Far Side of the World [Enhanced]

Jimmy Buffett | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 19, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Mailboat Records
• ASIN: B00005O7VL
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (138 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,525 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Jimmy Buffett's 33rd record--his first for his own Mailboat Records--finds the world's most famous beach bum in an uncharacteristically reflective mood. While he hasn't completely lost interest in beer, burgers, and string bikinis, Buffett no longer seems intent on transporting fans to some tropical Shangri-la. Buffett does take listeners on a trip to the "Far Side of the World," but insists that you bring your baggage with you--and learn to love it. Buffett skillfully weaves themes of self-acceptance, self-abnegation, and fears for the future into unerringly witty and graphic observations, but his words lack much of their usual frivolity and froth. Buffett seems intent on revisiting the emotional landscape he first explored in Living and Dying in 3/4 Time, which produced the rather mournful song of love and separation "Come Monday." His rendition of Bruce Cockburn's "All the Ways That I Want You" recaptures that sense of love and yearning, but without the stark lack of hope. Hope is one thing Buffett possesses in abundance. In "Last Man Standing" he allows thoughts of retirement, but vows, "I wanna be the last man standing." In the elegant "Someday I Will," he admits: "I don't have a plan / It's not that kind of thing / I'm not Martin Luther King / I don't have a dream / It's just sometimes I know that's the way I'm supposed to go." Buffett is a man at a crossroads, where he's created his most evocative and daring music in years. --Jaan Uhelszki

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jimmy ,Mark..and He Still Follows That Equator, January 26, 2003

By 

Lance G. Rigley (Brisbane, Queensland Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Far Side of the World (Audio CD)

"I was in two minds...should I buy this or not??After,at best, the disappointing and un Buffett like performance on *Beachhouse on the Moon*,I was concerned that Jimmy had lost the edge and was settling into middle-aged conformity.I should not have worried..he has returned to a more familiar,if somewhat subdued and reflective form.

We are not chugging down rums and floating away on those Carribean breezes,and there is not a cheeseburger in sight!!! Instead this CD owes more to Mark Twain and his epic,*Following the Equator* than to string bikinis and fins to the left fins to the right.I personally like the feel of this one,it is part African Travel-logue,part philosophy,part history..and totally Buffett.

From the opening *Blue Guitar* with its African beats.into the moody and reflective *Mademoiselle* and *Autour Du Rocher*,we are treated to JB returning to what he does best,lead the listener on his personal take on his memories and that troupador lifestyle.*Autour Du Rocher*,is one of the stronger tracks on this and shows Jimmy can still sing them,even if they are not written by him everytime.The songs are laden with French phrases and have that personal feel, that was so much lacking in *Beachhouse on the Moon*

This is not simply a *Turn up and buy if you are a parrotthead* catalogue of songs.They are to be savoured and enjoyed,owing a lot to the satisfaction of living that was conveyed on *A1A* and *Coconut Telegraph*..that relaxed satisfaction of watching the sun go down over the ocean with a beer or red wine in hand!!.Jimmy uses several styles that transport you to Africa,and the Far Side of the World, but never really takes you too far from keeping that one particular harbour, if not in view,certainly in the back of your mind.

Jimmy continues to use the songs of others to convey his own view on things.Of those *All the Ways I Want You* is delightful.This catalogue will grow on you after each listen.Even the initially unremarkable *Last Man Standing* and *What If The Hokey Pokey Is All It Really Is About* convey that Buffett view on the world and put a smile on your face.*Altered Boy* is Jimmy having a dig at those who can never really figure out what he is about,I keep thinking of Mike Nesmith and *Rio*.In fact I also kept thinking *Tin Cup Chalice* and *The Weather Is Here Wish You Were Beautiful*..I was just so happy to have Jimmy back in form.

