Music
Store

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
 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


It's not the Buffett of the 70's & early 80's...   June 30, 2002
 3 out of 4 found this review helpful

but it's probably his best effort of the 90's (IMHO).

As a Buffett fan for many years, I have experienced the range of his talent from the best ("Changes in Latitudes") to the least (relatively-recent "Carnival"). Jimmy doesn't really make ANY bad albums, it's just that some are better than others.
(i.e., see other 90's albums such as 1995's unseasoned "Barometer Soup" and 1996's odorous "Banana Wind".)

"Fruitcakes", on the other hand, is certainly worth your time! A number of catchy tunes are present and you'll find yourself humming some of them all day, if you're not careful. Particularly good were, "Quietly Making Noise" and "Six String Music", both of which harken back to Jimmy's roots.

Without getting too philosophical here, I've always found a great deal of "social commentary" in Buffett's music. As you listen to "Everybody's Got a Cousin in Miami", "Fruitcakes" , and "Apocalypso", you may pick up on some of it as well. Regardless of that fact, you'll find those are three great songs if nothing else. The old irreverent Jimmy (see, "Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw") is also present in this album in the song "Vampires, Mummies, and the Holy Ghost". Gotta have one of those in each album!

All in all, this is a very good musical effort. For old-time fans, you'll probably be satisfied with "Fruitcakes". For neo-Parrotheads, avoid the earlier mentioned albums from the 90's, stick with this one and ANY of the earlier (70's & 80's) albums.


ohh the memories   January 20, 2001
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

My dad is a big fan of Jimmy Buffet. I had never heard of him until in the summer of 1994 when I was 13 years old. My dad and I drove down to Florida from Ohio with this tape in the cassette player the whole way down their and back. At first, I have to admit that I didn't really care for the music. But after awhile it grows on you. Pretty soon I found myself singing the words to every song along with my dad. This record is on my top five of all time. My favorite songs are Uncle Johns band, Sunny Afternoon, Six string music, and the downright funny title track. Whenever I put this cd in I am in Florida all over again reliving all of the unforgetable moments that my father and I spent together. If this album does anything for you, it will put you in a great mood.