The Big Buffalo

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Remastered reissue with 4 bonus tracks, from ex-Machine Head, British Lions & Box of Frogs, singer/guitarist. 18 tracks including an emotion packed version of John Lennon's 'Working Class Hero'. Bonus tracks 'This Man's On Fire', 'When I Looked Away', 'Where's Heaven Now?' & 'I Stand Alone'. 2000 release. Standard jewel case.

The Big Buffalo,John Fiddler,Angel Air,Adult Alternative,Adult Contemporary,Pop,Rock

The Big Buffalo

Tracks:

Sodajerk
I'm Allowed
Tree House
Would Not Be Denied
Latest Monkey
My Responsibility
Dry Land
Torch Singer
Late At Night
Suppose
Anything That Way

Amazon.com

The first two albums by Buffalo Tom showed that the Massachusetts trio had studied its heroes (Dinosaur Jr., Husker Du), learned their guitar-rock vocabulary, and mastered the ability to put it across. But the band didn't have much original to add, and although Let Me Come Over and Birdbrain were pleasant listening, they were quickly forgotten. Big Red Letter Day is more dynamic, peeling away the layers of fuzz guitar to reveal acoustic guitar and Bill Janovitz' simple but compelling vocal melodies. The album emphasizes the lyrics, which stand up to the scrutiny, and "Soda Jerk," "Would Not Be Denied," and "Anything That Way" are the best songs the band has written. --Jim DeRogatis

Customer Reviews:

Simply the best.......2007-06-18

I've got a few thousand albums and this is my favorite. Enuf said.

Comfortable, Straight-Ahead Rock.......2005-06-20

I found this in the used section a few days ago, and have been traveling around with it. This band has a sound kinda like Counting Crows or Gin Blossoms, with maybe a touch of John Mellencamp at times. It's not twang-y roots rock / but does feel kinda indie.

It's versatile, adult-feeling music. The lyrics speak a lot about the messiness of life, and the regrets we try to let go of. I find it likeable.

The vocals can be kinda raspy at times, and I was tempted to ding it for that and give it 3 stars... but I decided 4 is supportable.

"The moon was full your whisky sour".......2004-05-02

I bought Big Red Letter Day back in the early 1990s during my first year in college and it was one of my most played CDs at the time. Playing it now 11 years later, it still sounds great. Even though it was classified as "alternative" with "Sodajerk" getting decent play on MTV's 120 Minutes during its release, it is really just good, solid rock 'n roll with some Husker Du and Dinosaur Jr. influence and a smidgen of country sound here and there. No song jumps out on this album, but there is nothing weak here either. It is a good CD to pop in and hit "repeat all."

Buffalo Tom was a trio formed in 1986 in Massachusetts who built up a following with fuzz-laden guitars, effervescent melodies and muscle-building tours. Big Red Letter Day was the band's major label debut. The band made a little news when a magazine that had a regular "Cute Band Alert" section, changed the title to "Cute Drummer Alert" especially for BT drummer Tom Maginnis (I think the other two guys are cute, too). Guitarist Bill Janovitz does most of the vocal duties. He has a good, no nonsense rock 'n roll voice. Bassist Chris Colbourne provides vocals on "My Responsibility" and "Late at Night," seemingly about troubled fatherhood. These songs are a little less testosterone-driven. Colbourne does not have a very strong voice but the songs are catchy. I still find myself humming "Late at Night." Some songs are a little slower than others, but there are no true ballads here. Other tracks just rock like "Tree House" that ends with some gospel singing by the Water Sisters. Big Red Letter Day is a solid CD that has aged very well.

Very good all around.......2003-08-17

Even though there songs have been used on commercials, people still don't who this group is. And that is a shame. There light rock sounds are calming. I love this album.

An overlooked gem.......2002-01-26

The kiss of death for Buffalo Tom might have been getting stuck with the "alternative" label. Because to call them "alternative" was to deny them the mass audience they so richly deserved.

Buffalo Tom, not a guy but a Boston-based trio, skillfully transformed traditional song styles into idiosyncratic rockers and electric ballads, in the same way that REM transformed "New Southern Rock" into something much more. Forget the comparisons to Dinosaur Jr.: this band, and Big Red Letter Day, are successful on their own terms.

Produced by the Robb Brothers, responsible for producing hitmakers like Neil Diamond, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, the Bay City Rollers and fellow-Bostonians the Lemonheads, the CD is probably Buffalo Tom's most accessible, featuring deceptively simple melodies, dynamic guitars, and some of the band's best lyrics.

