Heaven Is Creepy

Jim Campilongo | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 19, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blue Hen Records
• ASIN: B000GRTQ7U
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,936 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #38 in Music > Country > Instrumental
  • #58 in Music > Country > Western Swing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eclectic, magnificent Telecaster, January 23, 2008

By 

B. P. Price "Tech Geek & Sensitive Artiste" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heaven Is Creepy (Audio CD)

I don't usually like instrumental albums from guitarists all that much. As a player myself, I often find that guitar works best in settings where it is not the sole object of attention.

But there are exceptions, and Jim Campilongo is one of them. Big time.

Jim Campilongo is one of the best guitarists you are likely to hear, and certainly the best Telecaster player you will ever hear. More than that, he is just one of the best musicians I have ever heard, with a love of tone, time and melody that simply makes his work crackle with energy and suspense. He knows his history, and freely echoes Roy Buchanan, Speedy West and Django Reinhardt without ever sounding stale or familiar. They are just ghosts in the room.

Campilongo plays with patience, impeccable timing and an off-kilter sense of humor that brings to mind the likes of Tom Waits as a singer and Thelonious Monk as a composer. Ragged edges are everywhere, slickness is nowhere to be found. Gorgeous, simple melodies are at the core of every piece.

His technique is absolutely awesome, but is used completely in service of the music. He knows, uses and expands every classic Telecaster trick in the book to incredible effect, but only other Telecaster players will know why it sounds go darn good. Everyone else just enjoys the music because it is so immediately involving and emotional.

For those who don't know: the Fender Telecaster is the earliest model of a factory made solid body electric guitar, first produced in 1950 and still made today. It is famous for its twangy, clanky tone, used in countless country and R&B recordings. It is notoriously unforgiving of mistakes and has peculiar limitations due to its primitive design.

Campilongo is one of the great Telecaster players, alongside Roy Buchanan, James Burton, Roy Nichols and Danny Gatton. He embraces all the quirks and limitations to create something of unique and profound beauty.

Enough gushing. Play it again!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jim Campilongo Rocks, Swings, and Does A Lot Of Other Things, September 23, 2006

By 

John Heron (CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heaven Is Creepy (Audio CD)

Jim's guitar sounds a bit like Jerry Garcia met the Ventures on his cover of an old standard, Cry Me A River. Each track has it's own special ambience that keeps this mostly instrumental album from ever sounding too much the same. What an amazing player.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Playing + Great Sounds = Great Album, January 12, 2007

By 

LoveMinusZero - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heaven Is Creepy (Audio CD)

I've seen Jim so many times live and have always loved his playing and the group interplay. Oftentimes it's hard to capture the "magic" of a band that is so good live. This record really does exactly that: you get the feel a wonderful night at the Living Room in NYC with the stellar clean sounds of a high-end recording studio. Really inspired interesting playing from everyone with beautifully recorded sounds. Everyone's ideas are at once surprising and sophisticated, yet very accessible. I find myself listening to it over and over again.