Customer Reviews

Go Slow Down

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

 

 

In a just world, these guys would be all over the radio and MTV. Of course, nowadays, the really *good* music is NOT to be had in those places. You have to dig deeper!

Well, if you're on this page, you have dug deep enough to find the BoDeans, one of the best unsung bands around. "Go Slow Down," while not their best work (I still think that "Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams" retains that title), is nonetheless resplendent with very-good-to-stellar songwriting and clean, tight playing.

The best songs on the album, in my opinion, are the first five. After that, a slight bit of steam is lost, with the exception of "Stay On." But the entire album is still eminently enjoyable, and it is an especially great "driving album." (To quote Texas Ride Song: "Let's go, shall we/On through the Majesty." Great road trip music!

I also want to say that "In Trow" is one of the neatest little instrumental pieces I have ever heard, and I wish it was longer than it is.

Despite some songs that don't quite measure up to the first five, there is enough great homegrown, guitar-driven rock and roll and uplifting harmonies to justify this purchase and then some.

Like many listeners, I first encountered the BoDeans courtesy of the Fox show "Party of Five," as that show took "Closer to Free" as its theme. I borrowed the CD from the library, and have since purchased my own copy.

The BoDeans don't try to reinvent the wheel or to (purposefully) blaze new trails musically. They simply play and sing their hearts out, and it shows. I would liken this to a great bar band, and I mean that in the best sense of the phrase: a band in touch with everyday people, their longings, and their need to clap and sing along with great music. Many of the songs are laced with a bittersweet taste, but that makes them only that much more enjoyable, as life is like that as well.

The first four songs alone make the CD worth purchasing -- I dare you to listen to them and not dance in the car or in your living room as they play. You'll be strumming that air guitar and swaying in place before you realize it.

"Closer to Free" is basic and fun, and begs to be blared at high volumes. The next two songs, "Save a Little" and "Texas Ride Song" compel you clap and sing along, as well as grab the lyrics sheet so you know the words next time you listen to them. The Bodeans show their ability to take guitars and drums and construct amazingly infections pieces here. "Go Slow Down" is a slow, intense piece about a couple's physical closeness.

It's after these four songs that the CD lags a bit, but "Stay On" and "Feed the Fire" help pick up the pace and your attention.

If you like catchy, guitar-driven rock with heartfelt lyrics and rhythms, this album is a must-have.

I realize I've come around to being a Bodeans fan late in the game, but bear with me. I'm slow but I do learn.

I used to live in Sonoma County in California. There's a funky little radio station there called The Krush that plays whatever they please, pretty much. I first caught the Bodeans on that station and did what I usually do when I first sample a new group -- I bought a 'best of' album called "Slash and Burn". My favorite cut on that album is "Fadeaway". It's one of my favorite songs to play when I'm heading out on a road trip.

I bought "Go Slow Down" at a used CD store without hearing any of the cuts beforehand. I love it. What finally turned me into a major fan was the way they seem to be able to veer between genres such as heavy blues, country, zydeco and light pop.

I really dislike being hammered by the same sound time after time on every album cut. Even too much of a good thing wears me out, so I like it when a band plays with my mood by altering the sound.

The Bodeans are a real treasure. If all you ever listen to are Top of the Pops sorts of radio stations, you'll probably never hear these guys and you're probably not the sort of person who could appreciate them. On the other hand, if your favorite thing is discovering a nugget of pure gold buried in the pop landscape, get a Bodeans album.

Who would have thought that just by hearing Something's Tell Me played on our indie radio station I would have ordered this CD!!! Glad I did, kinda rock n roll meets country??? It is my first Bo Deans CD, will not be the last, interesting style, good vocals, and I can dance around the house. I hope someone agrees that Go Slow Down is one sexy song. Doesn't matter that this an old CD, all that matters is that the music is very good!

