Customer Reviews

Coaster

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

 

 

The Bobs never rest on what they've already done. Some people might think that there's only so much you can do within the bounds of a capella, but The Bobs cover more ground than most instrument-using bands and don't seem to be running out of new directions to explore.

Coaster includes a few experiments that didn't work perfectly, or at least, will take a little time to grow on me. (Thus, it's one notch below "i brow club", which was almost entirely unblemished.) There are also two or three puns that should earn the responsible Bob a few friendly spankings. :)

But most of the album is outstanding, both for the solid and reliable Bobs tunes in the styles we've come to love, and for those that push the Bobs envelope in various new directions. First, there's almost all the songs that we've been treated to in concerts for the last few years (the only exception I can think of is "Nobody Here But Us Chickens" -- hope we get that eventually). All are recorded strongly, though "Light My Fire" works a lot better when you don't know its name or the lyrics and just dive into the music. (Perhaps it should have been a "hidden bonus track", guys? ;) Particularly outstanding here are "The Druid Song" and "Barber Lips" (the old scratchy record effect is nice).

Amongst those that I've never heard in concert, about half are wonderful, and the other half vary from solid but unexceptional, to just a bit tedious. "Bach To Bach" is particularly brilliant on many levels, the best new track on the album. "Hidden Bonus Track" (no, it's not hidden, that's just its name), "Let's Adopt A Highway", "Bring To Boil", and "Fluffy's Master Plan For World Domination" will surely become favorites. "Loyal Officer" is too long, and "She Made Me Name You Earl" follows in the footsteps of "The Vapor Carioca" and its "Song-O-Matic" brother "There's A Nose Ring In My Soup" -- a single somewhat crude joke extended into a whole song. (To be fair, "The Vapor Carioca" did grow on me.) "The Drive Time Blues" feels like a revisit from the Bobs of "Shut Up And Sing!" or even earlier.

Those who are familiar with "Turtle Boy" by Josh Kornbluth will probably find the four very short songs "The Turtle Cycle" hilarious, but as I don't know the allusions, I don't get the inside jokes.

Finally, as we were warned on the Bobs' home page, Coaster furthers the experimentation into the use of instruments that we saw on their last two albums. This time, one song is a full-fledged instrument-driven rock song; though it still features Bobs a capella textures, it also features trumpets and guitars and drums. Apart from this, there's little of the exploration of electronic enhancements pioneered on "Plugged".

Most Bobs albums have been written almost entirely by Richard Bob, with contributions by the others. This is the first one where other Bobs have written a significant number of entire songs. Joe Bob pens four songs, Amy Bob pens three, and they share one more; in addition, long-gone ex-Bob Gunnar cowrites another one with Richard Bob. The additional writing talent is welcome; even though Richard Bob is certainly up to the task of writing and scores the single most brilliant song on the album, the diversity of creative input helps the album expand the frontiers.

In all, Bobs fans will find a great combination of more of what we already love, and new things to keep it fresh. Those who go to the concerts will be glad to have a few old favorites on CD finally. Newcomers to the Bobs will find a good introduction to the mystery that is the Bobs (though not as good as a first Bobs album as "i brow club" or "Shut Up And Sing!", if only because some of it is a bit farther out there).

I've been a Bobs' fan since the early 80's. Their first three albums have always been their best IMHO. The loss of Gunnar was huge. His writing and general twisted bizarreness were greatly missed.

Joe has filled Gunnar's shoes for about 11 years now. He has always done a good job, but in the last few years the quality of his writing has improved and his stage personality has emerged. Joe is now as strong a presence as Gunnar ever was, and that really comes through on this album.

Amy has replaced Janie/Lori and brings something new to the table, a female vocalist who can write. In addition, her personality is more of a natural fit with the men than the other women ever were. She seems like one of the guys. Her originality and persona really add to this album.

Also, Richard has written some of his best songs ever for this album. "Earl" is arguably the funniest Bobs' song of all time.

Take Joe & Richard at their best, add some new energy with Amy, and the result is the Bobs' best album since the 80's. I would recommend this album to both new and old Bobs' fans. You won't be disappointed.

BTW, Matthew is as solid as ever, but it is in concert where he really stands out.

This Bobs CD proves that even with lineup changes, they have solidified again into a great sounding foursome. Amazing harmonies, catchy tunes and some really funny stuff. Highlights are a fantastic reworking of their old song "Cowboy Lips," and the brand new "Fluffy's Master Plan for World Domination" - a cat owner's nightmare!

This CD is a must for any Bobs fan. However, it's also the first time I've felt left out of some of their humor. A few of the tracks have the feeling of inside jokes that leave most listeners looking in from the outside. A few of the tracks, including a number called "Believe in Love," feel like noble attempts that shouldn't have made the final cut.

If you've never heard The Bobs, or you're buying for a new listener, try the excellent "i Brow Club" or the older but still fun "Songs For Tomorrow Morning." Or one of their albums of classic song covers, which are always accessible for new listeners.

This is by all means worth having, and The Bobs are going strong. Just not my first choice if stranded on a desert island with a Bobs CD!

It's funny: She made me name you Earl, and Turtle Girl... how can one NOT love the Bobs' sharp wit.
It's great music: The Barbershop version of Cowboy Lips is exquisite.
A Capella Choir in the Sky made me a believer!
Go forth and buy this disk!

