Customer Reviews

Car Button Cloth

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

 

 

I only recently bought this CD. It has some real gems, especially The Outdoor Type, which I'd heard in the film The Tao of Steve... but the only reason I'm writing this review is because I only just realized what the song C'mon Daddy is about.

Here are some lyrics: "I feel like Steven is my father but I don't know why/But I realized it when I looked in his eyes.... Didn't know I was your baby until the age of nine/Didn't know I was your babe for such a long long time..."

The real giveaway: "Now we're back in the saddle..." I still can't believe I didn't get it the first time. It's a song about how Liv Tyler discovered that Steven Tyler of Aerosmith was her real father!

I'm sorry, but that is just so damned clever it kills me. And for that alone (plus much much more) you should buy this album. And what the hell, buy It's a Shame About Ray, too.

After the two excellent albums that preceded it ("It's a Shame" and "Come on Feel"), I was sure that Evan Dando could not outdo himself again. I was wrong. Four years after its release, I still find myself listening to this CD quite often.

This is the most diverse album in the Lemonheads catalog -- it mixes pop, punk, country, folk & metal into one surprisingly cohesive disc. "Car Button Cloth" is full of strong songs from start to finish.

Another stellar album from Evan Dando and company, Car, Button, Cloth, is a much darker album then previous efforts but it's the most diverse sounding musically and that is why it's the best in my opinion. The songs are smart and have a twisted humor to them, whether it's Outdoor type (about a couch potato afraid of nature), or C'on Daddy (about Liv and Steven Tyler), you can't go wrong. The Lemonheads are probably one of the most underrated bands ever and Dando can write a catchy tune in his sleep, hopefully they will again release another album, but most likely this was their last effort.

After the tragedy of "Come On Feel The Lemonheads", fans had to expect the worst BUT Evan surprised us with this brilliant album. With a new group of "Lemonheads" behind him, Dando puts his best foot forward. Gone is the goofiness that made "Come On..." such a waste of time. Instead we have beautiful songs ("The Outdoor Type", "C'mon Daddy"), upbeat songs ("If I Could Talk I'd Tell You"), and songs with guitar crunch ("6ix", "Something's Missing"). Murph (Dinosaur Jr.) is superb on drums and Dando's "Break Me" sounds a little like a J. Mascis song.

The more I listen to this album, the more it reminds me of "Lovey"... which is a good thing for us Lemonheads fans who still have painful memories of "Come On Feel The Lemonheads". Thanks Evan....

The Lemonheads do a great cover of the Traditional song Knoxville Girl. Knoxville Girl is a murder ballad. The lyrics are chilling! The Lemonheads version sounds like Grunge meets Country. It's great. I also like The Outdoor Type and If I Could Talk I'd Tell You.

Evan has crafted another masterpiece. Beautiful jangly, power-pop

What an excellent album. I hope theres more coming from them. Having a five year old daughter, everytime I heard "goodnight daddy" (from C'mon Daddy), it moved me (ok, a tear came to my eye). Theres some offbeat gems like "Outdoor Type",and "Knoxville Girl", and some rockers like "Secular Rockulidge" as well. My favorite is "Hospital". Does anyone know if there is more from these guys?

If you are a fan of power pop- pop music with a slightly muscular, sardonic edge- then this is the album for you. While "It's A Shame About Ray" continues to receive praise as the definitive Lemonheads album, this effort easily ranks along side that album as an undeniable classic. Musical hooks, clever lyrics, hard rockers balanced out by sincere ballads, "Car Button Cloth" finds Evan Dando at his songwriting peak.
Opener "It's All True" kicks things off in typical Dando fashion- a high adrenaline pop song with plenty of ambiguous lyrics and a random drug reference- "sorry about dropping that lude, it just seemed like the best thing to do"- that puts everything in perspective. "Break Me" and "Losing Your Mind" provide the heavy vibes, with Dando layering on the crunching guitars. "Something's Missing" and "6IX"- the latter a hilarious take on the movie "7even" with a keeper of a line about "Gwenyth's head in a box"- provide a punkier, more frenetic edge. Two of the simpler songs musically, "Hospital" and "The Outdoor Type", give Dando the lyricist a chance to shine, with the latter being one of the funniest songs the man has ever written.
From track to track, "Car Button Cloth" finds Dando mixing up the tone, vibe, mood, while maintaining that distinctive sound that is undeniably The Lemonheads. Although there were sadly no hits from the album nor did it receive much critical or even public praise, this is a shame because track for track, this album holds its own against the highly acclaimed "It's A Shame About Ray". There is even a song about the relationship between Steven Tyler and his at one time estranged daughter Liv, and who other than Dando is going to write a catchy and touching song about that topic.

After the glossy & overproduced "Come on Feel the Lemondheads" I was worried where this guitar-pop wonderband was headed. Fortunately lead singer, lyricist, guitarist, space-cadet Evan Dando was able to pull the group up by the proverbial boot straps. This is pop music the way it should be...your girlfriend likes it, but you do to. I consider the Lemonheads one of those "common ground kind of bands" in that even if you don't like them, you can at least tolerate them.

All his trademark songcrafting tools are present: irrisistable hooks, great harmonies, care-free clever lyrics (i.e.- "Your place or Mein Kampf"...how many pop songwriters do you know that can reference Adolf Hitler's book in a song?).

"The Outdoor Type" is one of his finer ditties in years, it rivals the original acoustic version of "Being Around" (from the "Its A Shame About Ray" sessions---i think it was a b-side to some European single.)

In addition to the great pop tunes, there are some intimations of the good old power-pop-punk days with songs like "Something's Missing," "Tenderfoot," & "Secular Rockulidge."

I call this Lemonheads CD the Kids edition. There is something about it that brings out the inner child. Maybe that's just me, it probably is.. but it seems like that to me. There are a few songs on the CD that stand out and are really great. The others are good also. The CD has a combination and quick catchy songs and slow and sentimental ones. This CD really got me into Lemonheads! I actually bought two of these CD's, one for my house and one for my car!