of reggae. “When the Wildlife Betrays Me,” “She’s Going Out of My Mind” (a clever song written by Mac McAnally), “Bigger Than the Both of Us,” and “Love in Decline” are really good country songs. “Ragtop Day” is a great country song, a great driving song, that embraces elements of blues. “Come to the Moon” includes a lyric I’ve always really liked: “Gravity never could hold me / That is what you always told me.” “La Vie Dansante” is a wonderful song about the dancing life that I’ve always enjoyed in its entirety and as the ending to “Last Mango in Paris.”
I find the songs on this album very easy to listen to. It’s a very melodic work. This album makes me miss Fingers Taylor, who lays down some great harmonica licks on this album. Somehow, the music hasn’t been the same since Fingers left the band. Matt Betton does a really nice job on drums, Emory Gordy does a really nice job on bass, and some good licks on piano/keyboards are provided by Michael Utley and John Jarvis. I actually miss some of the guys in this version of the Coral Reefer Band. Matt Betton, Sam Clayton, Robert Greenidge (still in the band, obviously), Fingers Taylor, Michael Utley (still in the band, obviously), and Josh Leo (who co-wrote “Who’s the Blonde Stranger) all played with Jimmy on “Live by the Bay,” the classic VHS tape of the show at the now defunct Miami Marine Stadium.
In sum, there are ten songs on this album. I like them all, which is one of my requirements to say that an album is good. I think this is one of Buffett’s most underrated, underappreciated works.
Fins Up!
capnbobby
Here is a cool link I found helpful.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1 ... 06,3199580
“Riddles in the Sand” exemplifies why Buffett’s style is so difficult to classify. It ranges from country to calypso to blues to reggae. It truly is Gulf and Western. And there are elements of Pop music in it that mark it clearly as a product of the 1980s. “Who’s the Blonde Stranger” is a mixture of country and calypso. “Knees of My Heart” is a mixture of reggae and calypso. “Burn that Bridge” incorporates elements of reggae. “When the Wildlife Betrays Me,” “She’s Going Out of My Mind” (a clever song written by Mac McAnally), “Bigger Than the Both of Us,” and “Love in Decline” are really good country songs. “Ragtop Day” is a great country song, a great driving song, that embraces elements of blues. “Come to the Moon” includes a lyric I’ve always really liked: “Gravity never could hold me / That is what you always told me.” “La Vie Dansante” is a wonderful song about the dancing life that I’ve always enjoyed in its entirety and as the ending to “Last Mango in Paris.”
I find the songs on this album very easy to listen to. It’s a very melodic work. This album makes me miss Fingers Taylor, who lays down some great harmonica licks on this album. Somehow, the music hasn’t been the same since Fingers left the band. Matt Betton does a really nice job on drums, Emory Gordy does a really nice job on bass, and some good licks on piano/keyboards are provided by Michael Utley and John Jarvis. I actually miss some of the guys in this version of the Coral Reefer Band. Matt Betton, Sam Clayton, Robert Greenidge (still in the band, obviously), Fingers Taylor, Michael Utley (still in the band, obviously), and Josh Leo (who co-wrote “Who’s the Blonde Stranger) all played with Jimmy on “Live by the Bay,” the classic VHS tape of the show at the now defunct Miami Marine Stadium.
In sum, there are ten songs on this album. I like them all, which is one of my requirements to say that an album is good. I think this is one of Buffett’s most underrated, underappreciated works.
Fins Up!
capnbobby
Here is a cool link I found helpful.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1 ... 06,3199580