Customer Reviews

The Great Puzzle

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If there is anybody who deserves to be better known in the music world, it's Jules Shear. He's an artist whose songs he's written are better known than he is. Having written the Bangles "If She Knew What She Wants", Cyndi Lauper's "All Through The Night", and Allison Moyet's "Whispering Your Name", to name a few. He's been around since the 70's, having started the very underrated new wave band Jules And The Polar Bears. He put out an excellent first album with "Watch Dog" in 1983, which Todd Rundgren produced. He recorded a couple more albums in the 80's before finally releasing this masterpiece. For people who have never heard Jules Shear sing, it may be an aquired taste for some. Personally I like it. He sings in a nasal whisper at times, but he puts so much passion and emotion into his singing that he can make even an average song sound like it means something. There's nothing average about these songs though. I think this is by far the best songwriting Shear has ever done. Some of the most unforgettable tunes off this are "The Sound Of The Wind", "Make Believe", alone worth the price of admission here. The Lovin Spoonful sounding "The Mystery's All Mine", and the title track "The Great Puzzle". These songs are all packed with the very distinctive sound of jangling guitars that are layered on top of each other so much that it almost gives them an organ sound. I've never heard anything quite like it before. Mix that with some great harmony singing, and some intelligent lyrics and songwriting, and these 60's inspired melodies become an instant classic. For some reason that's beyond me, this album didn't make Shear a star like I thought it would. Something else about this cd that a lot of people probably don't know: When it first came out it originally came with a bonus disc called "Unplug This", which was Shear doing some of his best songs "live" with just an acoustic guitar. MTV liked it so much that they started a new format called MTV Unplugged. And they ask Shear to host the first few episodes of that show. And the rest is history. The Great Puzzle came out in 1992, and I still haven't heard a better pop album since. It's one of the best pop albums of the 90's, or for that matter ever. For me, it's a top 10 Desert Island Disc, that's guaranteed to make your average pop fan hope for a shipwreck. And it comes very highly recommended!

Hearing the title song on this release for the first time was like being drawn to a warm bed on a cold winter's night. Jules Shear is nothing short of a brilliant poet. His words, as wonderful and heart-rending as they sound being passionately sung over fine playing, production and arrangements, would have lost little had Jules opted to publish them as a book of poems. True, it may not have done much to increase the size of his criminally small fan base, but it would have provided the world with one more means through which to experience his art. Sadly, Jules Shear now seems destined to exist in that great pantheon the Almost Famous. I feel so lucky to have found him. You will too!

Absolutely fantastic. This has been my favorite album for seven years. Brilliant lyrics, incredibly melodic and it rocks like crazy. This album should have made Jules a big star. It's fresh and original and an absolute stunner.

jules shear is the poet of our time. the great puzzle is just one example of his genius. if you are really interested in great music, try to find some of the old polar bears albums. the guitarist , richard bredice is hotter than hot.

I agree with what is said in these reviews. Jules is a great and I've looked forward to every new release. I just bought Jules Mark Shears (2010 album) and it is another great one. Get his albums this one is worth every penny, the time spent with it.... The others here have said it all!! Eight five star reviews.

The only way to describe the fact that this album isn't revered as one of the great pop albums of the decade is criminal. The melodies are sharp, the playing is wonderful and it's a great SOUNDING record. Jules voice can sound like Dylan after a whippit, but I DARE you not to forgive that during the thrilling "Trap Door" or heart breaking "Dreams Disolve In Tears." "From next door a radio played/She started banging on the wall/It was some terrible song she could remember loving/Now she couldn't stand that song at all." Talk about taking the exact moment when you realize a relationship is over and writing a pop song about it...Jules does that constantly here. If you're a fan of pure pop melodies featuring lyrics about adult issues played by grown ups, this album and Michael Penn's 'March' are two to consider. Death Cab for Cutie have come close to this record, but they're still trying. Here's what the finish line sounds like.

I've been a fan since Polarbears days so this is the converted preaching! I dug up the Great Puzzle last week, and I've been listening to it in my car. This is pure music for pop fans. What great hooks. It is sadly neglected masterpiece (not that I'm prone to overstatements)

If you haven't tried Jules' music, you're missing out. This is probably the best/most consistent, but how can one say "best" when they all are great? Listen to one of Jules' albums more than about three times, and you'll find yourself awake at night because his songs won't stop flowing through your brain.