The CD opens with the confident "Sodajerk", which features the Water Sisters (Rolling Stones) and the immortal opening lines: "Watch an eyeball/take a free fall/At the mention of a name/In its socket/Like a rocket/It rises just the same."

Other standouts include "My Responsibility" (and the great lyrics, "I don't like that joke, and I don't want to smell like smoke"), "Torch Singer" and the rocking "Tree House" and "Dry Land".

Tracks:

See America
Humankind
Love's A Mystery
Sadness Soot
We All Get A Taste
Spring Released
Lazily Drowning
Like A Lover
Mobilize
Beautiful Dreamers
Sleepless Lake
April Chimes

Customer Reviews:

Grant Lee Genius.......2007-08-02

I've of course heard of Grant Lee (Buffalo/Phillips)but this was my first purchase, and its been on high rotation ever since. Its just such good, feel good music & I would like to punish myself physically for not having got into this before. This may not even be the best but i will now buy them all on the basis of this album. I love it, seriously, I love it. Don't ask me song titles, the whole album just swings on thru and its starting over and I let it go again, and the whole thing just sounds better and better. I dunno is it Duncan Sheik meets Beck? I guess if it could be better than maybe a studio band with a real live drummer, but I'm being picky. Grant Lee, please include me in your (should be) legions of fans.

Exceptional!.......2006-02-24

Was always a big fan of Grant Lee Buffalo, "Jubilee" totally rules, and Grant Lee on his own rocks too!

"Like A Lover" is one of the simplest songs, but conveys so much feeling, it knocks me out everytime I hear it.

"Mobilize" the beat always makes me think of Portishead, such a cool song

"Spring Released" is one of those songs that's timeless. It's like religion to play this track coming into the sunny season.

Do yourself a favour and buy anything of this exceptional musician that you can get your hands on. C'mon Grant Lee, give us another!!

rhythm + romanticism + melody = Mobilize.......2005-07-14

"Epic masterpiece..." "Channeling John Lennon" These are descriptions from other reviews, both puzzling to me. There's nothing epic about this, nor is there the slightest resemblance to Mr. Lennon -- who composed music in an entirely different vein. This is a personal album, sometimes quiet and sometimes hypnotically beat-driven. As far as I can tell GLP played and sang everything himself. This is like his earlier Ladies Love Oracle, but juiced up with rhythm. Acoustic guitars and electric keyboards predominate, with the sythetic percussion.

Mobilize doesn't really hang together as a unified piece. It is more a collection of songs, most of which are very good. The best of them are dreamy, entrancing, and soothing. Computer-sequenced beats give a pulse to many of the tracks. The lyrics are specific enough to be enticing but vague enough to allow your own interpretation. But take advantage of the free amazon.com download of See America and you will hear for yourself the strengths of this Grant-Lee Phillips effort. It will tell you ten times more than I could ever say in a review. Besides, there are only two kinds of music: good and bad. And you and I will never completely agree on which is which. At least give this a try. Was See America Grant-Lee's twist on Simon & Garfunkel's "...all come to look for America"? It seems so to me, and I think it is equally clever and anthemic.

See America, Sleepless Lake, and April Chimes showcase Phillips' ability to write a haunting melody, which is something of a lost art. See his Ladies Love Oracle CD for more of the same.

The other free download, the title track, is probably the least enjoyable tune on the album. It sounds a bit off-kilter, with its minor chords and allusions to war. The other tracks are much less depressing. Spring Released is positively bouyant, as is Beautiful Dreamers. (My grandmother used to play the classic old song Beautiful Dreamer, which GLP deftly incorporates into his own new composition.)

GLP is not trying to push the envelope or pump you up or sermonize. He seeks to entertain, by presenting a little piece of his contempative romantic soul. Treat yourself to some high class pop. Get this album. You can catch glimpses of GLP as the "town troubadour" on the first season of Gilmore Girls, too. That's how I was first introduced to his music.

I lost my first copy of this CD. I can't imagine how. It never left the house. But I had to buy another, because I knew I would miss it. I think you might feel that way about it, too.

Only 500 times over..........2002-11-08

I first heard Grant-Lee when he was part of Grant-Lee Buffalo. A friend made me a tape of "Mighty Joe Moon" about six years ago. I hadn't really thought about Grant-Lee until I saw the Exile Follies tour with Kristen Hersh, Grant-Lee and John Doe. I was so impressed with Grant-Lee that I had to hear more. I downloaded parts of songs from this album and listened to them over and over. I had to buy the album. So I bought it a week ago and have been listening to nothing else but this since. It's on most of the day at work and then on in the car for four or five songs at a time. I truly love this cd, it's a good thing that it's not on tape or the tape would be worn out already.