" go slow down" is the best of the bodeans cd's, from the first time i saw them in austin tx i have held these guys in high admiration. they like sooo many artists, who i guess have no powers to be pushing them down the throats of america are truly underated.... this along with others, put on one hell of a show and produce excellant music....go slow down is amazing from start to finish. "closer to free, save a little,go slow down,idaho,freedom,the other side,stay on,feed the fire ,cold winter's day, somethings tellin' me" are all phenominal, the fun and electricity that they play with, the harmonies, the accoustic and electric guitar blends ....i have had this for years and until my golden slid it across the floor last month, which required me to buy a new copy, realized that "t-bone burnett " produced this one, maybe is the reason for the extreme tightness of the cd...give it a listen when you have the time to listen.............

The BoDeans don't seem to be available here in England. A very special friend told me about the BoDeans ... I trusted his opinion ... I'm glad I did ... Thanks Mitch!

I am a BoDeans fan. I own OUTSIDE LOOKING IN,HOME, and LOVEANDHOPEANDSEXANDDREAMS.

This one I inherited by marriage, presumably because my wife bought it for the "Party of Five" theme song ("Closer to Free") that opens the disc. That track is a marvelous screaming blast of modern rock and roll...and sounds completely unlike ANYTHING else on this disc. By far, the BoDeans more common sound is a more laidback rock and roll that's dipped in country so if that's not your cup of tea this album probably isn't either.

HIGHLIGHTS:
"Closer to Free" is by far the most immediate tune in here. When rock crits talk about "3 minute ditties", this is EXACTLY what they mean. Fun, raucous, and loud..everything rock and roll should be. A lovely intro gives way to the celebration of the road in "Texas Ride Song" while "Go Slow Down" is a grinding bluesy celebration of languid lovemaking. "Something's Telling Me" finds the singer sensing his love affair about to end but still hopeful ("Something's telling me that there's gotta be more than this/There's gotta be more to the whole d**n thing than just a hug and a kiss/Someday I'm gonna find it/then I'll really know/But if you're gonna leave, then I think you'd better go") The disc wraps up with a lovely hidden track (#12), the low-key charmer "She's So Fine" which has a beautiful accordion part.

LOWS:
"The Other Side" is a celebration of suicide as some sort of mystical passage to a better plane of existence. It's downright creepy. "Freedom" strives for significance (written after Nelson Mandela's release from prison) but just seems tepid.

BOTTOM LINE:
Definitely listen to the samples first if you only know "Closer to Free". It's false advertising for the band. If you still really only want "Closer..", you may be better off with the show soundtrack which also includes great songs from Shawn Colvin, Chaka Khan, and Nancy Griffith.

If you enjoy music by the Jayhawks, Lucinda Williams, or Whiskeytown, you may enjoy this.

3 1/2 stars

This album will remain in my collection as one of my all time favorites. I can honestly say that Go Slow Down is as special to me as the Beatles' Rubber Soul. Save A Little, Idaho, Stay On & Something's Telling Me are some of the greatest pieces of music my ears have ever heard.. Something INDEED tells me that I love this band

Go Slow down absolutely amazed me on a recent road trip. I had a business trip up the coast, too close to fly so I rented a car(put miles on business, not my personal car). I was upgraded to a Buick Regal with Monsoon sound system (my home system is a boom box). I never had a built in car CD before, so I grabbed some discs. The BoDeans went in first. Clean, sharp, cool. The sound first took me, then the tunes. It's a great road killer. Closer to Free rocked the first part, then the rest kept me smiling. Between toe tapping rock and ear grabbing tunes, it beat the heck out of 11pm in Hurricane Floyd. I was sorry I didn't have my copy of Black and White with me. Out of a pile of CDs, this one kept getting shoved back into the dash. Now I'm shopping for a major upgrade to my home system. I expect this will be devastatingly good at home too.

With the exception of Closer to Free, I found this CD to be markedly less listenable (=flat & lifeless) than "Home", "Black & White", and "Love & Sex etc." It is possible that this could reflect some deficiency in my taste: suffice to say that if you liked those earlier albums (as I really do), I believe you are much less likely to find this one at all appealing. I'm giving it two stars because, assuming I am able to force myself to listen to it more in the future, it might grow on me a little.