Customer Reviews

Just Like a Vacation

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

 

 

My daughters and I listen to these guys quite a lot. We have all of their previous albums. I never know quite how to descibe them to someone; somewhere in the vicinity of the Byrds and the Charlie Daniels Band, and early Elvis Costello, and maybe the Gourds and the Grateful Dead (from "Workingman's Dead"). This is an excellent compilation of some of their best songs. The arrangements are different in a lot of cases, but I think these guys are just trying to keep the music fresh for themselves and entertaining for the audience. I still think "Five Days in July" is their best all around CD, but this one is also a must buy.

This is an excellent summary of Blue Rodeo for the past decade. The versions are noticeably different than the original releases. As other customer reviews have noted, their are a few great songs that probably should have been included like "Rose Coloured Glasses" and "Side of the Road". I have seen them live many times and never been disappointed. The Blue Rodeo vibe is well captured here and enjoyment is guaranteed.

I own all of the Blue Rodeo albums but this one sums them up. All of their best on one. And being live, you can't beat it. Of course don't let this stop you from buying the others. I am thrilled to own the entire collection.

I'm very honoured to have played a small part of in theproduction of this outstandng "live" CD from one of Canada'sbest bands! My company was very fortunate to have Blue Rodeo play two SOLD OUT shows for us in Stratford, Ontario at the world-renowned Stratford Festival in the early days of January, 1999. Out of the 22 tracks, 9 are from Stratford. The recording is faithful to those evenings . . . the songs still provoke images of that great evening! We can't wait to have them back! END

The first time I heard Blue Rodeo was on a Juno Set that a Canadian friend gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago. The track was "Try"... it sent chills up my back then and the version on this CD does as well.

Last year while visiting my friends in Kitchener, Ontario I picked up a couple more Blue Rodeo CDs and then more on Amazon. I think 5 days in July is probably the best of all of them, but Just Like a Vacation is excellent as well.

This group never disappoints. Every CD is filled with great tracks. I hope to someday get to see them in concert, until then this live CD set may be the closest I get.

I have been a Blue Rodeo fan since 1990 when their ablum Casino came out. I at first didn't like them, but it was the song Trust Yourself that really did it for me. Just Like A Vacation is my favourite Blue Rodeo cd, because not only is it a live cd, but it's also kind of a greatest hits cd. I have seen these guys 5 times in concert, and they really know how to put on a show.

It's still shocking to me that these guys have yet to break through in the States. This album only lacks a track or two that I would've liked to hear. The live versions of ballads "Try" "Fallen Down Blue" and "My Dark Angel" are just majestic live. And "Five Days In May" is awesome. Check out the intro to a slower version of "Florida." Overall, a must for any Blue Rodeo fan, and a superb album for anyone else who likes a mix of country, rock, blues, and pop.

Blue Rodeo live will leave you wanting more, yet, they leave you having given their all. An amazing group, richly talented, this Canadian group played The Ramshead Tavern in Annapolis, Maryland in November, 2006 and I was fortunate to be there. They would be worth a trek to Canada to see if they never played nearby again...and I think I just might plan a trip North...they're a super group! Vocally, they have no peers, lyrically, they make sense when so many writers are just scribbling and as musicians, they bring a sound uniquely their own...you can say rockabilly, or country, or rock, or blues, or jazz or psychedellic...they roll it all together. FIND A WAY TO CATCH THIS GROUP LIVE! If you can't do that, buy all their material...you won't be sorry.

After over 10 years of putting out great music, the undeniably Canadian band Blue Rodeo released "Just Like A Vacation", a greatest hits of sorts, recorded live on tour during 1998. The album showcases what makes the band great: the ability to move seamlessly from an edgy or straight-up pop-rocker to an emotional country/folk ballad and back again. And all of this done with a relaxed, unpretentious, and intimate stage presence that you can hear in the band's interactions with each other and the audience. In short, these CD's do a beautiful job of capturing the essence of the band's music and how they play it. So why 4 stars instead of 5? Just a personal thing; I would've liked to see one or two other songs on the record and one or two left out. 4 1/2 stars is more accurate, but Amazon wouldn't let me do that.

Why these guys aren't as huge in the States as they are on their native soil, I can't say. In a selfish way, I'm glad to have a somewhat undiscovered gem in my record collection. But the fact that they're so talented and seem like such genuinely nice guys makes me hype them whenever and to whoever I can. Give this record a listen. If you aren't a fan now, you will be; if you're already one, you won't be disappointed.

This band can do no wrong. This is the CD to buy all the best hits