Customer Reviews

Beyond the Blue Neon

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On Beyond the Blue neon it seems that every song you hear just seems to get better and better. If you are a big George Strait fan than you have to own this cd because this has got to be his best work of the 1980's. If you have a gripe about how some people complain that all of Strait's cd's sound the same hear Beyond the Blue neon because this cannot be missed. As everyone says the best all around song of this collection of songs has got to be Hollywood Squares (that would have made a great single!) the well written song looked like a #1 hit. As far as the 4 singles taken off the album Baby's gotten good at Goodbye is the best one. Ace in the hole, Angel Angelina, and Oh me oh my sweet baby and so many others are so good. Beyond the Blue Neon arguably his best. What makes this his best album is the style of every song this time and one of the only few times George Strait added a saxophone player to the album to spice up songs like Beyond the blue neon, Ace in the hole, and Angel Angelina. You will not find a solo number with the saxophone but you can hear it in almost every song. Even George Strait said once in a article that he feels at that time this was the best album he had ever done and that is so true.

Each review is going to be identical to the others. George is my number one singer and every song is mine.

In Beyond the Blue Neon George Strait delivers one of the best of his always strong collections. The title cut (another in his long line of "Blue" songs) swings with a hint of jazz and blues but does not stray from traditional country. "Hollywood Squares" should have been released as a single. This humorous ditty may take a few listens to pick up the play on words and unless you're familiar with the tiresome game show, the X and O pun will be lost on you.

If there is such a thing as the quintessential George Strait song, it is "Ace in the Hole." Not only has the Ace in the Hole band backed him for two decades, but from the very first note of this uptempo western song, it radiates Strait country music.

George Strait is one of the few currently played country singers whose music is unabashedly country. Perhaps it's because he's so consistently good, most of his contemporaries refuse to compete on his own turf.

This CD has it all, if you like "tear in the beer" songs, "Beyond The Blue Neon's title track is George's best (Even beats "Designated Drinker" or "Six Pack To Go"), if you like humor "Hollywood Squares" is only beaten by "You Know Me Better Than That", "Baby's Getting Good At Goodbye" is his number one tear jerker, and "Overnight Success" is not far behind. "Ace In The Hole" is an an interesting song, something of a cross between, Kenny Rogers "The Gambler" and Billy Joel's "The Stranger" complete with western swing (Perhaps the most neglected Strait masterpiece). I know all of these songs are on "Strait Out Of The Box", but "Angel, Angelina" is not, and this CD is a must if ONLY to have this song, another great example of western swing (Complete with fiddles and piano), that no one else can do well. It is one of his top CDs , and a must for any country fan.

No clinkers at all here, and very listenable all the way through. The slow songs rule here: "Leaving's Been Coming for a Long Time" and "Baby's Gotten Good at Goodbye".

George Strait never records a bad album. I own every one of them, and there are no clunkers in the bunch. This one is no exception.

There's a part of this album that's about losing a woman. George sings those songs which are part of the country lexicon better than almost anybody living today. That's odd considering his long, happy marriage.

My favorite song on the record is "Baby's Gotten Good At Goodbye". That's a wonderfully constructed song and it's just a great line. George sings it to perfection. This is a good record.

This was the first George Strait recording I ever bought. I remember hearing the songs "Ace In The Hole" and "Baby's Gotten Good At Goodbye" on the radio while driving between jobs. Being something of a peripheral country music fan at the time (I knew Willie, Waylon, Jerry Jeff and Guy Clark) I really wasn't familiar with George Strait. I had heard his early recordings on the radio but never placed his name with them. But "Baby's Gotten Good At Goodbye" hooked me. I bought a cassette of the album and just about wore it out. Then I had to get the two "Greatest Hits" cassettes and then.... Well, like I said, I was hooked.

This one is special to me but all of King George's recordings are four- or five-star winners. I still consider his Ace In The Hole Band to be the most together group in popular music.

It must have been hard for the record company to choose the tracks for single to release for single release - most of them sound good enough to be singles. Ultimately, three singles off the album made it to number one on the country charts, these being Baby's gotten good at goodbye, What's going on in your world and Ace in the hole. The fourth single, Overnight success, stalled at number eight but maybe radio stations were waiting for the next album by the time it came out.

So the title track was never released as a single but it's a brilliant opening track for the album. Elsewhere, the remaining tracks on the album are all of a high quality. I particularly like Angel Angelina and Leaving's been coming for a long long time.

George has recorded many wonderful albums. Although this is not my favorite, it's not far behind and is certainly worth a listen.

Even though four singles were released from this impressive album, it is the unreleased ones that steal the spotlight. The best song is Hollywood Squares, which is a cleverly written tune with a great melody and an abundance of wit. A winning phrase: "Should've checked the price tag before I gave them my last name." Oh Me, Oh My Sweet Baby is also strong, and George does a better job than Diamond Rio at not getting out of control with it. Too Much and Leavin's Been Comin' are also impressive ballads packed with a lot of emotion in their deliveries.

Among the singles, Baby's Gotten is the cream of the crop. Another fresh and new perspective on the age-old "woman-leaving" theme. Ace in the Hole is a nice little mindless number, and showcases the range of the band.

The only skipper on the album is the below-average Angel. Nice idea, but the delivery and recitation is missing the extra oomph that puts other Strait ballads over the top.

This album is one of Strait's best (along with "Chill of an Early Fall"). The blues and swing influences are marvelous, and there is plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor in the lyrics ("Hollywood Squares" and "Ace in the Hole," among others).

The title track, "Beyond the Blue Neon," was written by Larry Boone and was going to be used for the title of Boone's 1989 Polygram album. Strait liked Boone's demo of the song so much that he picked it for the album (and titled it as such, so Boone named his album after the first line in the song -- "Swingin' Doors, Sawdust Floors").

Best songs on this release: "Beyond the Blue Neon," "Baby's Gotten Good at Goodbye," and "What's Going on in Your World." Highly recommended.