Customer Reviews

Back From Rio

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After several years' absence from recording, McGuinn (who wasn't actually in Rio) returned with his finest solo effort to date. Combining strong material with an excellent cast of supporting musicians and vocalists, "Back from Rio" is a delight. "Someone to Love" is outstanding, and "King of the Hill" (a duet with Tom Petty) is also noteworthy. Elvis Costello makes an appearance, and fellow Byrds David Crosby and Chris Hillman are also featured. This album reaffirms McGuinn's status as one of the most talented and influential artists of all time. BRAVO!

Roger McGuinn is still the king of melody, class, and folk-rock amalgams. I recently rescued a copy of this superb 1991 solo album from a bargain bin at HMV and it has absolutely no business being there; Back from Rio is relevant, smart, crisply arranged, written, and recorded.

First, the songcraft is superb as befits an artist of McGuinn's status. "Somebody to Love", "King of the Hill", "Without Your Love", "The Trees Are All Gone" -- any of these could be a modern Byrds classic. (Byrds comparisons are inevitable, given that McGuinn provided that band with most of its spirit and musical signature) McGuinn's singing is assured and expressive, while retaining the shaky quality that's distinguished it since the verse to "Mr. Tambourine Man" blared out of radios back in the '60s. Now it's an engagingly shaky voice, endearing but also pregnant with narrative power.

Get this album before it goes out of print on us. You'll be glad to have it in your collection.

On Back To Rio, McGuinn is assisted by Dave Crosby, Chris Hillman, Tom Petty, Elvis Costello & Dave "Eurythmics" Stewart. Exceptional tracks include You Bowed Down (with Elvis Costello), King Of The Hill (with Tom Petty), and Car Phone with its rivetting guitar solo. Very enjoyable melodic rock and McGuinnn's supercool vocals keep it all together in style. Great stuff!

This album is a re-release from 1991, and a fine re-release it is too. 'Back From Rio' was McGuinn's first solo album in over a decade and is his best since his first ('Roger McGuinn'), perhaps even better. It certainly sees him at his most Byrd-like - his Rickenbacker playing is inspired (check out 'Car Phone' with its solos evocative of his 'Eight Miles High' best). The songs are all very strong and quite immediate (i.e. catchy), and the performances (from such luminaries as ex-Byrds Crosby and Hillman, Tom Petty, Elvis Costello and Eagle Timothy B. Schmit) are as excellent as you'd expect.
My particular favourites are 'You Bowed Down', 'King Of The Hill', 'The Trees Are All Gone' and the aforementioned 'Car Phone' ("He blew his mind out in a caaaaaarr"), but you'd be hard pushed to find a dud track on an album as fine as this.
I understand that following this album McGuinn returned to playing his first love, folk music and I must admit I haven't heard much of this stuff, but I'd love him to keep on making music as majestic as this.
The title, by the way comes from a jokey reply McGuinn gave out when, after changing his name from Jim to Roger in the 60's, confused people would ask where his 'brother' Jim had gone - "He's gone to Rio" he'd say.

Yeah you remember that guy on TV with the Beatle wig and colored
Ben Franklin glasses singing Mr Tambourine Man with 12 string
guitar in hand. That's right its Mr Spaceman him self Roger McGuinn of the folk rock group the Byrds.

The most influential man in modern rock, but seldom reconized for that! He spured on the whole country rock thing in 1968 with
the Byrds - Sweet Heart of the Rodeo that many other groups followed like: Bob Dylan, The Greatful Dead, etc... etc...that spured on the likes of The Eagles in the 1970's, but its not always good to be a leader of the flock sometimes and you get passed by.

