Customer Reviews

Anyway The Wind Blows: The Anthology

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A convert since 1970, I have all 12 of J.J. Cale's CDs plus the first compilation, Special Edition, and this anthology. I bought this one for the 6 previously unreleased tracks, the quality of the digitally remastered sound, and the rarity of a photo/biographical glimpse into the life of this modest sorcerer of musical magic, and the money was well spent. Fifty crisp remasters on 2 discs, the inclusion of 'Midnight In Memphis' and 'Durango', two lost instrumental gems from over a quarter of a century ago, and extensive liner notes make this set a requirement for the J.J. aficionado, and ground zero for the uninitiated. Yes J.J. has influenced the likes of Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Santana, and Lynard Skynard, but their renditions of his songs only scratch at the essence of the mans music. If you haven't yet fallen under the spell of J.J. Cale, it's about time, and you now have thirty years of enchanting grooves at your fingertips. You don't so much listen to this music, as slowly, subconsciously, you are pulled into the being of it. For starters, put on Durango. Sit back... relax... close your eyes... let the sensuous textures, carefully revealed intricacies, percolate up through finely woven tapestries of sound, to permeate your atmosphere until all becomes one... free... floating in pleasure... romanced into ecstacy... you have now been seduced by J.J. Cale. Shall we move along to 'Sensitive Kind', or 'Artificial Paradise', or 'Cajun Moon' or...

I have been constantly playing this anthology...alternating the discs,chopping and changing,playing the *Naturally* period with *Number 10* and *Closer To You*..kicking back to *Cocaine* and *After Midnight*...religiously reading the enclosed biography,disography and then playing *Okie* with *Troupador*,marvelling at *Durango* and the other previously unreleased tracks,chilling out to *Dont Cry Sister Cry*and then unashamedly foot tapping to*Shanghaid*..enjoying that understated style,that folky Americana...that musical* Grapes Of Wrath*..listening to those smooth bluesy guitar licks..and thinking that this guy is more or less an original a musical hermit that has influenced everyone from Eric Clapton to every person who has every strapped on a guitar to entertain as a busker in a mall or a railway station...and still I return to play the *Really* stretch *Lies*,* Changes*, *If You're Ever In Oklahoma*,and*Midnight In Memphis*...and I have come to write this review,and think what could possibly be said about this anthology,and the excellence of J.J.Cale that hasnt already been said.?? This is simply the most seductive collection of Americana you could hope to own.J.J.Cale drifted across the canvas of popular music for 30 years,defying fads and record company executives..he defied,sometimes to his own detriment,the advice of others..but always remained true to his own path.If you are going to have a handful of truely great recordings in your collection,outside of the original records,this double CD is one of them. It has 50 songs,photographs and a biography booklet that provides a much sort after insight into the man...and a production and a sound that is to die for....a stellar 5 stars..but then again,anyway the winds blows....not a bad track and definately a collection for all occasions.Listening to this equates with arriving home wet and cold and then slipping into that hot bath with your own choice of poison in hand...it just warms the cockles of your heart ..just buy the damm thing!!!!!!

While I'm a big fan of JJ Cale, I've long bemoaned the poor to mediocre sound on his recordings, and the less than first rate tunes (I hesitate to use the word "filler" with JJ) that populate all but his first couple of albums. What a consumate joy to get to hear all the instruments in the (remastered) mix instead of sonic mush. And the tracks are very well selected to give you most of the best of his work. I do miss "Clyde" and "River Runs Deep" from the first album, but minor carps for a masterpiece. Might be the best record ever made by a white musician. A serious mile melter on the road. Be sure to get the DVD too.

I just got this CD and can't believe this guy. Thanks KPIG in Santa Cruz (...) for playing this guy's music. My favorite song by Poco was Magnolia and guess who wrote it ?

The guitar work on this CD is so silky smooth it's amazing. It defies categorization: blues, folk, country, jazz, lounge. I had to write this review after listening to Artificial Paradise (I can only call it cowboy lounge music) and then I ordered the Number 10 CD. I would order any other J.J. Cale CD just to get ONE MORE SONG that is not on these CDs. He is that good !

Mortgage your home if you have to and get this CD ! All the other reviews are true.

A friend asked me if I had any J.J.Cale. I didn't. So I logged on to amazon.com and bought this album.
I have haunted record shops for more years than I care to remember and I had never heard of this man even tho he's been recording since the early 70's.
This album hooked me immediately...I'm currently in the process of acquiring every cd he's ever made. But, I can tell you, the Anthology gives you a great cross section of his work, and if you buy nothing else of his this is the one to buy.

Possibly the best compilation album I've ever come across. Not only does it present an entire range of J.J. Cale's abilities, the laid-back approach to life he endorses through track like "Mama Don't" and "Guitar Man", as well as the classic tracks such as "Cocaine", but it provides a rather large amount of chilled music, saving on the 'getting-up-to-change-the-C.D.' time; enhanceing the general laid-back, sunny afternoon on the porch with a Bud and a smoke, and all in all providing a smoth compilation of the most horizontally, kool with a "k" sounds ever to come out of one man - J.J. Cale - the man about whom Clapton said "I'm probably about as close as any Englishman can get to being J.J. Cale", and an artist who only knew his songs had taken off when he heard Clapton covering his track "Cocaine" in the car one day. If you've never experienced J.J.Cale this is the perfect introduction to get anyone hooked - if you're hooked already it is a collection of some of the greatest tracks, from a plethora of albums, that saves you about twelve C.D. changes and a number of track programming.

This 1997, 2CD set offered the first remastering of the Cale catalog.

While the mastering on this set is excellent, the 2006 release of the 3CD, 60-track, import Collected one-ups Anthology in both the amount of material and audio departments.

If you're a true Cale fan, you will probably be stunned at the mastering on the Collected set, it's that good.

16 of the 50 Anthology tracks do not appear on Collected, so this set may be worth hanging on to. However, owning Collected is an absolute must.

This is the man that makes it look easy. You could do a lot worse than to cover a J.J. Cale song. Clapton has.

Mark Knopfler learned every lick, every trick of phrase he knows from Mr. Cale.

Here's the real deal, where it all comes from. If you're just starting, this is the set to get.

I am now on my 5th copy of this CD, people keep stealing it from me. The other reviews are not exaggerating, this is an excellent CD!! I own right at 1000 CD's, and this is the ONLY ONE that I never grow tired of listening to no matter how hard I try.

*If you ever get the chance to see him live do what ever it takes!

I'm not much for words...JJ is probably the most underappreciated man in the music biz. With his music you get it all: rock, jazz, blues, funk, R&B, gospel, soul...it's all mixed together with "that voice" of his.

His music goes great all 7 days a week, but especially on a sunny lazy Saturday/Sunday afternoon driving down the road. JJ's music is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and that warm feeling in your heart.

...See him in concert if you can.

* You know Eric Clapton sends him thank you notes monthly for him writing "After Midnight" and "Cocaine". Two songs that made Clapton a star.