There is something really catchy about the songs that make you want to listen to them over and over. They also get stuck in your head and you just have to listen to them! "Spring Released," "Sadness Soot" and "Beautiful Dreamers" are the main ones that I keep singing over and over in my head. "See America" has a wonderful romantic sound to it that makes you want to take a road trip. I thought the lyrics seemed really cool at first, then I read the lyrics in the liner notes and realized that they are even cooler than they sound, they are quite poetic.

If you've never heard Grant-Lee, I've learned that you're missing out. He's definitely up there with my faves - PJ Harvey, Kristen Hersh, Tori and Liz Phair. I will definitely be adding more Grant-Lee Phillips to my collection as I can afford it.

Move to this........2002-08-26

Grant Lee Phillips is a top-class singer-songwriter who has a wealth of experience as well as two or three truly great records behind him, and somehow you just knew he wasn't going to disappoint with Mobilize. It finds Phillips embracing a more polished, modern sound than past efforts - accentuated by the classy, breatless pop of the opener 'See America' and similarly impressive 'Humankind'. As the title suggests 'Love's A Mystery' is all mystique and intrigue with Phillips sounding eerily like David Byrne, and is exactly the kind of left-field tunesmithery on the human condition at which he excels.
The real gem here though is 'Sadness Soot' - dizzying in it's magnificence and showcasing just how remarkable Phillips' voice really is - a master of phrasing, mood and expression. As with his Grant Lee Buffalo albums, just when you think you're in for more pop thrills, we get something edgy and challenging like the title track to throw you off the scent. The second half of Mobilize is engaging and interesting, if a little less consistent than the first (though that's a common complaint these days). Still, the bonus track 'Sunday Best' is a rather jaunty closing treat.
For listeners that like their music to be innovative, fresh and just a little outside the square then Mobilize will fit the bill nicely.

Average customer rating:

Review of Tracking
New, fresh sound
The Big Wuuuuuuu
Happy to be one of the gang
Big Wu, the review

Tracking Buffalo Through the Bathtub
The Big Wu
Manufacturer: Phoenix Rising
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Folktales
Spring Reverb
Taught to Be Proud
Folktales
Live at the Fitzgerald Theatre 4.21.00

ASIN: B00000J7ZI
Release Date: 1999-06-22

Tracks:

Silcanturnitova
Kangaroo
Midnight Rudy
Bloodhound
Puerto Rico
Pinnacle
Precious Hands
Gimme A Raise
Take The World By Storm
Red Sky

Customer Reviews:

Review of Tracking.......2001-01-10

On Tracking Buffalo, The Big Wu blends clever rhymes with catchy melodies to create an extremely enjoyable CD. They easily differentiate themselves from and possibly supersede other small jam bands with their songwriting and playing ability. The lyrics sometimes have a ballsy triteness in their rhymes that is nothing less than hilarious. My favorite aspect of the CD is how diverse sounding the band is. The Big Wu shifts from G Love/Sublime sounding vocals to a String Cheese sounding acoustic guitar solo to a harmonious "Phil and Jerry" duet jam. The drummer controls the dynamic level quite well and never seems afraid to turn it up a notch when the music calls for it. He is one of the main reasons the jamming sections of the CD don't sound forced, but rather progress naturally. Highlights include Silcanturnitova, Precious Hands, and Red Sky. I strongly recommend this CD for anyone even remotely interested in this genre of music.

New, fresh sound.......2000-06-28

The Big Wu just flat out jams. I've seen them live, and they can play. The album provides a great outline through the different styles that they can mold together into a style all their own. The song Red Sky provides killer lyrics along with one hell of a jam. I would encourage everyone, especially those of you who are into jam bands to check out The Big Wu.

The Big Wuuuuuuu.......2000-03-22

Album of the year? By a mile. And this comes from a band who excels live. I can go days without listening to anything but Wu. Buy this album or miss out on something absolutely beautiful. See them live when they hit your town or state. See ya at the show.

Happy to be one of the gang.......2000-02-29

For those who depended on Wed. nights for survival this and any other recording by the Wu is a necessity. To the uninitiated, this will be a new treat for you. If you enjoy jam bands, positive messages, and music to dance to, help yourself to a big tasty helping of Wu. Each song on this album is strong, each melody is unique, nothing harsh or overdone. A real treat. I've had the pleasure of introducing many friends to my favorite band, and I invite you too, my friend. You won't be dissapointed. Sil CAN turnitover.

