Customer Reviews

Bombs Away Dream Babies

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Bombs Away Dream Babies an album that has been somewhat forgotten, but is a classic album by one of the great songwriters of the era. A former member of the Kingston Trio, Stewart focused on folk and folk-rock songs during the late 60's and early 70's. The label that released this album in 1979, RSO, wanted pop hits that could generate radio airplay, so John produced a whole album of songs that are the musical equivalent of a grand slam. BADB had three top 30 hits, (Gold, Lost Her In The Sun, and Midnight Wind) with Gold reaching #5. This whole album is a breath of fresh air, with strong melodies, terrific guitar playing, and John's always moving lyrics. The entire album could have been released, one song after another, as singles, and all would have been fabulous coming out of a car radio on a summer's day. Background vocals by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac add to the overall mix, but John Stewart is a classic American artist that deserves to be heard. And this CD is a highpoint in a career filled with them.

This is the album on which John Stewart became a rocker, and he is a darn good one. His unabashedly masculine baritone is rare in rock, and welcome to the ears. "Midnight Wind" alone makes this CD worth owning. It is gorgeous, heart-pumping, haunting rock. The title captures the feel of the song: dark, fresh, and full of possibility. "Gold" is a close second. This was John's big hit, also a solid rocker, about the dreams and obsessions from which great music are made. Both these songs feature Stevie Nicks on backing vocal. Her haunting feminine touches are the perfect counterpoint to John's rough, manly vocals. The third tier of winners on this album includes four songs: the pretty pop of "Lost Her in the Sun", the quiet, subtle "Somewhere Down the Line, the thumping and humorous "Runaway Fool of Love" and the raucous "Heart of the Dream". A few more songs like these and this would have been an album for the ages, but unfortunately none of the other four songs are noteworthy or even much fun to listen to. The six good songs total only 19 minutes - just not enough for 5 stars.

"Midnight Wind", "Gold" and "Lost Her in the Sun" are available on the career retrospective double CD entitled "Gold", so if you are not collecting John Stewart albums one by one (worth doing, by the way), "Gold" is well worth the extra few bucks to get the best songs from this album, plus many other great ones from John's accomplished and under-recognized career. I also suggest that if you like John in his rocking mode, check out the CD "Wires From the Bunker", which includes 18 tracks of mostly very high quality. Although released fairly recently, it was recorded just a few years after "Bombs Away".

Well now. I can remember listening to "Bombs Away Dream Babies" one late Spring night on the 8-Track (yeah, I'm THAT old), while driving down the Eastern Shore of Virginia and let me tell you: IT WAS COOL! I can still remember the song Midnight Wind while cruising at 90 mph in my Bo Young's new Plymouth Sapporo that she pruchased that day. And when you hear that haunting track, with the top down, you know it's the best John Stewart ever put out in many moons. And if you purchase the CD, it's STILL timeless and still sounds fresh as it did then!

Superb effort by John Stewart with the backing of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. An interesting blend of music traits that meshes together very nicely into a solid album. This is one of about only 5 records in 1979 that was worth buying.

Leaving folk aside for this foray into rock and roll, John Stewart enlisted Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac to sing and play guitar on "Bombs Away Dream Babies". The result is a collection of songs that could have surfaced on "Rumors". Worth buying just for Stevie Nick's exceptional harmonies. A must for Fleetwood Mac fans.

I ordered the manufactured-on-demand CD-R that Amazon is selling of this CD expecting CD-quality audio as is advertised, but the sound quality is very poor. I returned the item for a refund. I don't recommend purchasing this CD-R if you want a good copy of Bombs Away Dream Babies.Bombs Away Dream Babies

I recall enjoying this as an LP, a long time ago, and decided get the CD. Two copies later, I am sorely disappointed with the quality. Very tinny!

While this may be a small quibble to some, there are several seconds missing from the intro to "Gold." If you cross-reference it against the version that was included in the "Gold" anthology, you'll see that version (and presumably the version that apppears on the original LP) clocks in at 4:24. The version of "Gold" that appears here is somewhat shorter, with some of those seconds taken off of the very start of the track.

This may not matter to some, but to those of us who like the original versions of things (and, yes, I'm looking at you, George Lucas...), you may be disappointed with what's presented here, particularly if you're after the original version of "Gold."

Sounds like it was recorded from an LP and all the high tones were completely filtered out. Mastering must have been done by an amateur. Try "The Earth Rider - The Essential John Stewart" instead.

This was one of my first albums as a kid, and I remember driving down the road with it blaring away on my little black cassette player. I would buy a copy of it again for memories sake, but apparently it hasn't been out in some time.

Let's hope they make it available again soon. Great album.

I saw in perform a few years ago (2003), and he was nice and sweet and still played a fine guitar. Godspeed John.