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Don't know if there is a place for this somewhere else but I'm actually curious to find out what people think of TTWWY and where it fits overall in the Buffett discography in terms of Top 10 LPs or all 25 or whatever number it's up to now. I'm still listening to it and letting it all soak in so I don't have a rank for it as far as what number it would be for me.

It wouldn't be in my top ten, that's for sure. That doesn't mean it's a bad album, it's just not up there with his best work, which is something I don't think he'll ever top, especially at this stage of his career when he seems to be relying more than ever on the work of other artists.

As far as I'm concerned Banana Wind was his last "really good" studio album.

I'd say he hasn't recorded an album that lived up to his original promise since the 70s. I've still purchased all of the albums he's released since then on the day of their release and I love Take the Weather With You, it's just no A1A.

As a recent Buffett fan...and one turned off by the whole drunkenfest parrott head thing...I really enjoy his older stuff much more. I'm sure it's been written hundreds of times, but it seems there was a real shift after Margaritaville to cater to the type of crowd and audience of weekend warrior drinkers with a few of "those songs" on every album.

I really like Coast of Carolina and the more in depth types of writing that seems to be more typical of "early Buffett." But I'm a big James Taylor and David Wilcox fan and really drawn to that type of writing.

It is interesting how he hasn't written very much of the stuff of the last few albums, or it's co-written...which can often mean a person adds their name to the song or changes a word to give the song more name recognition.

Oh, and he's almost 60 as well... I think all the other business ventures he's involved with--and his 60+ million dollar a year income--might have drained away some of his writing creativity as well. It's still good stuff...just not as good when he's compared to himself and his earlier writing.

Overall, musically, I think TTWWY is one of his best. There's layer after layer of a "musical onion" to peel away, the more I listen to it.

I usually prefer to wait a while before ranking something this new. There tends to be a "it's what's new" bias, either good or bad....

buffett81611 wrote: But I'm a big James Taylor and David Wilcox fan and really drawn to that type of writing.

WOW! A David Wilcox fan! I thought I was the only one on this board! The first time I heard David (playing in the background at Borders Books), I thought it was James Taylor, so I know exactly why you mention both in the same paragraph. I have to say though, that I don't care as much for David's last couple of offerings.

Which David Wilcox? I think there's a couple out there.

I'm still working on where it is for me. I really liked LTC and consider it one of his Top Ten LPs. TTWWY doesn't fit in that high for me.

Obviously JB is not struggling to figure out life as he was back around A1A. And I think SOAS would have turned out the same regardless of Margaritaville being a hit. Volcano was the contrived album that was geared towards making it a #1 with the mushy ballad and the party tunes.

When that didn't happen JB turned tail and started getting back to actual songwriting and getting away from the party drunk factor. CT and SOC are perfect examples of that.

I think Jimmy still has some things to say, as he did in BIBOMO. But then when he goes off on the silly PATEOTW in a manner that is equal to the songs that should have never been done like Math Suks, Cultural Infidel, Take It Back, Turning Around, Vampires Mummies...it makes me wonder where his priorities are with his songwriting. When I burn me a copy of TTWWY it will not have PATEOTW on it.

JustDucky wrote:I think Jimmy still has some things to say, as he did in BIBOMO. But then when he goes off on the silly PATEOTW in a manner that is equal to the songs that should have never been done like Math Suks, Cultural Infidel, Take It Back, Turning Around, Vampires Mummies...it makes me wonder where his priorities are with his songwriting. When I burn me a copy of TTWWY it will not have PATEOTW on it.

I continue to be amazed that we are all Buffett fans, yet within that construct our opinions (each one perfectly valid) vary so widely.

BIBOMO is my favorite from TTWWY. PATEOTW falls somewhere below WITW, EOTP, and Hula Girl at Heart, but I still really like it. Yep, it's goofy, but that's part of WHY I like it. It lightens the mood and isn't meant to be anything but pure fun.

I actually like PATEOTW with major exception to Calling Paris, come in London - all the talking. And then the 'end of the world''s that are said throughout. It detracts because they're annoying!

You're right about one thing - we all like Jimmy in our various ways. That's all that really matters here.

I definitely like PATEOTW better live, however.

my copy of MMiM has "Five O'Clock Somewhere" burned into it.

Tiki Torches wrote:Which David Wilcox? I think there's a couple out there.

Yeah, there's two; one from Canada and the one we're talking about, from Asheville, NC.

www.davidwilcox.com

SeattleParrotHead wrote:

Tiki Torches wrote:Which David Wilcox? I think there's a couple out there.

Yeah, there's two; one from Canada and the one we're talking about, from Asheville, NC.

www.davidwilcox.com

Rumour has it you can book the Canadian one for 15% less for a gig...

Party at the End of the World is really the only track on Take the Weather With You that I find cringeworthy. It's listenable but definitely not top shelf Buffett to my ears.

My top 10 is very crowded with all his studio recordings. (there are a lot of ties.) There is only one recording that falls out of my top 10 and it is SYKBH. Ranking his recordings is like ranking your children. None of my discs are more worn than any other. Yes, I like BHOTM.

Skibo wrote:My top 10 is very crowded with all his studio recordings. (there are a lot of ties.) There is only one recording that falls out of my top 10 and it is SYKBH. Ranking his recordings is like ranking your children. None of my discs are more worn than any other. Yes, I like BHOTM.

I'm not sure why anyone would even count Songs You Know By Heart since it's a greatest hits collection. Folks seem to loathe it yet it just so happens to include a few songs that aren't necessarily "played to death". For some reason it's become the favorite whipping boy of so called diehard Parrotheads. I find their hatred of it more than a bit suspicious.

I also like Beach House on the Moon as well as Volcano. I don't care for Survive on Volcano but really like stuff like Dreamsicle, Stranded on a Sandbar and Lady I Can't Explain.

I'm still not sure why people beat up on SYKBH so badly.... some of those songs are overplayed, but that's not going to change. I could stand to hear He Went To Paris a lot more than we do....

I had to chuckle.... By most accounts, the first (Thurs) Irvine concert last spring was spectacular (I was one who thought so). Yet the set list included *every* *single* song from SYKBH..... I suspect the issue for most people isn't with SYKBH itself, but with fans who don't know many (any?) other JB songs beyond SYKBH and are often there only for a drunken party....