Album Review: 22 Nailing Corpus Christi

Album Review: 22

Nailing Corpus Christi

This review was originally posted on rateyourmusic. on their community forums. This version of the review has had some editing and corrections.

The Nails Corpus Christi

1993 Safe House Records SH 2110 2

**.5

"Bobbie joined a new-wave band,
and changed her name to Bobbie-sox."

I got this album because of the track I had heard on the radio "88 Lines About 44 Women", and this album has three versions of it as bonus tracks on the CD. Each version is slightly different and is even slightly different than the radio version (which was additionally edited to censor words not allowed on radio by the FCC). The other tracks on the album are OK but in my opinion are a little below average. On some tracks the lead singer sounds like he should be singing about Elvis Presley or some country western story song, and on a few has a hint of a Jim Morrison sound to his voice. A few of the tracks have a slight anti-Christian feel to them. It is a light mocking or poking fun of, not a full-blown bashing. I'm pretty sure that is the theme of the album thus the title.

Album Review: 21 Joe Cool Plays The Blues

Album Review: 21

Joe Cool Plays The Blues

This review was originally posted on rateyourmusic. on their community forums. This version of the review has had some editing and corrections.

Wynton Marsalis/Ellis Marsalis Joe Cool’s Blues

1995 Columbia Records CK 66880

*****

"Little birdie, why do you fly upside down?
It's amazing, at the way you get around."

Anyone who has seen a Peanuts cartoon will recognize the first track Linus & Lucy which is often mistakenly called Snoopy's Theme by people who don't know it's title, probably because it is often used as the music that the gang dances and parties to. This version of Linus & Lucy is in a lower key than it's usually played plus the horns are muted. This whole album is music from or inspired by the Peanuts television specials and movies. This is one mellow smooth cool jazz album. When not reminding me of the cartoons this music takes me back to another part of my childhood. My mother's Godmother belonged to a country club and twice a year, sometimes more often we would go there on holidays for brunch or dinner. The club had a ballroom and a cocktail lounge. Often in the lounge there would be a jazz combo, usually just a trio (piano, drums and upright bass) at the time I was too young to appreciate jazz, so I never hung around the lounge. Plus I think children were not allowed in it. Back to this album. Many of the tracks are the themes for the characters, track 3 for example is Peppermint Patty and track 7 is Charlie Brown. There is even a track titled Oh, Good Grief! Track number 6 Wright Brothers Rag sounds like something that would play during one of Snoopy's WWI Flying Ace fantasy sequences. Track 11 Little Birdie is the only track that has any lyrics, I forget which special or movie it was featured in, but obviously it references Woodstock.

If you like jazz and you like the Peanuts cartoons then you wil love this album.