Customer Reviews

Cracked Rear View

5 star:		(81)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

It's strange how a band can be the hugest act in America and the most hated all at the same time.This strange pop paradox fits Hootie & The Blowfish like a glove.

Down-home South Carolina boys playing unoffensive,very enjoyable,heartland style rock.Hootie offered an alternative to the morose,moody stylings of grunge in the world of rock/pop in
the mid '90s and turned out to have one of the best-selling albums in US history with this 1994 debut,"Cracked Rear View".

Now I know that it's "against the rules" for a credible music
fan to display love towards a unabashed mainstream pop act but
I happened to like Hootie's brand of feel-good frat boy rock!:-)
"Time",the lovelorn hit "Let Her Cry","I Only Want To Be With You",and the criminally overplayed "Hold My Hand"-all down-home,
Americana-styled pop/rock songs that are as easy and cozy as a Southern breeze.

Those who bash Hootie seem to be missing the point.They never seemed to proclaim themselves as intellectual rockers

Over the last several years, it seems that people make fun of those who still like Hootie & the Blowfish. No matter what they say, this album is still a classic. The massive amount of hits ("Hold My Hand," "Let Her Cry," "Only Wanna Be With You," and "Time")are great, but the lesser-known songs are even better. "Hannah Jane" and "Running from an Angel" are awesome, while the albums final two tracks, "Not Even the Trees" and "Goodbye" are probably the best songs the band has ever put out. The weaker material ("I'm Goin' Home," "Drowning") is pretty good, but the excellence of the rest of the songs makes the few decent ones forgivable. The album as a whole flows well and, while not groundbreaking or complex, it's still a really good album.

This album is awesome... There is a reason that it sold 16+ million copies. Unfortunately it was overplayed and backlashed on the band, as is most music today. I will today and will always say that this is one of the best albums from the 90's/00's, as are all 6 of their albums.

A couple of days ago I was watching a television program where Hootie and the Blowfish were compared to REM. REM being one of my favorite bands, I thought, "Well, maybe I should look into Hootie." That is when it hit me! A gift someone had given a couple of years ago, "Cracked Rear View". While blowing the dust off of the CD and taking "Automatic for the People" out of my CD player, I looked at the track listing and realized I had heard less then half of them. So I set my stereo to shuffle and the first thing I hear is the inspirational bonus track, "Motherless Child." I was truly amazed! So once he had blown me away with some of the tracks that I heard with the shuffle function, I flipped to the only track I hadn't heard yet, a song called "Not Even the Trees". I really had no idea what to expect- but i realized after the song had started that I had saved the best for last! The one recurring thought I had through the whole album was how much Darious Rucker's guitar sounded like the guitar in "Walkaways" off "Recovering the Satellites" by the Counting Crows. I guess if I had to say "If you like Hootie, you will love..." I would finish that sentance with the Counting Crows and REM. This is a truly amazing debut!

Although only selling 5 copies in England, Cracked Rear View went on to break records of the biggest selling debut album of all time (counts at the moment are in excess of 20 million). If you are lucky enough to have heard any track of this album you will see why. Bordering on the lines of country rock once again we see an excellent example of how a band can produce the hits and keep the rest of the album as strong. The opening track Hannah Jane is a boppy rollocoster with Darius Ruckers voice in full swing from the off. The acoustics of tracks like Hold my hand and I'm going home, the piano led Goodbye (played by drummer Soni), viola Running From an Angel and the Euphoric Let her Cry bring a debut album which has just about everything. The emotion in Darius voice has to be heard - Sometimes sympathetic, sometimes angry, always empathic. Just hear it on Look Away which is one of my favourite songs on the album. The short and emotional ride has Hootie and the Blowfish doing what comes naturally making them more than just another band with a box of tricks. This box of tricks is here to stay. Enough said.

This album is full of strong vocals, hard hitting guitar chords, and upbeat lyrics. This pop/rock band creates a great sound. This album does not have a rating. It has eleven tracks and a run time of 46 minutes and 43 seconds. The album, under Atlantic Records label, was released on July 5, 1994. "Cracked Rear View" is currently available for under ten dollars. The subtle mix of upbeat songs and slower ballads makes for a great album. The lead vocals, performed by Darius Rucker, are very baritone with a little raspy sound. The harmonies are perfectly placed within each song. This album sold over 12 million copies when it was first released and will always be a great album to have in your collection. Hootie and the Blowfish acommplished exactly waht they had set out to and they did it well.

Hootie and the Blowfish's debut album "Cracked Rear View" is a kick ... CD. How could you not like it?? I don't undertand how this band went from almost the most popular band of the early 90's to almost the most hated. What did they do wrong?? That's jst it. They did NOTHING wrong!! Some losers just decided that "Liking Hootie wasn't cool anymore" and they got people to follow them until everyone thought that way. This CD is awesome. Not one song on here I don't like. If you are a fan of Dave Matthews Band, Blues Traveler, or other bands of that sound, this CD is the best one you can get.

If you can get into Hootie's vocals you'll find that "Cracked Rear View" is actually a very very good album. Not only does it have 4 "classic" 90's songs ("Hold My Hand", "Only Wanna Be With You", "Let Her Cry" and "Time"), but the rest of the songs are just as great (the ones that aren't highlights are still very admirable). As for what it sounds like, think of a slightly blues-influenced bar band. I personally find Hootie's voice pretty pleasant, but I can see why some people don't like it that much. He does seem to sing with genuine emotion and passion though. Not every track is good, but if you're looking for a great just-have-a-good-time bar band album then this is a very worthwhile purchase. Highly recommended for Hootie fans and fans of the genre.

Highlights include:
"Hannah Jane"
"Hold My Hand"
"Let Her Cry"
"Only Wanna Be With You"
"I'm Goin' Home"
"Time"
"Look Away" (sort of)
"Not Even The Trees"

It was a couple of years ago, I did get myself a copy of "Cracked Rear View" by Hootie and the Blowfish. Just the other day I was listening to it again and there was still new enthusiasm to discover on it, to me, it seems like on of those "press to play"-albums, although it certainly not was. "Cracked Rear View" is one of the greatest folk-rock albums ever done, great music performed by incredible artists. Somewhere in between the Mellencamp-like sound and the collegeband-feeling this album is rememberin' me of some good old days that used to be. If you like power- and sorrowful folkrock-melodies, a bariton lead voice and THAT feeling, when you drive your car down the street, the window open and the rain just about to fall and a sometimes fingertippin', sometimes footstompin' beat in the background, you should definitely get a copy of this great debut !!

Well, it seems either you hate it or you love it, but the fact remains Hootie is doing what they love, and it sounds like they had a fun time making this album. Yes, some of the songs were overplayed (ie: "Time"), but after popping in this CD tonight, I just had to get movin' to the groove of "Only Wanna Be With You", probably my favorite here. Other fave's of mine include "Going Home" and "Drowning", but the one that still makes me take notice after all these years is "Goodbye". This is a great CD to drive to... especially in the middle of the night!