Big Wu, the review.......2000-01-20

I think I've played this album so much that my CD player melted through it. I can honestly say that it really is that good, and the odd thing is that the Big Wu have gotten even better since it was put out, considering that it hjas been a couple of years now. Definitley buy this one, and look for the new one, entitled "Folktales for the Bloodshot" coming out soon. I see it's on sale, don't pass it up when opportunity knocks. The sound is very ecclectic, mixing styles of rock, bluegrass, country, R+B,and anything else you can imagine with dueling guitar parts and sweet vocal harmonies. A real treat for any jam band fan, or rock and roll lover.

Average customer rating:

Best album I ever got by accident
Bigger than the Hit Parade
Smart, Straight-Forward Stadium Rock
US Master Edition
Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!

The Buffalo Skinners
Big Country
Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Seer
Steeltown
John Wayne's Dream
Peace in Our Time/No Place Like Home
The Crossing

ASIN: B0007WVA9G
Release Date: 2005-07-12

Tracks:

Alone
Seven Waves
What Are You Working For
The One I Love
Long Way Home
The Selling Of America
We're Not In Kansas
Ships
All Go Together
Winding Wind
Pink Marshmallow Moon
Chester's Farm
The One I Love (US Mix)
Never Take Your Place
Eastworld
Buffalo Skinners (Demo)

Album Description

Reissue of 1993 album, has not been available since 1997. Features 12 tracks including 'Alone', 'Seven Ways', 'The One I Love', & 'All Go Together' plus the 4 bonus tracks 'The One I Love' (US mix), 'Never Take Your Place', 'Eastworld' & 'Buffalo Skinners' (demo). EMI. 2005.

Album Details

Reissue of the 1993 Reconstitution of the Band Fronted by Stuart Adamson and Now with Simon Phillips on Drums. The Album Gave Unleashed Two UK Top Ten Hits: "Alone" and "Ships". This Edition Adds Four Bonus Tracks More Than the Original Album for Your Extended Listening Pleasure.

Customer Reviews:

Best album I ever got by accident.......2006-12-26

I got this album in a box of free giveaway CD's as a college student in Athens, GA in the 90's. I knew nothing about the band and wasn't even sure which was the name of the band and which was the album title. However, it quickly became my favorite album as I could play it over and over without tiring of it. I lost my original CD a few years ago and my husband was kind enough to replace it with this remastered version. I'm thrilled to have my CD back and with extra tracks! I forgot how much I love it.

Rarely is a CD good enough to listen to all the way through. There are no dogs on this, and you'll find more than one favorite if you're a fan of bands like Kansas and Boston, and I think Green Day fans will appreciate the lyrics and maybe even the music as well.

Bigger than the Hit Parade.......2006-10-24

Listening to an album like this makes you despise the record industry and the way that fashions and slavish conformity dictate success.

The Buffalo Skinners was released in 1993, two years after Big Country had been callously and stupidly dropped by Phonogram. They then produced this astounding masterpiece, in which every track is solid and some "Pink Marshmallow Moon," "Alone," etc. - are sheer classics. Of course, gurning teenagers with grungey guitars were all the rage at the time, so the craftsmanship and quality of this earnest and soulfull collection of songs went largely unrecognised.

Big Country created a sound that could fill not only stadiums and arenas but also the vast landscapes of their native and their adopted land.

Smart, Straight-Forward Stadium Rock .......2006-01-10

With judicious use of the "program" button on your CD player, this is actually ax excellent, straight-ahead rock album. "Ships" is a classic lament that gives power ballads a good name, "All Go Together" is a blistering wake-up call about the continued destruction of this planet we all share, and "Seven Waves" is as poignant a piece of Power Pop as you'll ever hear. "It doesn't hurt any more/ It doesn't get me down/ But I might just swim out on the waves tonight/ And lay right down and drown." Those were chilling, powerful lyrics long before Stuart Adamson took his own life.

On the other hand, "We're Not In Kansas", "The Selling Of America", and "What Are You Working For" are a bit preachy with a sound overly reminiscent of 80's L.A. metal. On these tracks, the band was trying a little too hard to capture the magic of Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World", a track Big Country once recorded as a B-Side.

"Alone" works well as a guitar heavy, angst-ridden album opener, "The One I Love" is almost too catchy, and "Pink Marshmallow Moon" is much darker and more interesting than the title implies. "Long Way Home" is pretty solid, but lacks the spontaneity and passion of the version featured on the "Safety Net" live album/DVD, which I recommend whole-heartedly.

