Customer Reviews

Flying Cowboys

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Rickie Lee Jones (at this point anyway) is about moving forward. The blues-folk of the eponymous debut grew into the more experimentally written Pirates, followed by a full evolution into the concept album The Magazine. Then, a 5-year silence.

This album is a perfect return for her. The songs and production combine all the strengths of her previous albums into a neat little package. She would achieve such greatness again with Traffic from Paradise 4 years later, but this album is the best place to hear an artist operating on all cylinders. It was the right album at the right time, and still sounds fantastic today.

I do wish it could be reissued, though (along with each CD that preceded it). As with most pre-90s CDs, the overall volume level is quite low compared to more recent discs. And perhaps add a couple of extra tracks? One can hope...

my only contact with the music of RLJ was thru the album MAGAZINE which i found to be disappointing.Well imagine my delight when i heard this collection as it is a gem of a disc.RLJ sounds as though she was having a ball and it shows.Not one dud track.Its an album that you can stick on and leave with confidence and you will want to play over and over again.There are some really lovely tracks here HORSES with its unforgettable guitar line,the gentle reading of GERRY and the PACEMAKERS'DONT LET THE SUN CATCH YOU CRYING'and the superb RODEO GIRL.At times RLJ does indeed sound very NYROESQUE but no way would that ever be a bad thing,believe me listening to this album is a real pleasure.

Although released in 1989, Flying Cowboys remains one of my favorite musical pieces in my entire collection of CDs and definitely one of the most essential in Jone's discography. It's high on my list of must haves if I was to be stranded on the immortal "desert isle".

Jones has always been a talented songwriter and always had a creative knack for telling her musical tales using vivid characters and lush musical arrangements. With some help from producer/songwriter/musician Walter Becker (from Steely Dan), she scores big on this project. The end result here is a mostly upbeat, poetic & jazzy collection of folk/pop with the exception of "Ghost Train". Although "Ghost Train" doesn't seem to fit into the mood of the whole, it is one of my favorites. It works extremely well in illustrating Jone's talent at more bluesier vocals and her overall versatility. From the ethereal "The Horses" to the calypso tinged "Love is Gonna Bring Us Back Alive", the other selections are upbeat, smoothly poetic and mildly romantic. Smooth jazz artist Vonda Shephard (from the Allie McBeal series soundtrack)and jazz great Randy Brecker also perform on a couple of selections.

For those not familiar with Rickie Lee Jones, I highly recommend Flying Cowboys.

How do you pick a favorite Rickie Lee Jones album? Actually, it's not as hard as you might expect. There's really only three candidates: her classic, eponymous debut; her amazing sophmore effort, "Pirates"; or this, "Flying Cowboys", with Rickie at her most Nyroesque. Pick any one, and you'll not be disappointed.

Over the years I have videotaped many Saturday Night Live programs, and the one which featured RLJ was near the one which featured Neil Young's great performance of "Keep On Rockin' (in the Free World)" so I kept that tape.

What I did not know - my videotaping habits then were better than my viewing habits - was that RLJ had an astonishing performance of "Ghetto" literally mesmerizing! Doesn't matter that the song alone couldn't equal the performance in 1989, that kind of performance was so unique in the best sense of the term that I will buy the CD without hearing even one other song segment.

Sorry I can't share that video with everyone who posted to this CD. You deserve it!

Was glad to receive this and played it almost immediately. Within the last year I purchased the SHM CD from Japan of this title and that was an improvement over the domestic issue. This was a digital recording so I was not expecting a vast improvement. Immediately upon starting the Audio Fidelity version I knew this was even better than the SHM CD version. There was more life to it and more punch when punch was there. All around this was a much better sounding issue. Let's hope Audio Fidelity continues to issue great sounding issues. Their recent Audio Fidelity release of Styx's The Grand Illusion Grand Illusionwas not anywhere near as good as the Japanese SHM CD version Grand Illusion (Mlps) (Shm). I would like to see some sort of consistency here, whether it be Audio Fidelity or Japanese but at this point there does not seem to be any, the wallet is just getting lighter due to this. I would rather buy the Audio Fidelity product only but there are times when the Japanese import is vastly superior.

is this decording, cover included. Just her best. By the way, does anybody know when is she going to remaster her collection?. Flying Cowboys has to be her most fullfilling comercial output, an a very good one at that. All the songs are very well crafted and performed with passion and heart... Love it...

...it's one of the finest albums you could own. Each time I listen, it reveals more to me and I can't stop listening. It's "perfect for all occasions" type of CD, it's a great feel good and happy recording. Love 'Ghost Train' and the introduction of more RLJ "characters" for us to meet - she must have had a great life, well so far! Each song holds a story within itself and you just want to hear more. If you are a RLJ fan, or even in you are not, and for some strange reason this is not in your collection, do something about it! Buy it, listen and you will know what I mean.

If you've ever thought of purchasing an album by RLJ, let this be your first. There aren't many musicians that have the power to really get in your head, and Rickie is one of them. Her lyrics are so captivating, and her voice so emotional, that often snippets of her songs will come to me for no apparent reason, her unusual singing style penetrating my thoughts right down to my soul. If you can listen to the song "Flying Cowboys" and not be impressed, then apparently we're not on the same wavelength.

The arrangements and production on this album are breathtaking, as is Rickie's voice. With the exception of the rather aimless "Ghost Train" every one of these tracks is a sonic marvel, as well as an example of terrific songwriting.