Customer Reviews

49th Parallel

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Northern Light has done it again, 12 tracks that will put anyone in a great mood. The harmonies and themes are remindful of Brian Wilson's work during his Beach Boys Today period. The beat is perfect for driving down a curving highway or skiing a giant slalom effortlessly. The songs are fast but not out of control.

I particularly liked Eye of the Beholder: it's been stuck in my head for a week and it just plain makes me feel that the world is full of youthful exuberance.

The song "Minnesota" gives me goosebumps. There's something about the heartland that is very comforting and Northern Light captures the feeling of returning home after escaping to a California that turns out not to have been the right one to dream about.

Songwriters have always been drawn to the ocean or big city streets for their themes. It's about time that someone fully developed a musical picture of the land of lakes. This song, as do other tracks from this album, glorifies the natural elements that make up the heartland of America. It's about time.

Appropriately the song American Fantasy references the great 1980 gold medal hockey miracle in this the 25th anniversary of that event. That song makes winter look pretty good.

The title song, 49th Parallel, adds to the total vision of this album: the beauty of the northland and the desirability of the life that goes along with it.

All in all this 49th Parallel album makes me want to dance; it makes me want to drive; it makes me want to sing in the shower; it makes me want to run through a pine forest and dive into a shimmering lake.

I was thrilled to hear the interview on KQQL telling me where to get this CD. I've been looking for the song "Minnesota" for over a decade. All the songs are great and the harmony is beautiful. People walking into my office have commented that it sounds like the Beach Boys.

This is a great compilation of Northern Light's best material. The Minnesota song is their first way back in 1975. Since then, they've been inducted to the MN Rock Country Hall of Fame in 2007 and this CD explains why they were so honored. Dave Sandler, along with another former member of The Rumbles from Nebraska, communicated with me that the 2003 hit "Lakeshore Ballroom" was inspired by a "now-gone, famous in the 60's" Excelsior, MN dancehall called "Reggie's Danceland" where many famous national, international, and local acts played. This hall was originally a roller-rink prior to 1925 when it was disassembled and dragged across frozen Lake Minnetonka to be reconstructed adjacent to what would soon be the famous MN "Excelsior Amusement Park". The Beach Boys, Hollywood Argyles, and The Trashmen played there--but the most infamous was when only 283 attendees saw Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones play there in 1964. That being said, the lyrics to "Lakeshore Ballroom" very accurately describe what happened there quite often. I recommend this CD to all fans of MN and Upper Midwest Rock N Roll!!!

MN Mike Chase
Presenter of Annual MN Music Special
Rock N Roll Classifieds Show with The Vinyl King
Friday Nites, 7-10 p.m.
KOWZ 100.9 FM

I heard this back in the late 70's, or so, when it first came out. The song was about MINNESOTA.
That's where I was born;and lived there for the first 45 years of my life. I moved to Ohio in 2005.
People would always ask me where I was from. They claimed 'I' had an accent to my speech.
Somewhere along the line this song came to my mind about Minnesota and I desired to find it.
I remembered the Chorus but wasn't sure of the name of the song, and didn't ever remember the group
that sang it. It was so long ago. Well, I went to youtube and after much searching, I found it,
and the group that wrote it. I came here to AMAZON and found it for sale.
Most of the other songs on this CD are pretty good. If you like the Beach Boys,
you'll enjoy 49th Parallel by Northern Light. Thanks Amazon!

I have been looking for this for a LOOOOOONG time, so VERY thrilled to finally find it! "Minnesota" is such a
fantastic song!!