Review of Buffet Hotel, Jimmy Buffett’s latest release.
The first new studio album since 2006 Take The Weather With You. If you were part of the Summerzcool Tour live (we enjoyed the concert in Las Vegas since Houston got blown out by Hurricane Ike) or by Radio Margaritaville, several of the songs are already favorites. Summerzcool, A Lot To Drink About, Surfing In A Hurricane, and Rhumba Man were all great concert songs. An excellent album, all Parrotheads should be thrilled and regular civilians who listen are likely to enjoy the songs as well.
The first song on the album, Nobody From Nowhere, is an instantly likeable and familiar sounding song. Jimmy liked the song because it took him back to small town south Alabama of his youth. Anyone from the country can appreciate the lyrics. The song opens with great organ playing by Mr. Uttley and excellent electric guitar riffs. You will be singing the song soon after listening to it 2-3 times.
Big Top is a party song tailor made for us Parrotheads. It opens with “Just like Santa, I come around once a year. Time to break out all of you’re party gear.” And the first refrain is “It’s a big time under the big top. There’s nothing wrong with that. Rhumba-ing in my flip flops. I’m and accessory in front of the pack.” I can’t wait to be dancing to this at next years concert.
Beautiful Swimmers has a slow, lazy melody and superb pedal steel work by Doyle Grisham that makes you want a cold long neck under a neon light. Sounds like it could have be from an 80’s album.
Turn Up The Heat and Chill The Rose kind of reminds me of Party At The End Of The World from Take The Weather With You, except a more reggae beat. Leave to Jimmy to get a good song out of taking rose wine and coffee with him on a trip to Africa.
I have had more than enough formal education, so for all future classes I think I prefer Summerzcool with the JB and the Coral Reefers. “You need to go to Summerzcool. Get to the beach or at least to the pool. Time to go to Summerzcool. Remember what is and is not cool.” Great song for a great tour.
Rhumba Man gives Jim Mayer a chance to showcase his talent on the bass at the start of the song. If this doesn’t get you up on your feet dancing, then you are too old or need another drink. So have a margarita and Rhumba!!
Surfing In A Hurricane combines Jimmy’s love of surfing with a sound that is a cross between the Beach Boys and The Ventures. This could have been a great sound track for a 60’s beach blanket movie. Same comments as above about getting’ you on your feet dancing.
We Learned To Be Cool From You is a slow ballad tribute, with some nice acoustic guitar playing, to those we learned to be cool from. “Maybe I can parlez a little francais. Maybe I can even write a whole page a day. Do a crossword puzzle in a minute or two. But I learned to be cool from you.”
Buffet Hotel reminds me of Far Side Of The World, which since they are both songs about travel to Africa, maybe they should. “Sand in the couscous. Sand in the wine. There was sand in my guitar case. Stories in my mind.” We can be glad the story in his mind made it onto this album. He actually went to Timbuktu and describes Bamako in as the Memphis of West Africa. The Buffet Hotel (pronounced boo-fay).
A Lot To Drink About is a wonderful and topical (and tropical!) song about the current depressed economy and scum bag thief bankers. I think I like the live version from Margaritaville Key West better than the studio version on the album.
“Up on the east side of Manhattan
The first new studio album since 2006 Take The Weather With You. If you were part of the Summerzcool Tour live (we enjoyed the concert in Las Vegas since Houston got blown out by Hurricane Ike) or by Radio Margaritaville, several of the songs are already favorites. Summerzcool, A Lot To Drink About, Surfing In A Hurricane, and Rhumba Man were all great concert songs. An excellent album, all Parrotheads should be thrilled and regular civilians who listen are likely to enjoy the songs as well.
The first song on the album, Nobody From Nowhere, is an instantly likeable and familiar sounding song. Jimmy liked the song because it took him back to small town south Alabama of his youth. Anyone from the country can appreciate the lyrics. The song opens with great organ playing by Mr. Uttley and excellent electric guitar riffs. You will be singing the song soon after listening to it 2-3 times.
Big Top is a party song tailor made for us Parrotheads. It opens with “Just like Santa, I come around once a year. Time to break out all of you’re party gear.” And the first refrain is “It’s a big time under the big top. There’s nothing wrong with that. Rhumba-ing in my flip flops. I’m and accessory in front of the pack.” I can’t wait to be dancing to this at next years concert.
Beautiful Swimmers has a slow, lazy melody and superb pedal steel work by Doyle Grisham that makes you want a cold long neck under a neon light. Sounds like it could have be from an 80’s album.
Turn Up The Heat and Chill The Rose kind of reminds me of Party At The End Of The World from Take The Weather With You, except a more reggae beat. Leave to Jimmy to get a good song out of taking rose wine and coffee with him on a trip to Africa.
I have had more than enough formal education, so for all future classes I think I prefer Summerzcool with the JB and the Coral Reefers. “You need to go to Summerzcool. Get to the beach or at least to the pool. Time to go to Summerzcool. Remember what is and is not cool.” Great song for a great tour.
Rhumba Man gives Jim Mayer a chance to showcase his talent on the bass at the start of the song. If this doesn’t get you up on your feet dancing, then you are too old or need another drink. So have a margarita and Rhumba!!
Surfing In A Hurricane combines Jimmy’s love of surfing with a sound that is a cross between the Beach Boys and The Ventures. This could have been a great sound track for a 60’s beach blanket movie. Same comments as above about getting’ you on your feet dancing.
We Learned To Be Cool From You is a slow ballad tribute, with some nice acoustic guitar playing, to those we learned to be cool from. “Maybe I can parlez a little francais. Maybe I can even write a whole page a day. Do a crossword puzzle in a minute or two. But I learned to be cool from you.”
Buffet Hotel reminds me of Far Side Of The World, which since they are both songs about travel to Africa, maybe they should. “Sand in the couscous. Sand in the wine. There was sand in my guitar case. Stories in my mind.” We can be glad the story in his mind made it onto this album. He actually went to Timbuktu and describes Bamako in as the Memphis of West Africa. The Buffet Hotel (pronounced boo-fay).
A Lot To Drink About is a wonderful and topical (and tropical!) song about the current depressed economy and scum bag thief bankers. I think I like the live version from Margaritaville Key West better than the studio version on the album.
“Up on the east side of Manhattan
There still Dancin’ with the stars
While over in sub-prime city
It’s gettin’ angry in the local bars
Watchin’ the news only gives me the blues
There’s too much going wrong
It takes the likes of me to hit the ‘reboot’ key
And write a high speed drinking song
Millionaires losing everything
Hey, welcome to the other side of life
There goes the yacht,
There goes the rolls
But, you get to keep your wife
And don’t forget the auto makers
Swimming upstream like a trout
They let the shit hit the fan
Then they got a plan
Hey, we got a lot to drink about
There’s the price of oil
The war of the spoils
Where’s your bucket for the big bail out?
Iraq Iran Afghanistan
We’ve got a lot to drink about
Now, Maydolf made off with all the money
Now his clients are down to skunk weed
Repeat after me, it’s so easy to see
Where only talking simple greed
And those Somlian pirates made off with all the gold
While Bush and Cheney ain’t around
And all the good lookers seem to be Czech hookers
From Key West to London town
It’s the price of oil
The war of the spoils
Where’s your bucket for the big bail out?
Iraq Iran Afghanistan
We’ve got a lot to drink about
So pour me some Tennessee Whiskey
Pour me some fine Jamaican Rum
That loudmouth soup gets me kinda looped
Tequila? of course I’ll have me some!”
Jimmy and Jane
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