All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Pete Townshend | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 11, 2000)
• Original Release Date: 1982
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B00000DP1S
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #216,611 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Stop Hurting People

2. The Sea Refuses No River

3. Prelude

4. Face Dances Part Two

5. Exquisitely Bored

6. Communication

7. Stardom In Acton

8. Uniforms (Crop D'esprit)

9. North Country Girl

10. Somebody Saved Me

11. Slit Skirts

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No wonder he got so many female fans when he went solo!, August 1, 2004

By 

Anyechka (Rensselaer, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes (Audio CD)

A lot of critics panned this album when it came out in 1982, but it's very highly regarded by many fans. A good artist makes music that comes out of the heart and soul, with the true fans in mind, instead of writing ordinary pop fluff that might be very commercially successful and critically-acclaimed but not remembered or thought highly of in the long run. This was the first of Pete's solo albums which I got, after having queried the girls on the lists I'm on for female Who freaks about which of his solo albums would be best to start with. It really is an ideal album if you're just getting into his solo work (EG is also a great place to start). Personal introspective songs like "Stop Hurting People," "Stardom in Acton," "Somebody Saved Me," and "The Sea Refuses No River" weren't written to make some fast money or get rave reviews, but to share one's soul and heart, in all their naked, raw, painful, poignant glory, with people who truly care about the artist. It's saying "This is who, how, and why I am; take me or leave me." And expressing one's inner spiritual and emotional turmoil in song was no longer hip by 1982, so of course critics wouldn't like it.

Unlike EG, this would not have made a good Who album as well as a solo album. There's no wonder Pete got such a huge female following when he went solo, because the types of songs he wrote changed in scope. Female Who freaks are a minority because most women don't get into the type of loud angry rock they did, but Pete's solo work is just the sort of thing that the average woman would fall in love with, being so personal and sensitive. Too many other artists tank when they go solo, since they're still singing the type of songs they sang with their original band and can't break out of the mould to create their own new identity, with a unique identity and vision.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poetry & Production Meet, February 7, 2006

By 

Mad Ludwig III (Springfield, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes (Audio CD)

First, the basics: This is an excellent CD. The writing is primarily excellent, occasionally inspired, and w/ just a few 'wince' moments that let you see the Man Behind the Curtain. Then there's the music w/ all of Mr. Townshend's trademarks: melodies with intelligent hooks that propel the song, not make the song subservient to the hook; world-class musicianship, powerful choruses, AND that thing fans have come to expect (poor Pete) -- Mr. Townshend's ability to consistently provide us with a hand-full of turns-of-phrase that so perfectly match their musical settings they become a permanent part of us. And then there's the production values. Superb! Awesome! Richly Satisfying!
Secondly, reading the other reviews of All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes, I'm struck by the criticisms of "overproduction," "pretentiousness," etc. Those reviewers probably weren't there in the 70's when the Rock-Zeitgeist became ripe w/ the desire to, 'have it all:' to have authentic rock 'n roll, WITH grown-up lyrics/subject matter AND WITH top-quality production values. A little poetry added to the mix would be nice, too.  When All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes hit the racks, we had a whole record that fullfilled that Zeitgeist. But even more to the point, if you want more from your Rock than escapism, if you've ever had that sublime experience of enjoying good music WHILE feeling you were taking part in the greater-conversation going on in our culture -- YOU NEED THIS RECORDING.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Townshend ditches fashion, creates timeless gem, July 31, 2005

By 

DJ Primate (Detroit, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes (Audio CD)

After releasing his very contemporary, timely sounding, and also quite brilliant Empty Glass album (hell, even the NME didn't hate that one) during a period of debauchery that nearly killed him, Townshed cleaned up, went completely outside the realm of fashion, and poured out this cathartic album, which has some of his strongest, most emotional music and most perceptive lyrics ever (e.g., his shot at skinhead fashion: "On my parka is some band I don't rally understand", from "Uniforms"). Hell, this album has some of the most emotional and perceptive music anybody has created on one album.

The highlights for me are the majestic "The Sea Refuses No River," and the harrowing, yet strangely witty "Somebody Saved Me." But almost every song here is noteworthy, and some still sound quite distinctive. One could say it's overblown and overdone, but I like it that way. Anything less would have been cheating us of his best.

If you like intelligent, emotional music, give this one a spin: you might just be blown away.