Memory of the Future

Eric Andersen | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 17, 1998)
• Original Release Date: November 17, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Appleseed Records
• ASIN: B00000DHXS
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,315 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #44 in Music > Indie Music > Blues > Contemporary Blues
  • #73 in Music > Indie Music > Folk > Singer Songwriters

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Well into his 30th year of recording, Eric Andersen picks up where his 1989 masterpiece Ghosts upon the Road left off. His 15th album was eight years in the making, pieced together from collaborations with Rick Danko, Richard Thompson, Benmont Tench, Howie Epstein, and Bob Dylan bassist Tony Garnier. It demonstrates the virtues of patient songwriting in sensual love lyrics, sprawling wanderer's laments, and Beat-poetry-inspired litanies of sins and ecstasies. "He thought of his mother / He thought of the automat / The space shuttle / Jersey cows and poison lollipops / As the dry heaves rose in his chest," he intones over a smoky, funky groove. Of all the folksingers to find their way out of the '60s, only Dylan and Joni Mitchell have remained as restless and provocative as Andersen. His imagination has grown ever more sure, his voice has become an unearthly, stately whisper, and his songs are still shapes by a singular, exceptional artistic will. --Roy Kasten

Entertainment Weekly

The best song, the title cut, breaks new stylistic ground: Half Sade, half William Burroughs, it's jazzy, sleek, and menacing.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eric Andersen's Mature Tour-de-Force, May 10, 2000

By 

Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Memory of the Future (Audio CD)

I first heard some of the material on this album when Eric Andersen appeared at the now defunct Folkways Coffee House in Peterborough, New Hampshire on Thanksgiving eve in 1992. Andersen is the real thing, a super talent who writes, composes, and performs mostly his own material. That night his rendition of "Rain Falls Down in Amsterdam" brought chills, cheers, and a standing ovation from the hundred or so members of the audience, who were moved by his graphic, emotional, and deeply personal warning of the nascent rise of neo-nazis thugs all over the world. Anderen has long been a personal favorite, and is even better in person than on CD, which is no mean feat. Herein, from the opening bars of "Sudden Love" all the way to "Hills of Tuscany" he gives new credence to the idea that real talent can continue to grow and mature litteraly over decades and decades. Like James Taylor or Van Morrison, Andersen's music is based on timeless melodies and lyrics, but unlike these other superstars, he imbues his songs with a gritty edge that reveal his insight into the nature of things. Most of the songs in this CD are written by Andersen, (with the single exception of "When I'm Gone"), and the range of his writing and composition talent is apparent. His voice is at once sweet, mellow, and smoky, and his ability and arrangements based around his sparkling acoustic guitar work is marvelous to listen to again. Buy this album, listen to it, and be prepared to be entertained and amazed.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A long way from thirsty boots, December 3, 1999

By 

wylie spicer (Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Memory of the Future (Audio CD)

some people change and some just stay the same..trouble is most of this generation of writers just did themselves in.....thank god eric andersen is around to inform us what happens to talented writers when they stick around for the distance(ok ok dylan is still here but thats another planet)......eric has gotten sad about the world and our foibles and that could be a real drag to listen to but it isnt...he even makes a murder in chinatown groove along.If you didnt recognize the voice you would think this was robbie robertsons first solo album.So if you are expecting the old eric forget it but if you like the sound of change listen in

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a masterpiece !!!!!!!!!, April 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Memory of the Future (Audio CD)

Having been an Eric Anderson fan for more than a few years, it was a real joy to have him finally release a solo album. This album follows the path that Ghosts Upon the Road set. A true living legend whose songs never fail to evoke feelings. The song Rain Falls Down in Amsterdam brings to chilling reality the menace of racism. Not a bad song on the album, and such variety. An album you will truly enjoy.......