My Amazon Reviews: Fall Out Boy "American Beauty/American Psycho"

Juxtapositions
4 Out Of 5 Stars

On their last CD, Fall Out Boy announced their mission was to "Save Rock And Roll." On the follow-up, "American Beauty/American Psycho," it sounds like they're still headed out on that path. There's some righteous rock here. And there seems to be a theme here, it's all about the juxtapositions.

For example, the title track. You're blending a Brent Easton Ellis horror novel with a Grateful Dead album of classic Americana. Add Patrick Stump bouncing the word "Psycho" into a bouncy sing along, and you have the makings for a concert staple. The same with "Uma Thurman." Placing the "Pulp Fiction" star inside a song that mashes in the theme to "The Munsters" is something close to a work of genius. Then there's the heroics. Suzanne Vega's "dit dit doo doo" hook from "Tom's Diner" teases the intro before Stump challenges the listener. "You Will Remember Me...for Centuries" Stump wails to music meant to be played over a sports highlights reel. Same goes with "Immortals." Fall Out Boy are back to make rock that knows no limitations (there's nothing here that resembles a sappy ballad), and you'll have a very good time if you just let yourself follow along.

    

My Amazon Reviews: Jimmy Buffett "Fruitcakes"

Giving Fruitcakes to Friends
3 Out of 5 Stars

Jimmy Buffet had his schtick down so perfectly that his legions of Parrotheads would/will pick up on anything the man does, good bad or indifferent. "Fruitcakes," issued in 1994, is one of the better of his middle period of albums, and channels the world where the summer never ends, the margaritas are always fresh and the Caribbean music rolls easy 24/7. However, Buffet sounds more inspired than usual, delivering patter worthy of his stage show and maybe even taking a chance or two.

The most inspired moments on "Fruitcakes" are the title song and an unusual choice of covers. He gives a rant that ends in a Network cast Howard Beale "I'm mad as Hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore" that has more to do with not wanting giant cherry sodas at the movie complex before musically diving into politics, religion and "your tax dollars at work." Of course all he really wants is for his pals to all just relax and take it easy.

Then there's his reggae-fication of The Grateful Dead's "Uncle John's Band," shape shifting the song from its country folk roots into a loping groove that any Parrothead could love. Then again, I never saw that much light between Deadheads and Parrotheads, which may be why the transition in style works so well. Things are a little different on The Kinks' "Sunday Afternoon." Instead of Ray Davies' mournful tale of societal and marital woes, Buffet takes to the life of luxury and makes it sound like a day of sipping Colas under the palm trees. Davies would have done anything to get back his old life where Buffet makes it just another day at the party.

The rest of the tracks are pretty much standard Buffet fare, with love songs to his family ("Delaney Talks to Statues"), living the carefree life ("Lone Palm") and tongue in cheek shoreline humor ("Apocalypso"). It's nothing you haven't heard Buffet do a million times over, but "Fruitcakes" sounded genuinely engaging and still holds up fairly well today.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Grateful Dead "Shakedown Street"

This town ain't got no heart
3 Out Of 5 Stars

Despie having an empathic producer in Little Feat's Lowell George, "Shakedown Street" is a mediocre Grateful Dead album. There are pointless instrumentals, a pointless attempt at a danceable hit in the title track, and the emergence of Donna Godchaux as a lead vocalist. There are good songs buried in the murk, like concert staples to come "I Need a Miracle" and "Fire On The Mountain." "Shakedown Street" also gets of to a rousing start with a cover of The Rascals' "Good Loving."

But when you mix in the flavorless Godchaux composition "From The Heart Of Me" and some other lackluster material ("France," "Serengetti") or the 'why'd ya bother" Hunter/Garcia rewrite of the saga of "Stagger Lee," you wonder how much pressure the band was under to deliver a hit album versus a Dead album. They'd make up for this with "Go To Heaven" and they'd eventually get that hit single when "Touch Of Grey" finally charted, but about half of "Shakedown Street" sounds bloodless to the modern ear.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Grateful Dead "Wake of The Flood"

Weather Report
4 Out Of 5 Stars

I've often thought that the Grateful Dead entered the sessions for "Wake of The Flood" with an attitude of having something to prove. They'd ended a long standing deal with Warner Brothers records and decided to start their own record label (the initial catalog number was GD01), Ron "Pigpen" McKernan had passed away, and it had been some years since their last studio album "American Beauty." New keyboardist Keith Godchaux, and his wife Donna on backing vocals were in the studio for the first time as Dead Members (they'd already been featured on the two prior live albums). This was a new era for the band and they kicked it off with a stellar set.

"Wake of The Flood" continues the Dead's psychedelic folk-rock, with the team of Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter locking up five of the disc's seven numbers, Keith joins Hunter for "Let Me Sing Your Blues Away" and Bob Weir delivers the epic "Weather Report Suite," one of the loveliest songs the group has ever done. "Stella Blue" features a passionate yet sad vocal from Garcia, and the chipper "Eyes of the World" has since become a deserved Dead Classic.

Still, it's Weir's three part and thirteen minute epic "Weather Report" that makes "Wake of The Flood" a keeper for me. Weir lays down a great vocal and Keith adds impeccable piano to the track, and the "Prelude" is simply beautiful. Ending with the jazzy "Let it Grow," the band previewed the kind of epic/suite styled recording that would come to full bloom on "Terrapin Station." Of the bonus tracks, the live rendition of "Eyes of The World" is the best of the three, and the early version of "China Doll" (released in a completed version on "From The Mars Hotel"). As a whole, "Wake of The Flood" found the band ever evolving, with a little jazzier side than before and a mellow groove over all. Even though it produced no real "hits" for the band, it remains a hidden gem in their discography.