This is a fairly new recording from Jimmy Buffet so almost of all of his big hits and fan favorites are on it It was recorded in Hawaii(duh)and has great quality. Because you can hear all the instruments and they all flow the live recording is better than most of the studio recording. There arent many people who can say they honestly dont like his music. The only bad thing on this album is that he doesnt know when to shut up between songs.
Great Heart(5/5)-Starts off with a cool intro then moves into a surfer style riff. Verses and choruses have a swing feel to them with some good vocals that fit perfectly. Bridge is a tribal beat with some drums and a cowbell. Really catchy song and a good opener.
Coconut Telegraph(4/5)-Typical Buffet song. About an island located in a tropical climate. Verses have kind of a funky feel to them while the choruses are highlighted by the keyboard. Vocals are hard to hear in the chorus. Cool “la-la-la” bridge then moves back into the verse.
Gypsies In The Palace(4/5)-Cool opening with the surfer guitar, keyboard, and steel drums. Verses are almost a polka feel. Lyrics about himself and another guy being left alone to watch a house and having a big party. Shows the different styles the band can play.
In The Shelter(1.5/5)-A reggae song. Really boring as the whole song flows together with almost no changes. Good instruments but vocals do not fit the song.
Burn That Bridge(3.5/5)-Somewhat of a country-ish song. Catchy but after a few listens it gets old. Still a catchy chorus and well written verses pull it together. Good harmonies and lead vocals by one of the backup female singers.
Son Of A Son Of A Sailor(3/5)-One of his big hits I don’t see what’s so special. Sure it’s a decent song but a lot of his other stuff is better. Granted it is catchy but it leaves me wanting more.
Come Monday(5/5)-The hit that started it all. Almost everybody has heard this song and rightly so. Great lyrics a lot of people can relate to. Instruments fit well with the melody of the lyrics. A really cool guitar solo outro, sounds like one of those island guitars they play in cartoons.
Natives Are Restless Tonight(3/5)-A cover of a song originally by Don Tiki. Don’t worry I’ve never heard of them either. Really cool drum opening with a cow bell groove going on. Song is repetitive but the guitar solos are really good. The tribal drumbeats (hoom baba hoom baba hoom baba hoom baba hey hey in the background) don’t go with the song and are funny sounding.
Grapefruit Juicy Fruit(1/5)-Cant stand this song. It sounds like one of those cheesy finger snapping rhythms you see on commercials. Really dumb vocals also. The only song I always skip when playing.
It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere(5/5)-Originally featuring Alan Jackson it was Buffets first country hit. The country feel is lost in the live version which is probably a good thing. Most of you have probably heard this song as well. Good opening riff, well written vocals during verses and chorus is one of those that get stuck in your head. One of the albums best.
One Particular Harbor(4.5/5)-Really catchy mellower song. Features lots of instrument playing with minimal vocals. Still, a catchy chant in the opening. Lots of different parts to the song as well, followed by long musical outro. Really good song.
Cheeseburger In Paradise(5/5)-Another song most people have heard before. Probably the most rock oriented song on the album. Good opening guitar riff moves into verses about going on a diet and dreaming about being able to eat a cheeseburger. Choruses are catchy and I like how they extent the ending of the song past where the studio ends.
We Are The People Our Parents Warned Us About(3.5/5)-Intro sounds a lot like Burn That Bridge. Moves into smooth verses. Average song until the bridge where the backup female singer sings a rockin out version of “shake it up baby” with the band in cut time. That is the best part of the song. Moves back to the slower part to end.
Quiet Village(2/5)A 1 minute instrumental track featuring some animal noises from Martin Denhy. Not much to say here.
Tiki Bar Is Open(2/5)A weird sounding song that features gospel sounding singing from the backups. Then a long trumpet solo where he tries to get people to do some old dance style. Not a great song. The trumpet gets really annoying.
Everybody’s Talking(4/5)A mellow song a lot of people have heard before. I think it is a cover. A feel-good type of song that is slow but a swingy feel. Very well written lyrics, a true summer time song.
Why Don’t We Get Drunk(2/5)-Every band has to have one joke song. This is theirs. The lyrics of “why don’t we get drunk and screw” are both stupid and immature but kind of funny. Best part of song is the ukele playing which sounds cool.
Jolly Mon(5/5)-An underestimated track that is a well written ballad about a Hawaiian mythical star character. Features only Buffet’s vocals, an acoustic guitar and steel drums. Very well written lyrics and the choruses are simple but effective. Very good vocal performance.
It’s My Job(3.5/5)-Another acoustic song again with excellent lyrics. A song about taking pride in what you do. Very catchy even with the mellowness. A sad sounding song but a good one.
Boat Drinks(2.5/5)A song that really blends in with the rest of the songs and has nothing unique. Not much to say.
Far Side Of The World(4/5) The first time I heard this I was on a plane going to the far side of the world so the song had a great impact on me. It seems that there is a group of 3 consecutive songs that have that nostalgic feel and this is the first. Instruments sound the same as most other songs but vocals stand out.
Pirate Looks At Forty(2.5/5)Sounds like part two of a Son of A Son of A Sailor. Another nostalgic type of song. Nothing really special about this except some good lyrics.
Changes In Latitude, Changes In Attitude(4.5/5)-Intro hook sounds a lot like Margaritaville. A big hit for him, and rightfully so. The final nostalgic song in the trio. Utilizes some catchy hooks, thoughtful vocals, and just a well written song overall.
Mexico(3/5)-A cover but I don’t know who it is originally by. The chorus is very simple but catchy but the verses leave something to be desired. The original version is much better than this one but the crowd connects well so it pushes the rating up.
Margaritaville(5/5)-The crowning achievement and a song EVERYBODY has heard. It sounds much better live because it has a much more island/tropical feel which is the original intent of the song. No need to really describe it as it is well known. A great song overall and the sound of it is amazing.
Volcano(4.5/5)-A song featuring Henry Kopono who is really old now. Catchy musical intro followed by a chanting chorus of “I don’t know where im gonna go when the volcano blows.” Verses have that island musical feel. I’ve heard this song from before I just don’t know where. A really cool song overall but can get repetitive.
Fins(5/5)-Starts off with a cheesy Jaws ripoff followed by some percussion then launches into a fast paced song, with a cool riff and keyboard stuff. Upbeat song from start to finish and the chorus will get stuck in your head for hours at a time. Utilizes almost all the backup singers and is overall one of the albums best.
Back To The Island(3.5/5)-For doing the song for the first time live its pretty good. Normal Buffet lyrics. Chorus uses a catchy steel drum thing which sounds really cool. Verses aren’t up to par with the rest of the song, but it still contributes to the island/tropical feel.
Stories We Could Tell(5/5)-The best song lyrically Buffet has ever written. Ends up with just him and his acoustic. Purely amazing lyrics as they rhyme and have perfect rhythm but don’t feel forced. A song that could be used as a graduation or goodbye song. Its one of those songs that gives you that real sad feeling even though it is not a sad song.
An amazing cd that is a great listen time after time. I have listened to it laying on a beach, cruising in the car, and in freezing cold weather and it never changes my opinon. I normally listen to a lot of rock/punk/alt but this cd opened up new music for me. I think everybody should give this a listen.