Customer Reviews

Little Head

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hard-core Hiatt fans seem to consider this disk something of a throwaway - not getting near the emotional depth of Bring the Family or Walk On. This disk is fun, mostly upbeat, and showcases, once again, the remarkable raw talent of John Hiatt. (Several of the cuts, too, seemed to foreshadow our President's problems - Little Head and Sure Pinocchio). This guy has matured through his music and only seems to get better. He's as clever with the phrase as Elvis Costello and can really touch your heart like Van Morrison. Stand-out cuts include Woman Sawed in Half, Runaway, and Pirate Radio (a real sing-along, if there ever was one). Buy this - but don't make it your only Hiatt!

I bought this record when it was released and thought at first that it was a bit lightweight (especially after Walk On). BUT, a few years down the road and I now rate it as one of his very best. There really isn't a bad song on here, and there are several great ones. Sure Pinnocchio is superb, and, well, so are the rest. Buy it.

Little Head spawned some air play for the title track, but the best songs never saw the light of day. The song "Little Head" is a clever, though overused, joke and the song seems to parody itself with phrasing like, "when my instincts start stinkin'". Still, this is not a bad song and it does have some clever lyrics.

This does not diminish the song that should have been the single release, "Pirate Radio," which is a blazing broadside into the souless corporate radio world. OK, that's why it wasn't the single, but this is a crank-it-up, sing-along rock and roll anthem and how can you go wrong mentioning Otis Redding and Marvin gaye in the same song?

"My Sweet Girl" is a laid back, slightly bluesy tune with just enough sweetness to hold it together while not being overdone. Hiatt's sincerity comes through and this is the perfect music for this tender sentiment.

"Feeling Again" and "Graduated" are both listenable, but not overwhelming. "Feeling Again" is upbeat and will stick in your head for a couple of days (in a good way). "Graduated" does have something to say by way of reflection.

"Sure Pinocchio" is the second best cut on the album, with some great lines. Remember when that certain someone broke your heart and tried to make up later? "Sure Pinocchio" is full of what you wish you HAD said.

"Woman Sawn in Half" is better-than-average, but overshadowed by the really good stuff here.

The last song, "After All This Time" is touching and an above average song. The remaining cuts are forgettable, but not bad.

I'm giving this four stars because the strong songs I've mentioned and the tight band. If this was someone besides John Hiatt, I might have lower expectations, but I would say buy the CD just for "Pirate Radio", "Sure Pinocchio", "My Sweet Girl" and the somewhat maligned "Little Head."

Overall, this is a very good album and worth the price. It's not the first Hiatt CD I would recommend (Try "Slow Turning" or "Perfectly Good Guitar" or "Hiatt Comes Alive at Budokan?" for a better first look), but it's definitely worth a couple of listens and if you only listen to the first six tracks, that's still four tracks better than most releases these days.

I've dug Hiatt since Riding with the King, and let me tell you: Regardless of what anybody sez, Little Head is a rip-roaring good time. Buy it, stick it in the CD player, and go crazy.

This disc is awesome. I love John Hiatt's music. It's a great mixture of rock, country, ballad combined. Some of his words are very profound.

John Hiatt's strength lies in his songwriting, and it is here that "Little Head" is lacking. Most of this album is bland, to the point that it fails to inspire in me any desire for repeat listening. Unfortunately, even the strong musicianship of the backing band, most notably David Immergluck whose guitar work is stellar throughout, cannot save these songs. The title track and "Sure Pinocchio", for example, attempt to be witty but can't escape cliché. Even these are preferable to "Runaway", "My Sweet Girl" and "Feelin' Again" which are uninspired to the point of vapidity. This is not to say that "Little Head" lacks high points. Both "Graduated", which features sly lyrics and a great arrangement, and "Woman Sawed In Half", which carries its metaphor to sublime lengths whilst being driven by a searing slide guitar, are quite good. However, taken as a whole, "Little Head" pales in comparison with its much better predecessors "Walk On" and "Perfectly Good Guitar".

Well, well, well, after reading some of the previous reviews it becomes obvious that some people just have no idea. They listen to an album a couple of times and discard it if they don't immeadiately like it.
I will admit this one took a few good listens, then all of a sudden (sic) I started to really appreciate it more and more, now I just love it like all my JH albums.
Most reviewers make the mistake of comparing albums - NEVER do that!!! I can't state this strongly enough. This is unlike any other JH album, it very nearly comes close to POP. Having said that it is still totally Hiatt, chockers with wit and charm in equal portions. This is JH having a bit of fun and experimentation, I think. JH likes to have a little laugh at the world occasionally and this album does it brilliantly. Worth it for 'Little Head' and 'Sure Pinocchio' alone. You'll still find the classic JH ballads in 'Far as we go', 'After All This Time' and 'My Sweet Girl'.
Have a little fun with this one, I think you'll like it.

P.S. - To all the detractors out there I just like to say "Yeh, Sure Pinocchio"

John Hiatt has never received the respect he deserves. This is an album that does him justice. The title track and Pirate Radio are two very good songs. While this album doesn't rank up there with his Perfectly Good Guitar album, it is still good and will not disappoint new or old fans. Keep on rocking John!

Thanks to an on-line friend in Chicago, I discovered John Hiatt this year and I haven't been the same since!! I've never listened to the lyrics of anyone's music like I do his -- his songs contain some of the most memorable lyrics I've ever heard. They're romantic, sad, witty, insightful and just plain awesome. I just purchased Little Head and I've been playing it like crazy -- it's lots of fun. I love the title track (while in the car my 14 yr old daughter commented "mom is he talking about what I think he's talking about..." (she was right). Pirate Radio is a great sing-a-long tune and Sure Pinocchio cracks me up. I may not have listened to him for long but I'm making up for it now!!! The only thing better would be to see him live and I can hardly wait for that day.......

I've always been a little divided in my regard for John Hiatt...he is a fine songwriter, it should be obvious to anyone-but he hasn't always helped his own cause by surrounding himself with anonymous studio hired hands (and yes, I'm aware that such luminaries as Ry Cooder and Jim Keltner were among this number) which gave the majority of his work a bland, journeymanlike sound, and really worked against the idea of making someone pay attention to his aforementioned prodigous songwriting skills. His Geffen and A & M output especially suffered from this...outside of the occasional track from such would-be masterpieces like Bring The Family and Slow Turning, most of his records sounded interchangeable-the nadir being the somnambulent 1989 opus Stolen Moments which featured some of John's worst singing-frankly, I don't ever want to hear that album again!

About the time that he signed with Capitol, however, John aligned himself with some musicians who seemed to be as interested in the music as they were their paychecks, and a modest winning streak began with the "Perfectly Good Guitar" album. "Walk On", with its outstanding single "Cry Love" and the amazing title cut, continued this; then this one, which I think is his most consistent, non-affected, and interesting release to date.

Perhaps the recruitment of a couple of ex-Camper Van Beethoven/Monks of Doom band members sparked Hiatt's imagination, I can't say, but the playing and arrangements throughout "Little Head" from the cool funky and funny title cut, on through the charming "My Sweet Girl" and the knowing, wise "Graduated" and "Woman Sawed In Half" are simply outstanding.

I like this record as much as anything Hiatt's ever done, but unfortunately not too many people seem to share my enthusiasm-"Little Head" was not a huge seller, and this was Hiatt's last album for Capitol Records, with no releases of original material from any other label to date. Despite the fact that he's quite good as a TV host on "Sessions at West 54th" on PBS, I sincerely hope he's able to continue what he's built on with "Little Head" and "Walk On"...I suppose only time will tell.