The Vinyl Project: Rickie Lee Jones (Eponymous Debut) by Rickie Lee Jones (1979)
A Trip Thru Your Grooves - Episode 3
Release Date: 28-February-1979
Genre: Rock / Jazz / Storyteller
Producer: Larry Waronker, Russ Titleman
Label: Warner Bros.
Time: 41m 45s
Review Date: 08-November-2018
Format: LP
Side One
Release Date: 28-February-1979
Genre: Rock / Jazz / Storyteller
Producer: Larry Waronker, Russ Titleman
Label: Warner Bros.
Time: 41m 45s
Review Date: 08-November-2018
Format: LP
Side One
- Chuck E's In Love
- On Saturday Afternoons in 1963
- Night Train
- Young Blood
- Easy Money
- The Last Chance Texaco
Side Two
- Danny's All-Star Joint
- Coolsville
- Weasel and the White Boys Cool
- Company
- After Hours (Twelve Bars Past Midnight)
Review: I think few people get that this is a musical diary entry of a day on the Los Angeles streets circa 1979, narrated in a way that compares favorably to Tom Waits, sans the gruff exterior. The attitude is there, especially on songs like 'Coolsville, ' Easy Money,' and 'The Last Chance Texaco.' It's similarly resounding on 'Weasel and the White Boys Cool,' which could have easily been a Paul Simon song if Simon had just the slightest bit of West Coast beatnik sensibility about him at the time.
Not exactly a factoid but... Jones probably proved to be a great influence on Edie Brickell, who would later marry Simon. Anyway...
Some of the slower ballads on this record are reminiscent of jazz great Mose Allison, who was a big influence on Waits, hence the connection of Waits to Jones. Indeed, were it not for the discernible AOR sound of 'Chuck E's In Love,' this eponymous debut by Rickie Lee could easily be classified as a definitive jazz album and, mind you, a throwback to the adventures of Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady.
There is an undertow of overt melancholy toward the end of the LP. 'Company' and 'After Hours (Twelve Bars Past Midnight)' serve as the album's intimate farewell, a passive lament at last call, the full moon rising in intoxicated passion against a backdrop of dubious, alcohol-induced decisions. The whole world still loves a dreamer, no matter the inclusion of whiskey or gin.
What I love about this album is that it's perfect for warming a chilly Midwestern night and just as wonderful for relaxing on your back deck, mid-summer, cold beverage in hand, watching a gloriously hazy sunset. If you don't mind the pensive reflections as side two progresses toward its inner groove, this is definitely a repeat-player.
Best Songs: Chuck E's In Love, Danny's All-Star Joint, Young Blood, Easy Money
A Deep Cut You'll Love: Weasel and the White Boys Cool
An interesting note about this album: The album cover contributed to the stereotype of Jones as a beret-wearing beatnik. With her unique traditional/jazz demeanor, the beret lent a certain mystery to her, catapulting her publicly as a mainstay of hipster chic while branding that as her image in the process. Despite Jones' beautiful looks and urban sophistication, she would recall that people seemed to only recognize her in public while she was wearing the beret.
Hey.... wanna donate toward my passion? I thank you kindly in advance.
Not exactly a factoid but... Jones probably proved to be a great influence on Edie Brickell, who would later marry Simon. Anyway...
Some of the slower ballads on this record are reminiscent of jazz great Mose Allison, who was a big influence on Waits, hence the connection of Waits to Jones. Indeed, were it not for the discernible AOR sound of 'Chuck E's In Love,' this eponymous debut by Rickie Lee could easily be classified as a definitive jazz album and, mind you, a throwback to the adventures of Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady.
There is an undertow of overt melancholy toward the end of the LP. 'Company' and 'After Hours (Twelve Bars Past Midnight)' serve as the album's intimate farewell, a passive lament at last call, the full moon rising in intoxicated passion against a backdrop of dubious, alcohol-induced decisions. The whole world still loves a dreamer, no matter the inclusion of whiskey or gin.
What I love about this album is that it's perfect for warming a chilly Midwestern night and just as wonderful for relaxing on your back deck, mid-summer, cold beverage in hand, watching a gloriously hazy sunset. If you don't mind the pensive reflections as side two progresses toward its inner groove, this is definitely a repeat-player.
Best Songs: Chuck E's In Love, Danny's All-Star Joint, Young Blood, Easy Money
A Deep Cut You'll Love: Weasel and the White Boys Cool
An interesting note about this album: The album cover contributed to the stereotype of Jones as a beret-wearing beatnik. With her unique traditional/jazz demeanor, the beret lent a certain mystery to her, catapulting her publicly as a mainstay of hipster chic while branding that as her image in the process. Despite Jones' beautiful looks and urban sophistication, she would recall that people seemed to only recognize her in public while she was wearing the beret.
Hey.... wanna donate toward my passion? I thank you kindly in advance.
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