Beg to differ re those comments on the new album.

I think the overall quality of the songs are very good. `Cornfield Ablaze`,
`Streets of Laredo` and `The Gunman` are worth the price alone. The voice is
A1 and the playing seems superb, the only downsides for me are no Wendy and
the ill advised finale `farmyard cat`.

Regards
Nick

-----Original Message-----
From: Stephen Bennett [mailto:s.bennett@...]
Sent: 21 June 2001 13:54
To: prefabsprout@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [prefabsprout] The Gunman - first impressions


Hi all

I was a little wary when putting this on - I'd seen the track list and it
seemed that most of the songs had appeared before in other guises. Why is
this? Didn't Paddy once boast that he wrote a song a day? Hasn't he written
concept albums? Well I have to say that the album lives down, and under my
expectations. This is me - someone who thinks that Swoon and Jordan are the
best albums ever made and that Dublin is amongst the best songs ever
written. I thoght Andromeda (s)Heights was the lowest point he could go -
but no. The songs on here sounded so much better when Jimmy Nail sang them.
They not only suited his simplistic vocal style better, but the arrangement,
production and sounds were better. The Gunman contains some of the most
horrible Piano sounds I've ever heard on a record. And the guitar on the
Gunman! Paddy sings OK - but he sounds more lika a parody of himself now.
Wendy Smith is sorely missed. What else? The bloody 'Kenny G' style god
awful sax sound & playing (someone at a gig asked paddy to never use a sax
again - if only he'd been heeded!), The simplistic 6th form lyrics (This guy
wrote Cruel for pitys sake!) , the schmaltzy middle of the road sound - its
a Jim Reeves for the naughties.

And as for 'farmyard cat' - I haven't been so embarassed ever listening to a
song. Period.

I played the album to 3 long time fans. They all tried to talk the album
up - 'Nice singing' (but the words!), I prefer it to Jimmy nail (I prefer my
cat to JN), but none of this could make up for the sad silence at the end.

Good points? I quite like the Banjo

I haven't felt so sad since Genesis became the Phill Collins band

Average to Embarrasing

Regards

Stephen

(All my opinion of course - you may like Ray Connif and his singers)




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