Customer Reviews

Jukes

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

 

 

Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes had given up covering R&B oldies on their previous studio album, HEARTS OF STONE. On THE JUKES, they break completely with Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zant, and leave the songwriting entirely to Southside and guitarist Billy Rush. Despite the absence of Springsteen and Van Zandt, the horns and guitars still sound punchy, and rather than the dreamy romanticism of the first three albums, this one focuses on a world in disorder and the struggle of the songs' characters to cope with it. In addition, the music sounds more contemporary, taking in what was going on in the music world at the time it was recorded. This isn't the first place to discover Southside Johnny, but it is a masterful album nonetheless.

this cd is no less than fantastic. every song is great. the horns make it so different from other rock music and so incredibly good. i cannot believe this band never hit it really big; the talent here is huge. buy this cd. it's old now but has stood the test of time which proves it is great music. i remember last nite is my favorite song. i saw them do it at the agora ballroom in atlanta about 25 yrs ago and will never forget it. they have other good cd's but this is zzz best!

Absolutely..without a doubt.. the best Southside cd to date...get it, listen..see them live if possible...you will agree...this delivers everything from SS and the Jukes!...how bout them horns!!!

At the time of its original 1978 release, the Jukes fourth album was a big turning point. The band's independence from the Jersey shore sound of Springsteen and E Street had emerged on the previous LP, "Hearts of Stone," a move from Epic to Mercury provided additional distance, and the replacement of E Streeter Steve Van Zandt as producer and songwriter severed an additional tie. With the band really hitting its stride and vocalist Johnny Lyon firmly at the helm, the Jukes were poised to take off.

But they didn't. The loss of Van Zandt left the songwriting in the less capable hands of Lyon and guitarist Billy Rush, and though the band could still muster punchy horn rock and R&B, Barry Beckett's production was workmanlike but unexciting. Lyon's vocals were missing the passion of earlier album, and the words simply weren't as affecting or memorable. The album opens promisingly with the catchy riffs of "All I Want is Everything" with a terrific, stage-ready chorus hook. But the fire was quickly extinguished by the ironically un-anxious sounding "I'm So Anxious." The thank-God-it's-Friday "I Remember Last Night" is similarly lacking in passion.

Better are the slinky blues "Security" and overwrought "Wait in Vain." The album mostly lacks the sweaty Saturday night inspiration of its predecessors. Rather than capitalizing on their breakthrough, the Jukes dealt away some of their most vital elements. The results are passable, but in an effort to further escape the shadow of E Street, the Jukes lost their punch. With this album back in print after a few years absence, fans can now complete their collection, but this isn't the place to start your appreciation. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]

If there was ever a time that Southside Johnny was going to enter the ranks of rock stardom, it was at the time of this album's release. The anticipation for this album was huge. This was Southside's first album for Mercury after departing from CBS/Epic, and was the follow-up to the incredible (and now legendary) Hearts of Stone - which should have (and probably would have) been a million seller had the record company bothered to promote it. However, when I bought this album when it first came out in 1979, I still remember the feeling of disappointment, as it was clearly not up to the standards of Southside's previous albums (I Don't Want to Go Home, This Time It's for Real, Hearts of Stone). Essentially, I guess I was hoping for "Hearts of Stone 2" which clearly this isn't, nor could I have reasonably expected it to be (1992's Better Days came pretty close though). Listening to "The Jukes" 30 years later, my sense of disappointment has dissipated somewhat, and I find this to be a fairly listenable set of songs ("All I Want is Everything", "I'm So Anxious", "I Remember Last Night" are particularly strong). However, the album still has serious flaws. First the material is lacking in the generally consistent excellence of the first 3 albums, with a few songs being not much more than filler ("Security" and "Your Reply" for example). The lack of Steve Van Zandt as primary songwriter clearly shows. However, the real problem is production. The overall sound is flat, lacking in the vibrancy, energy, and tightness that is characteristic of most of Southside's efforts. To prove my point, there are far superior versions of several of these songs on "Live: Reach Up & Touch the Sky" (a fantastic album) and a number of these songs continue to be regular staples of Southside's live shows. In a different producer's hands (particularly Steve Van Zandt's), this may not have been a great album, but it would clearly have been better. "The Jukes" turned out to be the beginning of a string of four mediocre and worse studio albums by Southside. The good news is that every album since 1986 has been good to great, and I would recommend seeking those out instead (along with the first three). I give "The Jukes" a charitable 3 stars, but just barely.

This is 80s music, so don't expect the latest style. That said, the music is a fantastic mix of ballad and rock. I really appreciate Amazon making this available (I looked for it a year ago as my old copy is long gone). Try the samples, especially Vertigo, Paris and Wait In Vain.