Customer Reviews

Hello Big Man

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As an avid Carly fan I bought this album when it first came out and loved it, of course. Several years later I was at a Target store and was in line to pay and there was a rack of CDs...at the checkout. Hello Big Man was right in front! I'm the sort of person that doesn't buy the one "in front" but there was only one copy so I grabbed it. It has been a staple in my car CD player ever since. I love "You Know What To Do" with its erotic bass line and also because of the sexy video Carly put out for the song. I have that on tape still. "Menemsha" is probably one of the most beautiful songs Carly has ever recorded. My favorite song on this album is "Damn You Get To Me", with its single acoustic guitar opening and the sing-along ending. The lyrics can send chills down my spine if I'm in the right (wrong?) mood. "It Happens Everyday" & "You Don't Feel The Same" are two more songs along this same relationship-in-trouble vein. I love the playfulness of "Is This Love", "Such A Good Boy" & "Floundering". The title tune, starting with a budding romance and flowing into a lifelong marriage, is the masterpiece on this CD, however, mainly because the subject is Carly's parents, so naturally her heart is poured into this track. Not that it isn't poured into every other track, as well. All of Carly's music is very personal and "from the heart" and any listener with an open heart can't help but be touched by her talent.

I was so excited the first time I heard "You know what to do"played on the radio,and waited up all night to see the video played on MTV.I thought for sure this cut would be a huge hit."Hello Big Man" was the second single released,about the romance of Carly's Mom and Dad,and how they met,and Carly's Mother was in the video.There are so many great songs on this CD,with different sounds and beutifull ballads,"It happens everyday," about the end of Carly and James,"(You use to adore me)such a sad line about the first couple of rock and roll."Menemsha"another beutifull number. "Hello Big Man is a must have for your Carly Simon collection.

This album finds Carly addressing love and loss, with beauty, melody, grace, and humor. It's mostly about the dissolution of her marriage to JT. Indeed, several songs are addressed to him directly -- "Orpheus," with its wrenching lyrics of love, loss, and heartbreak; "It Happens Every Day," with its sing-song melody hiding the sadness of marital loss.

Other tracks find Carly attempting be optimistic about her new life -- "You Know What to Do," with its seductive, playful melody; and a great remake of "Is This Love," with ringing harmmonies and an upbeat bass backbeat.

But the two songs that really stand out are "Menemsha" and the title track. The former is a look back at young love, happier, carefree times, with a children's choir providing joyful back up. It's one of her best songs. The latter details the sweeping love affair of her parents, a love story that is rendered with care and emotion.

The closer, "Floundering," finds Carly addressing what her friends are saying about her in the wake of her break up with JT, which she handles with typical humor and good grace.

I cannot believe this album is out of print. It's one of Carly's most personal and meaningful artistic statements, and I hope this problem is remedied soon.

"Hello Big Man" features two of Simon's best songs: "It Happens Every Day" and "You Don't Feel the Same." Both appear to be simple folk songs on the surface, but the careful balance of longing and regret in the lyrics elevates them into something more profound. "Profound" sounds heavy, I know, but this album is not an earnest dissection of love. The music--particularly the reggae tunes--is breezy and melodic and Simon's voice has never sounded better. It's just that Carly Simon knows how to explore the vagaries of love in a remarkably conversational, casual way. That is her artistry, and those who label her as "lightweight" have missed the point. I hope the powers that be will resurrect this album. I do.

I love it! It's CLASSIC Carly. The lead single, "You Know What to Do" is soooo sexy and erotic and this time around, we find her exploring Reggae with a remake of Bob Marley's "Is This Love?" My favorite here is "Menemsha." My insides get all happy with that tribal/fishing village "thang" she's got goin' on in the mix with the marimba and steel drums. As always, she's is in her usual niche as a folky, romantic storyteller of sorts who's never been fearful of trying out "new" sounds. The title cut was written and dedicated to her parents, which makes it especially endearing and beautiful. This would be her 3rd and last album for Warner Brothers before a switch to Epic/CBS in 1985 with the severely underrated "Spoiled Girl" album.

Length:: 2:50 Mins

There isn't a dud here. My most favorite here is You Know What To Do, it's catchy, playful, (and the video isn't bad either). It Happens Everyday is one of Carly's best songs, ever. You Don't Feel The Same is also brilliantly written. Menemsha is great, same goes for Floundering, which sounds like Carly is poking fun at herself, with a good since of humor. This is Carly at the top of her game. I highly recommend this album to anyone who likes (or loves) Carly. 10 out of 10.

...This wonderful CD has long been out of print, which is a crying shame. It commands huge prices on the secondary market, and I suspect that counterfeits may be floating around...I understand that a download has become available, but I prefer the "hard copy". Regardless, this may be the Carly CD that I play the most; I'm playing it as I type.

This 1983 release is from the heart of Carly's "rock" period; along with "Come Upstairs", it is the best of her rock albums, and it may well be the most "sexual" record she ever made [NOT explicit, or provocative; this isn't rap]. Here, the sex certainly isn't on the cover, but in the music itself. And yet, this is Carly; plenty of girls can entice, and still be forgettable...to entice with unfailing good taste, that's genius, and that's Carly.

The specific songs here are not Carly's best known; no BIG HITS. Still, they will grab you, and hold on. The title cut is one Carly's more personal songs, telling about her parents' love for each other; it's also one of her all-time masterpieces. "Menemsha" and "Such a Good Boy" are pure rock, and do, indeed, rock. "Orpheus", "You Don't Feel the Same" and "It Happens Every Day" are played at a much slower pace, but grab with equal strength. "Floundering" sounds confessional, but no clue who it's about. "Damn You Get to Me"...yes, Carly, you sure do, and have been for a long time.

This recording is an essentially unknown wonder. Maybe it will be re-released, or maybe you'll settle for the download. I love Carly, and am glad I have the CD. No CD ever made is worth the prices they get for this, but if one ever could be.....Carly is a living national treasure, her voice and beauty absolutely undiminished at 62. I know I've gushed; Carly does that to me, and my wife tolerates it [and she listens to her, too]. Try to get hold of this, and find out what the gushing is about...if only I could give 10 stars........

This CD is great. I don't know how I ever missed this one -- it was the only one of hers I didn't own. I'm always thirsting for "new" Carly Simon music, and this satisfied me until she releases her next one. If you're a Carly fan, you should buy this one.

Can someone who has purchased the Rhino Flashback version tell me: does it say it is "RE-mastered?" Thanks.