Overall, the album has barely a hint of the Celtic influence and bold experimentation that made early albums like The Crossing, Steeltown, and The Seer must-have classics, but it's still one I listen to when I just want to bang my head and play air guitar while bouncing around my apartment like a bloody fool.

A typically frustrating Big Country move was to toss out some of their best songs as B-sides, and this album is no exception. The title track, "The Buffalo Skinners", is a gorgeous epic that should have closed off this album, and "Never Take Your Place" and "Eastworld" have that signature Big Country mix of folk and rock that made their early albums so distinctive. The latter two were thankfully included on this remaster, but the title track only appears as a vastly inferior demo. Unfortunately, tracking down Big Country's best material continues to be far more difficult than it needs to be.

US Master Edition.......2005-10-26

The US Master Edition is much better than the UK mix. No need to be an expert to tell. The only bad thing is that they included the demo version of "Buffalo Skinners" instead of the original song, as a bonus track.
Stay alive!!!

Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!.......2005-07-31

I have been a big fan of this band since 1985, and, while I thought that no other Big Country album could match the excellence found in "Steeltown", after listening to this album, I realized that Big Country had surpassed their one-time Masterpiece.

I was lucky enough to see Big Country live in 1993 in New Haven at a small bar (Toad's) where the Rolling Stones had initiated their SteelWheels tour about 4 years earlier. The crowd was energized by the power and soul of Big Country, and the songs of this album highlight that power and soul. In fact, this album clearly demonstrates Big Country's maturation as a band and as a sound, because, through this ablum, they exploded past the boundaries of brilliance which they had originally constructed through their music in "Steeltown".

Since Stuart Adamson's tragic and untimely demise, listening to Big Country, especially this album, parallel's the reading of Poe's "The Raven" or "The Cast of Amontillado", or listening to Mozart's "Eroica" or "The Emperor" - One undertands that one is witnessing godly genius which could not be caged in a frail, mortal structure.

Average customer rating:

A Voice Of Gold

The Big Buffalo
John Fiddler
Manufacturer: Angel Air
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004SW6J
Release Date: 2003-03-17

Tracks:

Time For Love
Princess
Return Of The Buffalo
Time Will Tell
Wish
Strong Heart (Electric)
Kind Crazy, Kinda Sad
Let The Kids Know
Hurt
(A Day) Without You
Working Class Hero
Walkin' Blues
Win Or Lose
Strong Heart (Acoustic)
This Man's On Fire
When I Looked Away
Where's Heaven Now?
I Stand Alone

Album Description

Remastered reissue with 4 bonus tracks, from ex-Machine Head, British Lions & Box of Frogs, singer/guitarist. 18 tracks including an emotion packed version of John Lennon's 'Working Class Hero'. Bonus tracks 'This Man's On Fire', 'When I Looked Away', 'Where's Heaven Now?' & 'I Stand Alone'. 2000 release. Standard jewel case.

Album Details

Reissue by the Ex-medicine Head Singer/Guitarist.

Customer Reviews:

A Voice Of Gold.......2004-10-28

Ex- Medicine Head, British Lions, Box of Frogs lead vocalist. If you haven't heard of any of these bands and like good rock I suggest checking them out. A great album. Not a big fan of the fake drums on some of the songs but I can live with them. The songs here are strong and John's Voice made of gold. Truly unique and passionate.

Average customer rating:

WOW Where have these guys been?
Tugboat Annie Power Pop Makes You Want More
Good tunes
Outstanding CD!
This Band Keeps Growing

The Space Around You
Tugboat Annie
Manufacturer: Big Top
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

Wake Up and Disappear
Superfriends
Separation Songs

ASIN: B00004SZU0
Release Date: 2000-05-16

Tracks:

Stop
The Wishing Song
Tell Me
Love
Helen Of Troy
Explanations
More
Off The Ground
Away
Don't Stop Holding Out Your Hands

Customer Reviews:

WOW Where have these guys been?.......2004-01-08

This whole album is awesome. Great tracks throughout! I simply can't believe that I had never heard these guys on the radio before. I heard about these guys from the "monster.com" commercial some years ago. Now I let all my friends borrow the cd now, and they love it too.

Tugboat Annie Power Pop Makes You Want More.......2002-07-03

In 'The Space Around You', Tugboat Annie has assembled a wonderful power-pop jaunt which keeps you interested from beginning to end. Never straying too far from their basic guitar crunch and melody mix, the band zips through 10 solid tracks which had me smiling the whole way. It is fun music. Period. The writing is clean and creative, but keeps to simple relationship-based lyrics which paint with a broad brush that allows the listener to interpret as he will, or just simply listen and enjoy. While not breaking any new ground, the sound reflections of Oasis/Third Eye Blind/Weezer may be similar, but Tugboat Annie accomplishes what those bands couldn't - to keep me interested through every song and left me wanting MORE. PLEASE RECORD ANOTHER ALBUM SOON! (Kudos to Monster.Com commercial for not letting this album slip away unnoticed...)

