|
|
Superman Store
Super
Hero Collectibles |
|
|
Rating:  -
Yep. John nailed a few scenes didn't he? I was in Fairhill North Philly when this came out and it was at the height of Nam and the total and complete collapse of the neighborhood from drugs and plant closings. Friends of mine came back with Purple hearts and bruised arms. Thorazine for the brain and Darvon for the pain. Tag and bag and do the shot. From the jungle to the jungle back to the jungle. Couldn't get out of Dodge WITH a ride.
John nailed a scene or two.
Rating:  -
Hearing these great tunes again by John Prine takes me back to happier and simpler times. Even though the Vietnam abomination was still going, it was winding down. Here we go again, no matter what the pundits say. But listening to John Prine takes me back - wishing I had an Illegal Smile, blew up my TV, and went to the country... You'll enjoy it, too.
Rating:  -
Great song writer and an interesting voice. Two really good songs and a few ok. ones.
Rating: -
I was trying to remember whether I bought this album before or after I heard him at Willie's 1st picnic in '73. I haven't heard the whole album in ages but the songs keep coming back to me.
In the news today, the Obama administration halted mountain-top mining, for a while, I guess. Sadly, what the coal trains haven't hauled off has been just pushed over the side, devastating the environment for miles around. Another Paradise lost.
Illegal Smile, Sam Stone, Angel... Can't forget them, so I found my way here to buy the CD, since the old phono is in the junk closet.
I'm looking forward to sharing JP with my daughter, a big Dixie Chicks fan.
If you're already a JP fan and haven't seen the "song notes" for this album, www jpshrine org/lyrics/index html.
Fascinating.
Rating: -
After several years as a postman and a stint in the Army, John Prine emerged from the Chicago folk scene with the best debut album of 1971. It contained 13 all-original compositions that were unusually thoughtful and compassionate. Prine wrote with great empathy for such a young man (he was only 24 at the time).
Maybe it's because I've been handling the affairs of my ailing parents for a few years, but Prine's assertion that "old people just grow lonesome/waiting for someone to say 'hello in there'" - chokes me up whenever I hear it. I'm reminded of the Eno song "Some Of Them Are Old" from the art-rocker's "Here Come The Warm Jets" album, in which he writes: "help a few to smile/to add a quick assistance you'll walk many crooked miles". An odd comparison, but heartfelt songs about the elderly are few and far-between.
Other examples of his good heart and understanding nature are found in "Donald And Lydia" (about two emotionally withdrawn people), and the returning Vietnam vet saga of "Sam Stone". "Paradise" is thematically similar to Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi", or Joe South's "Don't It Make You Want To Go Home" - career highs for all three artists. Prine's sense of humor is on display in several songs, most notably "Illegal Smile", "Spanish Pipedream", and "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore". Pointed humor that in later years would become more gentle and surreal on tracks like "Sabu Visits The Twin Cities Alone". "Sabu" is a good example of a type of song that only John Prine can write. While listening recently to Kris Kristofferson's excellent "A Moment Of Forever" CD, the only false note was the song "Slouching Toward The Millennium" - on which Kris tries to write like Prine and fails.
About Kris: he was an early supporter and cheerleader for Prine. He went to see him perform at the behest of Prine's buddy Steve Goodman, and afterward wrote the liner notes for this album. Kris himself had been the beneficiary of liner notes by Johnny Cash when he released his debut album "Kristofferson" in 1970 (re-issued a year later under the title "Me And Bobby McGee") - so I guess he was returning the favor. I've always liked the solidarity shown between country and folk artists, though it's not lost on me that Cash, Kristofferson and Prine were all ex-servicemen.
The "Kristofferson" album was a milestone that heralded the future of country music, and the "John Prine" album helped to cement that direction. Together, they were a one-two punch that changed the face of songwriting as we know it.
Both artists went on to further glory, and are still capable of pleasing and surprising. Prine has the wonderful "Bruised Orange" and "German Afternoons" to his credit, while Kristofferson has "The Silver Tongued Devil And I" and "A Moment Of Forever". But I don't think it's unfair to say that neither one has surpassed his earliest achievement. That would be too much to ask of anyone. Of the two, it's my opinion that Prine has been the most consistent. He doesn't actually have a bad album, and for various reasons they are all worth collecting. For many years he's been issuing his albums on his own OH BOY label, which has also helped keep alive the legacy of the great Steve Goodman, as well as further the careers of artists like Todd Snider.
If buying every Prine CD is beyond your means, you may want to consider at least purchasing this one and the compilation "Great Days: The John Prine Anthology". You won't regret it.
|
|
|
|
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
|
|
Superman Actors and
Actresses Posters and Photos
check out these sections for lots
of great images that you can have for your own wall. Find out how
each actor or actress relates to Superman.
Actors
Actresses
Movies
Television
Shows
Classic
Superman Posters Superman
the Movie
Superman
II Posters Superman
III Posters Comic
Book Posters
Your Favorite
Super Hero Posters
Batman Captain
America Fantastic
Four
Green
Hornet Incredible
Hulk
Spiderman
Steel
Supergirl
Swamp
Thing Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles
Wolverine
Wonder
Woman X-men
|
|
|
