I'm not a Buffett Fan. Y'all can take Margarittaville & go Get Drunk & Screw for all I care. Most of his other stuff holds no appeal to me. But this CD is different (fans beware) & I like it. It's laid back, with just enough of a Carribean feel to be "exotic." Buffett's sense of humor shines through brightly.

Some tracks, like "Six String Music" & "Love in the Library" are unremarkable, but I find them staying with me in a lilting & upbeat way. The ode to his daughter "Delaney Talks to Statues" gets me every time, but I'm sentimental & my own daughter is growing up way too fast. I own a lot of Grateful Dead CDs (several changer cartridges full). I find his interpretation of "Uncle John's Band" enjoyable & refreshing rather than inept and blasphemous. He gets the spirit of that song & manifests it with good humor. He cracks "Apocalypso," as the ultimate existentialist joke.

Five stars for a playful, sunny masterpiece. I love it. I have it on good authority that Joe Merchant does, too.

(If you enjoyed this review, please leave positive feedback. More of my reviews can be found by clicking on the "about me" link above. Thanks!)


Modern Jimmy at his best   June 10, 1999
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This cd, I believe, is Jimmy's best 90's album. There is a nice mix of ballads, (love in the library, Delaney talks to statues), and upbeat songs, (everybody's got a cousin, Quietly making noise). Another reason to buy this album is to hear Jimmy's great remake of the Greatful Dead song Uncle John's Band. This is one of my favorite Buffett cds, and it is worth the price.


Don't Overlook This One!   January 24, 2000
Mark Muller (Brick, NJ United States)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

If you read the reviews at this site of Jimmy's 90's releases, you will find a common thread that you need to allow these albums to grow on you. I'm still having a little trouble with Banana Wind, Beach House, and even Barometer Soup. (I'm still hesitating on Carnival.) But this one is definitely worth playing until you can't get enough of it! I love Lone Palm, Uncle John's Band, Six String Music, Love in the Library, Frenchman For The Night, and especially Quietly Making Noise. Catholic school veterans and childhood fans of classic monster movies will identify with Vampires, Mummies and the Holy Ghost, as I do. She's Got You is about the only dismissable track here. This is maybe my favorite Buffett album after Somewhere Over China. Well, it's a close 2nd tie with Volcano and Floridays... Keep playing it, you'll love it! VagbndKing@aol.com


Jimmy's Best CD of the 90's   March 22, 2005
N_Joy (North Carolina)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I have many fond memories of the summer of '94. I met my wife that summer, I went on a road trip to New Orleans with my best friend, attended my third Buffett concert, and theres this CD which I consider Jimmy's best release in the 90's. It had been five years since his last studio release which was good but nowhere near as good as Fruitcakes. Jimmy just sounded renergized and fresh on this CD unlike most of his 80's releases after Coconut Telegraph. "Uncle John's Band" is a great cover of the Dead song. "Everybody's got a cousin", "Fruitcakes", "Lone Palm", "Queitly Making Noise", "Vampires","She's Got You", "Sunny Afternoon" are really good. There is not a throw away song on this entire CD. Everytime I throw this CD in the player I am transported back to that great summer. I can almost feel the gulf coast breeze as my best friend and I travel down I-10 to N'awlins and I feel like I did when my wife and I first started dating. I know this is getting a little corny but this CD is like the soundtrack to a great part of my life. Thanks for the memories Jimmy.


ABSOLUTELY MUST-HAVE FOR BUFFET FANS!!!   May 16, 2003
Ives Fan (Calif)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

"Fruitcakes" is an absolutely fantastic album. The title song, his cover of the Dead's "Uncle John's Band" and "Quietly Making Noise" stand among his all-time very best songs. "Love in the Library" and "Lone Palm" showcase his delightful storytelling and uncanny knack for putting together tunes that stay in your head long after the music has stopped. BUY THIS CD! Along with "Barometer Soup", by far his 2 best albums of the '90's.
ENJOY! Buy 2 if ya can!!!!