Customer Reviews

A Date With John Waters

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

John Waters is the man who made Christmas meaningful for me again with "A John Waters Christmas". Now with the release of "A Date With John Waters" I'm almost tempted to start dating again. If this pervy music doesn't get you in the mood, nothing will. Mind you, John could have picked songs from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and made them sound...well...dirty. A great collection overall, but what makes this disc indispensible is the inclusion of the rare 45 by Edith Massey "Big Girls Don't Cry". Edie's reading of the old Four Seasons song not only makes you forget about the original, it makes you weep to recall what an original Edie truly was. Bravo, John! Can we look forward to "A Night in Hell with John Waters"?

Valentine's Day should be every day--so I suppose therefore that this review is not too late to be posted! John Waters produces a Valentine's Day CD that gives you the emotional experience of a roller coaster ride. You simply never know which type of song you're going to hear next unless you've read the liner notes. I advise you not to read the liner notes first and just play this CD to climb onboard the best musical roller coaster ride you ever took!

The CD starts with a beautiful sister act named Patience and Prudence performing "Tonight You Belong To Me." The surface noise enhances the romantic quality of the recording. I normally detest surface noise after a CD has been digitally remastered; but I also must admit there can be a certain romantic quality to hearing a record on vinyl with its imperfections. John Waters wants to give us that experience here on this number. It sure will bring back fond memories!

The CD takes a remarkably sharp turn into the world of much less traditional relationships with the punk rock song "Jet Boy Jet Girl." Elton Motello's voice is in great form on this track--great!

Other more traditional songs many people will recognize include "Ain't Got No Home" performed by the highly talented Clarence "Frogman" Henry and the torch song "All I Can Do Is Cry" by Ike and Tina Turner. In addition, Eileen with the New Yorkers perform the classic cutie "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked A Cake."

No John Waters album could ever be complete without plenty more camp and "less usual" types of romance. Mildred Bailey & Her Swing Band perform "I'd Love To Take Orders From You" from 1935 to perfection; and Mink Stole sings beautifully on "Sometimes I Wish I Had A Gun." On the track "Sometimes I Wish I Had A Gun" Mink Stole performs a singing portrait of a woman who wants to boss her man around for the "fun" of it.

Country music appears in the form of "In Spite Of Ourselves" performed by John Prine with Iris DeMent. This song boasts a great country beat and the musical arrangement uses the guitar so wonderfully. The lyrics will amuse you, too.

I notice that John Waters worked very hard on the liner notes for this CD; and the CD artwork is excellent, too. Therefore, I think that "The Right Time" by Ray Charles was probably intentionally presented here as a scratchy recording to help us reminisce about loves in our past while we enjoy the awesome beauty of this song. It would be just like John Waters to do that; John probably figured that this particular recording of "The Right Time" also increased the campy retro feel of this CD. Just my two cents, everyone!

Shirley & Lee perform the ending track entitled "Bewildered." "Bewildered" has the same 1950s sound of the opening number "Tonight You belong To Me" by Patience and Prudence. This retro feel makes us want to reminisce even more about former loves and the time when we met that special someone we share life with now. This adds a type of romantic effect to the CD; and therefore "Bewildered" provides a strong ending for the CD.

John Waters writes the cheerfully cracked and silly liner notes for this CD. The songs credits are there for you, too.

I highly recommend this CD for fans of the John Waters campy genre. People who enjoy the "oldies" will like this CD, too. However, this CD contains explicit lyrics and I would not recommend it for children nor would I recommend it for anyone uncomfortable with explicit lyrics.

John Waters should be releasing compilations more often - A Date With John Waters is simply fantastic. A great collection of oldies, mastered from different sources but all sounding incredibly vibrant. Now I know why my mum would often sing "If I knew you were coming I'd've baked a cake"! Hilarious, hokey, somehow imbued with an incredible tenderness. Waters' film soundtracks are often great, also; one of his most recent, "A Dirty Shame", is very fine.

If John Waters ever attempts to take you home and seduce you, this will be the soundtrack of the date. Just in time for Valentine's Day, John has released an eclectic mix of romantic songs, in the style of his earlier release A John Waters Christmas. Highlights include: "Tonight You Belong To Me"- 50s pop harmonizing; "Jet Boy Jet Girl"- aggressively weird Belgian punk rock; "In Spite Of Ourselves"- hilarious hillbilly duet; "Sometimes I Wish I had A Gun"- smoky jazz from Mink Stole; and "Johnny Are You Queer?"- rockin' 80s new wave. There's something for everyone in the mix. Play it on your next dirty date!

I've been playing this endlessly since it arrived this week in my mailbox. Because of John Waters,my formerly worthless life now has new meaning. I bless you in Baltimore,you're a great man. I'm looking forward to your next amazing cd release

Ah, the beauty that is the mind of John Waters. Such a great juxtaposition of song to scene and such good choices! A must have for fans of not just his films, but the man himself!

Heard Waters talking to Terry Gross a few years ago when this first came out and it stuck in my head. Glad it did because this is one of the best compilation albums ever. Everything from the scarily sincere to the very, very strange. My favorite is probably "You Belong to Me," which could be innocent but somehow I doubt it. I love it all and, seeing as I love his Christmas album, too, I hope he does more of these!

the album is supurb for any john waters fan and even if your not a fan you'll find his taste in music is fanastic if his movies don't make you a fan then this will. there is a song for eveyone in this great valentines day album, i frankly think it's a perfect valentines day gift for your best friend, lover, or mybe even yourself. i loved it!! as always mr. john waters pulls through again.

The other reviewers have said it all, and I'll add my praise - exceeded my high expectations. I don't know where he found some of the tracks. I remember hearing 'Jet Boy Jet Girl (he gives me head)' on the radio in the 80s, and hadn't been able to find it since - until now!

Not for children or prudes. All you cool people - enjoy! John: do some more compilations! How about a DVD of weird movie scenes?

This isn't the first time John Waters has compiled a list of his favorite tracks to a theme (See, John Waters Christmas...). The man has a knack for resurfacing some of the oddest and classic tunes of all time. This album is themed around a Macabre-Valentines Day-ish Date with John....I won't go into specific tracks because you can see them here... but some of the songs on this album are virtually impossible to find anywhere else. This is a must-have disc for the fan of Waters or otherwise!