Good tunes.......2001-07-12

This cd is quite good. There are several highlight tracks including my favorites Love, Explanations, and Don't Stop Holding Out Your Hands. The music is good and the listen is excellent all the way. Not quite worth the five star mark, but worth the money. If you like Tugboat Annie check out 6 going on 7.

Outstanding CD!.......2000-12-22

I will go out on a limb here and say right now that if this band will get some airplay and some publicity, they will be huge.

Let me explain where this review is coming from. I have very eclectic tastes. I listen to and enjoy just about every style of music from Mozart to Metallica, from Bluegrass to Blues. I don't care that much for most rap music, but hey...to each his own. Favorite bands would include U2, R.E.M., Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Black Crowes, Sixpence None the Richer, Dave Matthews, Rush, and so on. I have hundreds of CDs of all styles of music.

"The Space Around You" by Tugboat Annie is one of the top 5 or 10 best rock CDs I have. If you are a Tugboat Annie fan and you don't already have this CD, let me assure you that it is on a different level compared to their other releases. If you are not a Tugboat Annie fan, you need to listen to this CD. This is one of the few CDs that both my wife and I agree is great. In fact everyone I've shared it with has been very impressed.

I don't know how best to describe Tugboat Annie's sound because they have their own. The closest description I can think of is to compare them with some early R.E.M. such as that found on "Reckoning" only a little bit heavier.

To the songs:

STOP - This song kicks a** A great melodious-rock introduction to the CD. You WILL find yourself hitting repeat before you move on to track 2.

THE WISHING SONG - The fastest tempo song on the CD. Good driving to the beach to go surfing song. I defy you to listen without playing drums on your steering wheel.

TELL ME - Another strong melody. One of those songs that grows on you each time you listen.

LOVE - I love the first few bars of this one. Another one you have to hear to understand.

HELEN OF TROY - This song has taken the longest to grow on me, perhaps because I couldn't figure out the lyrics. Oh well, still better than 95% of what is on the radio today. One of the three mellowest songs on the CD.

EXPLANATIONS - The song I heard on the radio that made me say, "Who are these guys? I hafta have this CD!" Another great song!

MORE - I keep waiting for a weak song that I want to skip. Doesn't happen. Still going strong.

OFF THE GROUND - Mellow time.

AWAY - Second to last song, and I still haven't heard a clunker.

DON'T STOP HOLDING OUT YOUR HANDS - When this song started it reminded me immediately of what Pink Floyd might have sounded like if they weren't manic depressives. Cool song.

If you like straight ahead rock and roll, this is an album you need to buy. It gets better with each listen. Someone get these guys some publicity!! Saturday Night Live, Letterman, Leno, anybody!!

This Band Keeps Growing.......2000-06-10

This is another ten solid tracks from a band I first witnessed at a loft party in Buffalo during another lifetime. Good on first listen, but after the fourth spin all the hooks and nuances come through. If the last track "Dont Stop Holding Out" doesn't become a radio staple across the land then all station programmers should be marched into the Boston Harbor.

Average customer rating:

Mixed Emotions
Away vile spirit--show me no more!
Solid Arena Rock

The Buffalo Skinners
Big Country
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Why the Long Face

ASIN: B000008DFU
Release Date: 1993-09-14

Tracks:

Alone
Seven Waves
What Are You Working For
One I Love
Long Way Home
Selling of America
We're Not in Kansas
Ships
All Go Together
Winding Wind
Pink Marshmallow Moon
Chester's Farm

Customer Reviews:

Mixed Emotions.......2004-08-02

With judicious use of the "program" button on your CD player, this is actually ax excellent, straight-ahead rock album. "Ships" is a classic lament that gives power ballads a good name, "All Go Together" is a blistering wake-up call about the continued destruction of this planet we all share, and "Seven Waves" is as poignant a piece of Power Pop as you'll ever hear. "It doesn't hurt any more/ It doesn't get me down/ But I might just swim out on the waves tonight/ And lay right down and drown." Those were chilling, powerful lyrics long before Stuart Adamson took his own life.

On the other hand, "We're Not In Kansas", "The Selling Of America", and "What Are You Working For" are a bit preachy with a sound overly reminiscent of 80's L.A. metal. The band was trying a little too hard to capture the magic of Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World", a track Big Country once recorded as a B-Side.