The Bobs are a "new wave" a cappella group founded in San Francisco, California. The group is known for humorous original songs and avant-garde arrangement techniques. This is their ninth album, by my count, released in 2000. It was the first album to feature their current "girl singer", Amy Engelhardt. The album opens with an a cappella version of the Duke Ellington instrumental "Caravan". The rest of the album features Bobs originals, other than a Gregorian chant version of the Doors' "Light My Fire". Almost all of the original songs are done with a touch of humor. Here are some noteworthy ones: "She Made Me Name You Earl" is sung by a man to his penis. "Loyal Officer" is the longest song on the album, about a mall security guard. "Barber Lips" is a barbershop quartet version of "Cowboy Lips", which was on the Bobs first album. There is a medley of four songs about turtles called "The Turtle Cycle". "Bach to Bach" is one of the best songs on the album; it's a duet between Johann Sebastian Bach and his wife (no, not the real Mr. and Mrs. Bach). But my personal favorite is "Fluffy's Master Plan For World Domination", which is about a cat that is trying to take over the world. Typical Bobs fun, which their fans should enjoy.

The Bobs have been putting out amazingly original a cappella tunes for a very long time, and though 2 of the four Bobs have changed over time, you wouldn't know it! This disc is full of the same outrageousness as "Songs for Tomorrow Morning," which I also recommend.

All of the sounds on this recording are made by voices, so the trumpets you hear on some tracks aren't actually instruments. There is something here for fans of any style, from the almost-rap on "Loyal Officer" to the barbershop harmony "Barber Lips."

Pick up a copy of "Coaster" and give it a listen. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Other excellent a cappella groups to consider: The Real Group, Rockappella, The Coats.

We bought this only to get Fluffy's Master Plan for World Domination after watching them sing it in Felton. We got it. It's good. I really loved some of the others too. This is not my favorite Bobs album, that would be Get Your Monkey off My Dog, but it's still fun and worth the price of admission.

On listening to the CD, you might spill your drink while playing it for friends while reading the lyrics for the first time. Although there's no cussing, there are two songs that leave no doubt as to their strong sexual content. Coaster needs an explicit lyrics warning. Despite "...Earl" and "Rubber Girl", the album has some redeeming qualities, particularly the first couple songs in the Turtle series, "Bring to Boil" and "Fluffy's Master Plan for World Domination". How often does one hear a song sung from a turtle's perspective or about making Ramen, or about the cats' plot to take over the world? Buy selected mp3s, not the whole album, and read the lyrics first!

I believe that Coaster really and truly is one of the Bobs best! And it is so so sooooooo much better than their last attempt, I Brow Club. The change can be greatly attributed to the deletion of lori bob and the insertion fo Amy Bob Engellhart. Not only is Amy Bob a far better vocalist than lori bob, bt she also composes and arranges for the album. "Fluffy" is her creation, along with other cuts. So, I disagree with one of my fellow reviewers when I say, this is a CD that both new listeners and old listeners will like. Hidden Bonus Track is a gem waiting to be discovered, & The Bob's remake of Caravan is excellent. The Turtle Cycle is pure brilliance as is "She Made me call you Earl". Buy Coaster, it's well worth it!

This is their tenth album (2001). As with I Brow Club I'd say this is stronger than most of their post first four albums, the ones that are mainly their masterpiece albums (s/t, My I'm Large, Songs for Tomorrow and Sing the Songs of). I'd rank the songs on this album into five categories:

1) As always, they have something spectacular on their album. Here it's 'She Made Me Name You Earl'. I don't remember this subject coming up in other popular songs out there in the world. What a great job they did here. Funny. I go out and have (select) people listen to this (like, not my parents). Captain Picard? Yeah, that's funny stuff.

And 'Loyal Officer'. Whew doggy. I crank it up when that song comes on. A pure hit. Hip hop inspired, funny as anything they ever did, a true story and beautifully arranged. A pure hit. Too bad these guys can't seem to get played anywhere, radio, TV, I dunno. A real shame. This song rocks, more than any they ever did.

2) 'Drive Time Blues' and 'A Cappella Choir In the Sky' both are a notch below those other two hit songs. These two are very nice, I listen to them when I wanna hear BOBS. Well done, enjoyable.

3) Here's something they haven't done much of before ('Ambient One' on I Brow Club) and here they've done it twice. That is, they did strong experiments and both are quite successful though I don't really listen to these two songs particularly much over time. Still, they're well done and fun: 'Light My Fire' is a brave interpretation, done in a style that isn't remotely close to the DOORS/JOSE FELICIANO versions. Unexpected and worth hearing. 'Bach to Bach' is really a virtuoso performance. Essentially bringing the BOBS' humor together with an operaetic presentation. Very impressive though I don't listen to it again over the years. Two experiments that succeed although I still think of them as experiments, noble but not massive classics like they are capable of.

4) Most of the rest of the songs on this album fall into this catagory for me. Nice. 'Caravan' is a rare no lyrics "instrumental" so to speak, 'Barber Lips' is a rare reworking of one of their original hits ('Cowboy Lips'). However, not as satisfying for me. The Turtle Cycle reminds me of the Laundry Cycle they did on one of the first four albums, nice songs, not bad really, a fun combo of themed songs but three of the four are just nice. 'Rubber Girl' I think stands out more as a more substantial, enjoyable song. 'Bring to Boil', 'Druid Song' and 'Let's Adopt a Highway' are also pleasant and listenable but not spectacular.

5) Whatever's left over just doesn't hit the mark. That is, along with I Brow Club, this album's pretty good, worth owning for the best four songs. The rest is more ok, not stirring like we know they can be given their virtual masterpieces earlier in their career. chrisbct@hotmail.com