Customer Reviews

Jack's Crows

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

 

 

While I enjoy all of John Gorka's music to some extent, this is the CD of his music I would take with me "on that theoretical desert island." Being from Pennsylvania and highly familiar with the Allentown/Bethlehem area, I can identify with the images Gorka descriptively depicts in his epic "Where The Bottles Break" (my all-time favorite Gorka song). Also, the transformation of scenic farmland in recent years to drab commercial properties in the haunting "Houses In The Fields" and the Avis complex of New Jerseyites in the humorous "I'm From Jersey." The upbeat, uptempo "Good" and the anguish-filled romp "Treasure Island don't deal with such real "characters" but are just as good. If you aren't familiar with Gorka's work (and you need to be, given that he is modern folk's finest male artist), this is a good place to start. I

This cd I first heard in 1991 when it was released Houses in the fields struck me as I travelled between Saskatchewan and alberta frequently and noted all the abandoned and for sale farms. The ballad of Jamie B is for me the gem on this cd It details the loss of love and where the characters in the song end up.It is as poingnant and honest a song I've ever heard about splitting up and moving on with life. Every song on this cd is exceptional and the accoutic guitar on most songs is subtle and somehow overpowering. I only wish I could write what I feel as vibrantly and eloquently as John Gorka. Although I have heard this music classed as country, it is much closer to folk and would delight anyone with a passion for strong lyrics and well thought music Bravo John Gorka

I recently pulled this cd out of my collection which i have had for about seven years. It amazes me how relevant and powerful these songs are today (maybe even more than when it was released). "When the bottles break" is especially erie because it describes life in NYC today more than ever (i.e. corporate America moving out the poor)But, more than political statement songs, what gets me about Gorka is his ability to connect with the soul. "The Mercy of the Wheels" is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. It simply penetrates lyrically and musically. I also enjoy "Night is a Woman" and "My New Neighborhood" Gorka also gets 'tongue in cheek' with "Im from New Jersey". But, what makes him so endearing, is his sense of truth in all of his songs. Cliches do not exist with Gorka, unless he is using them to make a point. He is quite simply one of the greatest singer songwriters of our time. His most recent works are strong, but he truly captures the sense of lonliness and despair in his voice and music in this recording and "land of the bottom line"(another must buy!)Prepare to be moved...

John Gorka weaves poetry with his lean gorgeous music. I own many of his works, but this is my favorite. This is a one of those rare CDs which affects the listener on a deeper level than mere entertainment...it moves you....creates its own atmosphere, writes itself on your heart. If you buying a Gorka CD, start here.

John Gorka's smooth baritone is easy to listen to but what impressed me about his songs are his lyrics. These songs are truly poetry set to music rather than the more usual "write a catchy tune then find some words that rhyme to go with it." "Night is a Woman" (my favorite) is a beautiful ballad. " I'm From New Jersey" shows Gorka's whimsy. "Semper Fi" is a moving tribute to his father. I highly recommend this album.

Brilliant effort by John Gorka. This album rises high above most anything out there today. He waxes nostalgic on the beautiful ballad "Mercy of the Wheels" and longs for a way to reunite with his Dad. The imagery of the train is poetic, poignant, and rich. His advice on the short tune "You're On Your Way" is characteristically optimistic. I only wish he had made this song a bit longer. How timeless is the song "Semper Fi" a graceful, tactful song of protest that aches for our attention. If you don't won this CD...buy it today...it has remained in my CD rotation for years.

The headline of my review could be a title of an upcoming Gorka song, expressing the ratings we all give ourselves in our home and work life.

This is a very interesting CD. After buying it in Madison last weekend, I've given it several listenings, and these songs are my favorites:

Track 1. Silence
Track 2. Treasure Islands
Track 4. Houses in the Fields
Track 7. Semper Fi
Track 8. Where the Bottles Break


I heard track four "Houses in the Fields" about 12 years ago, and that song is what got me very interested in John. "Silence" is also a very good song, a great way to start the CD. "Where the Bottles Break" is powerful and very realistic.


Check out Gorka's latest CD called "Old Futures Gone." You'll like that one if you like this one!

Back in the early 90's, a very mellow young man who was a co-worker of mine and was completely sixties in his way although he wasn't even born then, commandeered me to a music store and convinced me to purchase a tape by someone named John Gorka entitled Jack's Crows. I thought it was either a bad joke of his or maybe one of those esoteric peccadilloes that he had and no one else in the world could verify it.But just as I was outstandingly impressed as I was when I first listened to Steve Poltz and Thea Gilmore for the first time, John Gorka struck me as unusually interesting and pleasurable as a folk recording artist. As in his compositions Where the Bottles Break and I'm from New Jersey and Houses in the Field we see a very masculine and imposing style where lyrics are king and technique a strong equalizer. You will have to forgive me but it is hard for me to believe that how with all the sheer mediocrity and trite delivery that we see in some of today's "Idol Music" which applies to both amateur and professional attempts at producing musical content, that singer songwriters like Gorka and Poltz do not have the name recognition that you would think would follow such competent artists. Again I will tell my readers that I am pushing the purchase button on this CD myself because after all these years my John Gorka tape is a little skewed and I really need to hear his music, which never goes out of style in my view.

Jay Adler, Massapequa, New York

It is rare in this world of mass-produced and mass marketed music to find an artist who chooses to focus on his personal strengths and not try to follow the crowd. Gorka is such an artist. He first came to my attention as part of the Bleeker Street compilation. As far as my reseach can discerne, this is his critical high point but that diminishes his other CDs. "Where the Bottles Break", "Treasure Island", "Houses In the Fields" - all classic tracks. Artists who write and perform material of this quality ought to be held up to their nation as an example of the best the national psyche can produce. Check out Between Five and Seven and Land of the Bottom Line and take pity on those of us who can not see Gorka live.

This song a learnt to know when i met my girl-friend and it is so beautiful also the other songs are really great. It gives you a feeling that the world is great after all.