"Alone" works well as a guitar heavy, angst-ridden album opener, "The One I Love" is almost too catchy, and "Pink Marshmallow Moon" is much darker and more interesting than the title implies. "Long Way Home" is pretty solid, but lacks the spontaneity and passion of the version featured on the "Safety Net" live album/DVD, which I recommend whole-heartedly. Overall, the album is fairly straight-forward stadium rock, with barely a hint of the Celtic influence and bold experimentation that made early albums like The Crossing, Steeltown, and The Seer must-have classics.

A typically frustrating Big Country move was to toss out some of their best songs as B-sides, and this album is no exception. The title track, "The Buffalo Skinners", is a gorgeous epic that should have closed off this album, and "Never Take Your Place" has that signature Big Country mix of folk and rock that made their early albums so distinctive. "Never Take Your Place" was thankfully included on the most recent remaster of the album, which is also available on Amazon, but the title track only appears as a vastly inferior demo. Unfortunately, tracking down Big Country's best material continues to be far more difficult than it needs to be.

Away vile spirit--show me no more!.......2004-03-23

Ack, cursed Truth begone! Leave me to my delusion that Big Country was and ever shall be an awesome band incapable of churning out a rotten egg. Too late, too late. My ears burn, my blood sours, and I am left holding a CD that I'd sooner use as a coaster upon which to set my glass of hemlock. This is NOT Big Country! It's some terrible impostor that has kidnapped the real Big Country and replaced it with a loose confederation of mediocre & forgettable vocals, hackneyed 4/4 drumbeats and the same 3 power chords that were done to death by the end of the 80s.

Where is that nostalgic Highland sound? Where are the expressive dynamics? Where are Stu's resonant vocals and haunting harmonies? And where is the intricate, polyrhythmic and delicate drumwork that made "The Crossing" so immortal?

Well, aside from the fact that drummer Mark Brzezicki didn't play on this studio release (d'oh! I shoulda read the credits first), this was their first album on a new record label (Compulsion) with an entirely different sound both in songwriting and production. I'm sure they were trying to capture the 80s rockin' feel (Bryan Adams comes to mind) but in so doing, they abandoned what made them unique as Big Country. What you are about to hear is akin to what happened to Rush when they attempted to go mainstream ...uh, but we won't talk about that little embarrassing decade.

I only hope subsequent Big Country albums are closer to home. But I'm afraid to admit that perhaps "The Crossing" was a fluke--a once in a lifetime jackpot that could never be replicated. I only have two Big Country albums: "The Crossing" and "Buffalo Skinners". I used to dream about collecting their entire repertoire, but now... the charm is dispelled... I should bury this CD in the back yard and quit while I'm ahead. Damn my ears! OH MY JAMES, THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO DO THIS!

***EDITED 2 DAYS LATER...***

Well, the store wouldn't give me my money back, so I decided to give "Buffalo Skinners" another chance. This time I played it on a better stereo, and it seemed to come alive. Yes, the old Big Country is there, but you have to listen hard. If only they had used Mark on drums to spice it up, it could've been musically impressive. The vocals have a tight reverb (not the huge thunderous reverb used on "The Crossing"), so Stu's country twang really comes through. If you like country music, then no problem. Otherwise, yuck.

I now give "Buffalo Skinners" 2 stars and a rubber biscuit.

Solid Arena Rock.......2003-07-31

This is by far Big Country's most muscular, rocking release. The first three albums by this group placed more of an emphais on big sound and their once-signature "Bagpipe" guitar sound and polyrhythmic toms than on effective songwriting (although the level during this period was high, at least in comparison to thier contemporaries); "Peace in our time" was a total, overly glossy departure from this formula that seeked to widen the audience, and "Peace in our Time", while almost a solid rocker, still showed that the band was hanging on a bit too tightly onto dreams of superstardom. Likewise, every studio after "The Buffalo Skinners" would show the band inserting more country/western influences into thier material - not a bad thing, but the fact just goes to serve my point: this CD is thier hardest, heaviest, most rock-oriented ever.

The songwriting is, for the most part, extremely inspired, with the lone lapses being "Long Way Home" and "All Go Together," two songs with thier hearts in the right places that just try too hard to make thier point. There are two excellent alteernate versions of material from "Peace in our time," "We're not in Kansaas," which places the emphasis more on an aggressive beat and harder-edged gutar-work, and "Ships," which trades the piano ballad for a fine, earnestly-sung country-tinged piece. These songs aside, the rest of the CD presents one excellently played, solidly written statement. While this is not the Big Country of the eighties, considering the disasterous turn they could have taken ("No place like home,"), they turned out very well indeed, and this CD does not disapoint.