Like *Beachhouse*,*USS ZYdecoldsmobile* gives that down home New Orleans kick,Like *I Play For Gumbo*.The strength of this whole resurgence is encaptulated in the last three songs.*Someday I Will*,JB philosophy,*Far Side Of The World*,JB in travel logue mode and displaying that Buffett trademark story lyric that has done him well for 32 previous albums,and the sensitive and heartfelt closing **Tonight I Just Need My Guitar* as the sun sinks below the Florida coast,the palm trees on Bora Bora, the buildings in Zanzibar...or over your own back fence.

As the tones of this CD faded and the lights are put out,the world is a better place knowing that JB is back in something like his best form..and Mark Twain lights another cigar and prepares to write another despatch..and his journey continues.

4.5 stars,the best thing from Jimmy for quite a few CDs.Buy it,if you love a story and life!!!...

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the wait!!!, March 23, 2002

By 

Steven C. Sowers (Blandon, PA (near Reading)) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Far Side of the World (Audio CD)

This is one of the most interesting albums I have listened to in years. There are songs on here to suit many different tastes. Yet while Jimmy experiments (mostly successfully) with different sounds, they all have a common denominator in that they are uniquely his style. He has an uncanny ability to lend his own signature sound to a bunch of totally different styles and come up with a cohesive album.

I thoroughly enjoyed about 9 out of 12 songs on this album, was content with one (hokey pokey), and was only really disappointed by two (Autour de Rocher and Altered Boy). The lyrics for these songs are good, but the music is either too experimental for JB (Autour) or a bit too odd for my taste (Altered Boy).

The rest of the album was a delight for me as a lover of good music, and particularly Buffett music. There are several great up-tempo songs which leave you either tapping your feet or driving a bit too fast if you are in you car listening to this CD. There are great Buffettesque tunes such as "Savannah", "Someday I Will", "Mademoiselle" and "Blue Guitar" which instantly transport you to another place, even though that place may not necessarily be Margaritaville. Perhaps the finest work on the album is the title track, "Far Side of the World", which is one of Jimmy's best songs in years, and would stand up to any "greatest hits" list. Jimmy closes the album with "Tonight I Just Need My Guitar", which is a beautiful acoustic guitar song that harks back to his earlier days. It rounds out the album perfectly in that even though he experiments with all these styles and sounds, ultimately it all comes back to Jimmy being himself.

One glaring omission on this album was the absence of Fingers Taylor. There are several parts which would have sounded great as harp, but are mixed in with accordion. Fingers would have made this "A" album an "A+", and possibly the best work put out by JB and crew.

I highly recommend this album to old and new JB fans, as well as anyone looking for a very diverse sounding, pleasant, fun album. This one gets better and better with each listen.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buffett's Found What He's Been Looking For, April 21, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Far Side of the World (Audio CD)

It's been quite a long time since Buffett has cranked out a CD with as much flavor and consistently enjoyable sound as Far Side of the World, but it was well worth the wait. All too often you see critics pointing to his earliest work (i.e., the stuff he wrote back when Ford was President) and attempting to make a rigid, unworkable comparison between a songwriter barely out of his twenties to a guy with three kids lookin' at sixty. But in this album, Buffett has actually managed to throw in those untamed lyrics that made him a beach bum icon right along with the relaxed anecdotes and introspection that can only come from years of living the life (or something approaching that) which he writes about.

Songs like "Last Man Standing" and "Zydecoldsmobile" have something about them that's vaguely reminiscent of his work in the late 70s early 80s, while "Tonight I Just Need my Guitar" and "Altered Boy" seem to achieve that new groove Buffett has been laboriously attempting to create since Barometer Soup.

All and all, I think this album is fantastic--arguably his best work since Off to See the Lizard. Far Side of the World should undoubtedly be seen as one of the peaks in Buffett's repertoire, the finished product of many years of attempting to create a "new sound" that, while undeniably different, is no less palatable to long-time Parrotheads and aspiring beach bums than A1A or Coconut Telegraph. Enjoy!