Guitar Man

J.J. Cale | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 25, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B000007XSV
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,280 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

For a man who wrote such rock standards as "After Midnight," "Cocaine," "Call Me the Breeze," and "Magnolia," J.J. Cale maintains a surprisingly low profile. The Oklahoma singer/songwriter pioneered the fluid, laid-back, country-blues shuffles that provided aural blueprints for Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton, but not one of Cale's 12 albums has penetrated the top-40 charts. Guitar Man, Cale's 12th album, is his strongest in a long time for several reasons. He recorded it almost all by himself out in his California desert studio, and his imagination seems to have been stimulated by his experiments with drum machines, synthesizers, and sequencers. A bluesy rootsiness still dominates his sound, but around the edges is a new high-tech crispness that provides a welcome edge to his lazy drawl. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Scarey initial reaction, July 28, 2006

By 

Psychman (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guitar Man (Audio CD)

When this recording started I was wondering what was wrong with my balance on my system. The production on the first track must have been done by a drummer. Overkill on the drums drowns out an easily overwhelmed voice of the man, JJ Cale. What a relief when the second track reverted to a familiar mix that highlighted Cale's guitar and voice. Really great guitar work on this one, making the title appropriate. However for this fan it's the feel of Cale's recordings that soothes my soul. Great stuff.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We are wilderness too, September 29, 2005

By 

laid back follower "joe" (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guitar Man (Audio CD)

Among the sets of songs that JJ cale has put together in recent years, there is not one where he squeezes his creative prowess as he does on "Guitar Man". No bad eggs in this collection. Some songs fundamental for his point of view as artist: IF I Had a Rocket, Nobody Knows or the funny Doctor Told Me, are songs as important as Anyway the Wind Blows. There is also the enigmatic Guitar Man that gives the title: a funny mail exchange to some fellow guitar player? You can find in Miss Ol'St. Louie that delightful travelling mood of some of his songs, and all in all, this is another one of those records of imaginative variations of pure JJ Cale that we love so much.
In Death in the Wilderness he shows concern about environmental issues, knowing, as anyone who has ever wondered where do we come from, that wilderness is a need, also for humans:

"the rabbit, he'll be gone,
the bird will sing no song,
the wolf, the deer, the lion too"

Just add: and the man too, and probably before some of them . We are wilderness too.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For Cale fans, January 5, 2008

By 

Maria Folsom (East Glacier Park, Montana USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Guitar Man (Audio CD)

If you like J.J. Cale, you'll enjoy this. Not his best work but a fine addition to your collection if you're his fan like my husband and I are.