Big Red Letter Day
Average customer rating:
Big Red Letter Day
Buffalo Tom
Manufacturer: Beggars Banquet Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
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Let Me Come Over

ASIN: B00000DPHN
Release Date: 1993-09-21

Tracks:

Sodajerk
I'm Allowed
Tree House
Would Not Be Denied
Latest Monkey
My Responsibility
Dry Land
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Late At Night
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Average customer rating:

A great album
A CULT CLASSIC
A Mostly Good Effort
An incredibly diverse album by a great band
Big Wu is Big Time

Tracking Buffalo Througth the Bathtub
The Big Wu
Manufacturer: Oarfin Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005Y7CV
Release Date: 2002-02-01

Tracks:

Silcanturnitova
Kangaroo
Midnight Rudy
Bloodhound
Puerto Rico
Pinnacle
Precious Hands
Gimme a Raise
Take the World By Storm
Red Sky

Customer Reviews:

A great album.......2003-02-15

This cd was permanently in my car's cd player for the first several months I owned it and I still never get tired of it. It's just good music. It's got a great variety of catchy songs with enough words to sing along to and enough jamming to kick back to. If there's a low point, it's "pinnacle" but all the other songs are amazing.

A CULT CLASSIC.......2002-09-06

This was big wu's first album and definatly with out any doubt their best album. Tracking buffalo through the bathtub has fun songs like kangaroo ,which the band rewrote at bonnaroo music festival changing all the lyrics around, and using "bonnaroo" instead of "kangaroo." The best jam song on the album would be "red sky" ,which in the biginning starts off with a didgeridu and djembes having a world beat feel to it, then the electric guitar comes in and the chorus is very catchy. "Midnight Rudy" is another good electric jam and a very well written song. Also on the album is "boxing day", a beatiful acoustic song, and "Puerto Rico" another well written acoustic song. I'm sure this album will please a massive varity of music lovers. It's a well structured make you feel good kinda album.

A Mostly Good Effort.......2002-08-18

Overall, this CD is solid, with a few rough spots. It starts off with the energetic "Silcanturnitova" and the first five songs are all interesting and varied. After track 5, the excellent "Puerto Rico", the CD's first and biggest blemish comes up. "Pinnacle" has the feel of a song that was thrown together last minute to put a tenth song on the CD. It suffers from incredibly trite lyrics and a fairly uninteresting melody. "Gimme a Raise" has the same lyrical problems, but manages to make itself halfway decent via its rockin' bluesy feel.

This CD is worth the money, all in all, but has a couple of down spots. I find this to be a great road trip CD, which requires only the one press of the Skip button.

An incredibly diverse album by a great band.......2002-04-26

This is the best studio album by a great band: The Big Wu. The Big Wu are a jamband hailing from Minnesota with a wide variety of influences. I was first introduced to big wu when they opened for my favorite band jupiter coyote about a year ago and blew me away. As great as 'tracking buffalo' is, you really need to get to one of these guys shows! The album starts off upbeat with 'Silcaturnitover' which is reminiscent of the big bands of the early 20th century. Next is 'Kangaroo' another upbeat tune with a great opening guitar riff and a nice jam near the end. Next is the slower 'midnight rudy' followed by the bluegrassy stomp 'bloodhound'. Then comes 'Puerto Rico' a live favorite with a great jam. 'Pinnacle' is probably one of the weeker songs on the album, but still a good one. Gimme a Raise is a slower, bluesy tune that is one of the best on the album. 'Take the world by storm' is another slow blues jam. The final track 'red sky' is also (in my opinion) the best. by far the most "jammed out" of all the songs, it's also the jazziest and features the best playing on the album and feel good lyrics. This is a great album by an excellent but largely unnoticed band. It features bluegrass, blues, rock and jazz, with jamband-influenced guitar. If you like great feel good music, you should definately pick this one up.

Big Wu is Big Time.......2002-03-25

I was first introduced to the Wu through a DJ at the college radio station. From the first line of Silcanturnitova, I was hooked. The band and this album are just one of the all time great summer/driving bands. Precious Hands and lines from it have found their way into my daughter's lullaby's, Pinnacles run through my head while hiking, Kangaroo is now a battle cry floating the river, and Puerto Rico is a mainstay sinalong at drinking time. If you have never experienced The Big Wu, this, their first album , will hook you for good and not let you go. You'll be humming and singing the songs for days after you first hear them. I highly recommend these guys!!!