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“You had to be there” by Jimmy Buffett (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: “You had to be there”
  • Artist name: Jimmy Buffett
  • Year: 1978
  • Number of discs: two
  • Label: ABC Records
  • Collection: Selman
  • Buy it:

"You had to be there" by Jimmy Buffett

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

Jimmy Buffett and I go way back! I remember my parents playing his music on a very frequent basis (when I was far too young to understand the lyrics – not that anything in his songs is that complex); it was him, the Beatles the Beach Boys, the Grateful Dead, Neil Young and maybe a few others that were synonymous with music to me.

I have never listened to Jimmy Buffett on my own, however – not once in my entire adult, music-listening life – and don’t think I’ve even heard any of his songs in decades. I still remember and know a lot of his hits, though.

What I expected

Definitely all the classic Jimmy Buffett hits.

What it was actually like

I was a bit let down by this record.

A bunch of the classic hit songs that I expected were included, like Son of a Son of a Sailor, Pencil Thin Mustache, Margaritaville, Changes in Attitudes, Changes in Latitudes and Come Monday, so that was great.

Where, however, was Cheeseburger in Paradise? I don’t even like cheeseburgers and I never have, but to paint a picture of the significance of this song to my life, imagine that you’re four or five years old and your parents blast that song all the time and sing along to it. The line between “music” and “children’s music” gets blurred, doesn’t it? And that leaves an indelible mark, doesn’t it? Omitting it from this record was a weird and bad decision.

And where was Brown Eyed Girl? I never even heard of the name “Van Morrison” until I was probably a senior in high school, so to me, Brown Eyed Girl was always a Buffett song (even though, if I’m being completely fair, Morrison did it way better). The real answer, of course, is that Buffett didn’t even record the song until five years after this album was released, so fine – but it still leaves a gaping hole.

Besides the classics, I was not that impressed with the remaining material, either.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me

Amadeus soundtrack (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Amadeus soundtrack
  • Group name: Various artists (most compositions by W.A. Mozart, most recordings by Neville Marriner, Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields)
  • Year: 1984
  • Number of discs: two
  • Label: The Saul Zaentz Company
  • Collection: Selman
  • Buy it:

Amadeus soundtrack

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

Like many people, I’ve listened to a decent amount of classical music without ever learning anything about it, and therefore don’t have a strong sense of Mozart’s style or ability to recognize his works.

What I expected

Just a double record album of classical music, mostly Mozart.

What it was actually like

That’s pretty much what it was.

I think that if someone wanted to listen to a broad classical music collection, this would be a terrible choice because it’s so Mozart-heavy; and if someone wanted to listen specifically to Mozart, this again would be an odd choice because there are a couple of non-Mozart selections on it. I suppose the target audience for this record is people who went wild for the movie Amadeus, but one wonders why they wouldn’t just watch the movie again if it made them so happy. So I don’t really understand this one.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me

This Is The Moody Blues by The Moody Blues (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: This Is The Moody Blues
  • Group name: The Moody Blues
  • Year: 1974
  • Number of discs: two
  • Label: BMI
  • Collection: Selman
  • Buy it:

This Is The Moody Blues by The Moody Blues

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

The only Moody Blues song that I know I can name is Nights in White Satin, because it’s been in so many movies and television programs, and played so much on the radio. I’m sure I know other Moody Blues songs as well, without realizing it.

What I expected

Progressive rock.

What it was actually like

Before listening to this, I definitely expected to come out of it as a Moody Blues fan, but having just finished listening, now I can see why I never was a fan. Much of the record seemed to be channeling the Beatles consciously, but only the weirdest and worst tendencies of the Beatles, rather than their superior work from the mid 1960s.

I also got some Space Oddity vibes from the Moody Blues a few times, and a couple of songs had a weird science fiction narrator voice that definitely did not belong. Ride My See Saw was good, Nights in White Satin was as remembered, and I also recognized Tuesday Afternoon.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me

Miles of Aisles by Joni Mitchell and the L.A. Express (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Miles of Aisles
  • Group name: Joni Mitchell and the L.A. Express
  • Year: 1974
  • Number of discs: two
  • Label: Asylum Records
  • Collection: Selman
  • Distinguishing characteristics: “PROMOTIONAL COPY NOT FOR SALE” sticker on front, “PROMOTIONAL COPY FOR BROADCAST & REVIEW / NOT FOR SALE” sticker on back
  • Buy it:

Miles of Aisles by Joni Mitchell and the L.A. Express

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’ve heard a lot of Joni Mitchell’s music over the years, but never had a strong opinion about her either way.

What I expected

Acoustic folk rock with intense vocals.

What it was actually like

This was a live record that was significantly jazzier than I thought (with a little bit of funk). I was surprised at how little of the material I recognized!

I did learn from this record that the famous (and somewhat annoying) Joni Mitchell song about paving paradise and putting up a parking lot is actually called Big Yellow Taxi, and the live version I heard on this record was better than the studio version that I hear all the time. The Circle Game was a bit weaker, though.

Ultimately I didn’t really like this record for the same reason that I don’t usually listen to Joni Mitchell: boring songs that exist to showcase a singer’s amazing vocal ability are… still boring songs.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me

Takin My Time by Bonnie Raitt (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Takin My Time
  • Artist name: Bonnie Raitt
  • Year: 1973
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Warner Brothers Records
  • Collection: Selman
  • Distinguishing characteristics: handwritten track list taped to the front of the album
  • Buy it:

Takin My Time by Bonnie Raitt

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’ve heard of Bonnie Raitt and think of her as a country singer.

What I expected

This record is from 1973 and I’m not sure why, but that just feels a little early for Bonnie Raitt to have been making country records, but on the other hand, the album art has someone wearing a cowboy hat, so I’ll guess country.

What it was actually like

Definitely parts of this record were country, like You’ve Been In Love Too Long (in which I detected maybe a bit of funk inspiration) and Guilty.

On the other hand, Let Me In sounded like Oompa Loompa music, which is the most ridiculous form of music. Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy, meanwhile, was very bluesy. In that spirit, I thought Write Me a Few of Your Lines / Kokomo Blues, a classic blues rock track, was the best on the record.

Quite incongruously, Wah She Go Do was a reggae song and I don’t entirely understand why it (or Let Me In) was included on Takin My Time.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me