All of a Sudden [Import]

John Hiatt | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 9, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Lemon Records UK
• ASIN: B00019FWGC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,044 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. I Look for Love

2. This Secret Life

3. Overnight Story

4. Forever Yours

5. Some Fun Now

6. The Walking Dead

7. I Could Use an Angel

8. Getting Excited

9. Doll Hospital

10. Something Happens

11. Marianne

12. My Edge of the Razor

Editorial Reviews

Hiatt's 1982 debut for Geffen Records is re-released on this edition from Lemon Records. The sessions were produced by longtime Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti and includes his solo version of "I Look For Love".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Massively Underrated Album, June 24, 2005

By 

Tim Brough "author and music buff" (Springfield, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: All of a Sudden (Audio CD)

As much as this record gets slagged by fans of John Hiatt, I hold my ground on gracing it with a five star rating. I have my reasons, one of the main ones being that I think this was the first album where Hiatt found his voice as a singer. The two excellent albums prior to this ("Two Bit Monsters" and "Slug Line") were certainly nervy affairs, and that rough kind of vocal drew some of the "American Elvis Costello" comparisons.

If that was the case, then "All Of A Sudden" was Geffen records' attempt to unleash an Americanized "Armed Forces." The wordplay was certainly as wickedly funny and acidically ironic as Costello's or Graham Parker's, and the CD bookends with a pair of stone classics in "I Look For Love" and "My Edge of the Razor." The problem was, Elvis was up to "Imperial Bedroom" the year "All Of A Sudden" came out and Tony Visconti's "use every synth in the room" production didn't do much to enhance a stellar batch of songs. It did, however, bring out the rocker in Hiatt. With the exception of his latter work on A&M, Hiatt had never played this hard. More to the point, his singing suddenly took on a less affected quality. While it may have taken him another three albums to find his musical voice with "Bring The Family," it's my humble opinion that this was the album where Hiatt took his first major leap from songwriter to a performer, and the also commercially ignored follow-up, "Riding With The King," were the records that set up his crowning achievements.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Uncharacteristic For Hiatt, But A Fine Album Nonetheless, September 7, 2001

By 

Eric R. Last "misterrockobscurities" (San Bruno, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: All of a Sudden (Audio CD)

I've read the other 4 reviews of "All Of A Sudden", and strangely enough I agree with them all, at least insofar as the text of the reviews is concerned, if not the star ratings. It's true that this album is heavily produced, all the more striking in light of how spare many Hiatt albums are. Hiatt is a quintessential singer/songwriter, but when this album came out he was definately coming from a different place. The uptempo new wave keyboard-heavy sound seems a bit dated now but it was great fun at the time. "My Edge of the Razor" still ranks as one of his finest songs. Fans of the more rockin' albums "Slugline" and "Two Bit Monsters" will probably enjoy this. Fans of the later, more laid-back folkish albums may want to pass this one by. But if your musical tastes include room for both styles, don't let the poor reviews deter you, this is indeed a fine album.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for the "Roots Music" lovers out there, but good!, December 27, 2001

By 

Strict Time "always a critic" (DFW Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All of a Sudden (Audio CD)

My husband and I have nearly all of John Hiatt's albums and this one ranks right up there. Of course, we started listening to John Hiatt with the release of this album (had heard the buzz about JH being the "American Elvis Costllo"). If you love EC's early sound (Trust, Get Happy!, Armed Forces), then you will like this collection of wacky, word-smithy songs. It also helps if you listen to this album with a "They Might Be Giants" sort of outlook toward the lyrics and a fond nostalgia for the production values of the '80's.

Everyone who is disappointed in this album because it isn't folksy enough or gritty enough for you needs to thank their lucky stars that JH is an artist who can GROW UP and EVOLVE, unlike so many STEVEN TYLERS out there! Listen to this one, and all others in succession someday, to see how this man has matured, while rarely making a mis-step along the way.