That's what happened to Roger and to this album: Back from Rio
all the songs are excellent, The first single, "King Of The Hill," co-written with long time friend Tom Petty soared to number one on the rock charts with I guess some CD sales.
I found mine in a cut out bin one year after its release in a second rate music store and it was the only one they had for $4.98 What a waste, this is the best kept secret in Rock n Roll
I love this CD and I think it was not promoted right by the label
and Roger McGinn had to lose money on making this album in 1990
with the high studio costs now and all, the Ex Byrd was shot down and crashed in flames on this one, what a shame

This is a great album and deserves more respect than it got
and should be on the K-Rock stations every day. If any Radio DJ
is reading this please dust off your promo copy and let the people hear some good Music- Thank You

I recently stumbled over this one after hearing disc 4 "Final Approach" on the 1st Byrds box. This disc sounds like a continuation of some of the later efforts only more focused than the "reunion" recordings. I really cant offer anything the previous reviews didnt already say except that the songs & performances are worthy of inclusion for any Byrds fan. I typically dont care much for "star time" collaborations but there a are 2 very good ones on this CD. "You Bow Down" with Elvis & the very awsome "King of the Hill" with Petty (McGuinn Jr). Certainly, not up there with the Byrds best but by no means is this sub par. If you are a hard core Byrds fan you should enjoy this one.

As a true fan of Byrds-music I was often a little disappointed with the solo efforts of Roger McGuinn, because the musicians who played on his albums did not always seem to understand where he comes from, or they didn't tune in to his music. This album is the exception: the chemistry works really well here, having such helpers as Tom Petty, Elvis Costello and Dave Stewart on his side. Superb production combines with jangling guitar work, majestic vocal harmonies and a well chosen bunch of songs: "King Of The Hill" is a true classic and would sound great on any Byrds record. Still it has to be pointed out, that production becomes the major artform here, because that band never went out on the road to play. It's sort of a "virtual" Byrds-album so-to-speak, but a great one. Welcome back, "phantom" Jim McGuinn!

P.S. The German cover is much more tasteful than that of the American issue. It seems to be trendy today to make a mockery out of certain flower children.

As this is McGuinn's first solo album in over ten years, this comes as something of a disappointment. While his signature Rickenbacker electric 12-string guitar rings out and shimmers here with a clarity not heard since 1968's "Notorious Byrd Brothers" (recorded with his old band The Byrds, of course) and his vocals are as strong and as nuanced as ever, the songwriting, never a consistent ability of his, is undernourished. McGuinn has always thrived, as an artist, in a fertile artistic environment, as witnessed by choice partnerships in past incarnations of The Byrds. A commercial Hollywood producer is no help to him here. Good melodic ideas are saddled with mundane lyrics (co-composed with his wife Camilla) or are arranged in a post-Eagles or contemporary Tom Petty mold. Nothing patently quirky or innovative here. McGuinn's original material ("Someone To Love", "Suddenly Blue", "Without Your Love") is generally ear-catching but lacks substance with "Car Phone" and "King of the Hill" (co-written with McGuinn acolyte Tom Petty) being the exceptions. It is in McGuinn's covers of Jules Shear's "If We Never Meet Again" (a great Byrds song if there ever was one) and Elvis Costello's "You Bowed Down" (written especially for McGuinn) that we see the old master at work. These performances and the many guest cameos (Costello, Petty, Stewart, Penn and former Byrds Crosby and Hillman), make this worthwhile for any serious fan of McGuinn. For the casual listener or Byrds fanatic, check out McGuinn's eponymous debut solo album or the compilation "Born To Rock and Roll".

A friend of mine gave me an Amazon gift card for my birthday last month. Being as how Roger Mcguinn of The Byrds is my favourite long time recording artist, I looked up this site to see what was available in his CD recordings.
I bought Back From Rio when it first came out in casette. Now that I no longer have a casette player, I thought it would be nice to upgrade and get the CD so I can play, sing along and enjoy it while driving my van.

Question: Do you like The Byrds ?
If yes, go out now and buy Back From Rio ASAP !
If no, this might help you to think again !
This album (1990/1 remastered 2009) is the nearest to a Byrds release and Roger sounds very happy throughout.
He is ably asissted by by ex Byrds David Crosby, Chris Hillman and another old friend, Tom Petty.
The whole CD flows as one, no track choosing for me !
The sounds are driving rather than the slower folk type Roger often puts out.
Car Phone is quite humourous, The Trees Are All Gone is eco warrier territory, well it's all fantastic with the legendary jingle jangle Rickenbacker guitar sound.
It's 41 mintues of pure fun, high class melodic music.