Customer Reviews

Men From Earth

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

 

 

Great to see this fantastic album on CD ! This album is an absolute classic and anyone interested in good pop/country rock should buy this album. The remastering is also very well done.
I do have one little point of criticism though; the track "You know like I know" has a running time of 3 minutes and 41 seconds while my vinyl version clocks at 4 minutes and 6 seconds. This CD version has the omission of 25 reallybeautiful seconds from the middle of the song.
But despite this............go out and buy it, folks !!

Martin from Amsterdam

A must have for all OMD fans. Long awaited and well over due, this is the second release in a series of four from New Era Productions. These four albums have never been available in CD format until now. Digitally remastered from the original studio master tapes, the sound quality is unsurpassed. From the smooth and mellow "You Know Like I Know", "Watermill", and "It's How You Think", to the more upbeat and foot stompin' "Homemade Wine" and "Fly Away Home", you will not be disappointed. In my opinion this is one of their best albums. Also included are three bonus tracks never released on any album. "Better Days" was only released on the B side of the "Jackie Blue" 45. "Roscoe's Rules" and "A Dollar's Worth Of Regular" saw very limited release on a thin red vinyl record. For all of you wanting to replace all of your worn out tapes and vinyl, this is your chance. No more tape hiss or annoying pops and cracks. Next to be released from New Era will be "It's Alive" (Spring 2003), followed by "Don't Look Down" (Fall 2003}.

What is it that would make an album like this one of my never-will-get-tired-of-this favorites? I don't know, but I'm delighted to have it on CD at last. I'm also pleased with the bonus tracks.

On the whole, the sound is outstanding too. So far, I haven't noticed a *trace* of tape hiss--although I'm not sure if this is from very clean original tapes, or from modern signal processing (which is not necessarily without its downside). The CD has a much more bottom-heavy sound than the LP, and to my ears it seems like that's due to making instruments like the bass and drums more prominent, rather than EQ changes.

One thing they did flub, though--the fadeouts on some tracks should've been gentler. In fact, I'll go so far as to say that the end of "Homemade Wine" was botched, and I may eventually try to splice the end of the copy on my hits CD onto it to fix the abrupt end.

I remember, in the heyday of Napster, downloading some tracks from the Pickwick CD release of *Don't Look Down*, and finding some of the same abrupt endings, only worse. I was well acquainted with the LP, so it was hard not to notice. Note to New Era people: Are you listening? Please be careful about those fades!

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One further comment, in answer to the later reviewer: The Daredevils' CD hits collection (called The Best) has the same shortened version of You Know Like I Know. (I don't know why they would do that, unless the original master tape was seriously damaged or something.)

This was the first ozark lp I ever listened to having picked up a second hand import copy in the UK. At first I thought the two guys on the front cover were members of the band! Well the guys on the back looked like younger versions relaxed in jeans and t-shirts, but I knew they were popular with the critics so I gave it a try.

I loved it instantly: it was fresh and unprententious country rock and the band looked happy with life which is quite rare in the over serious world of rock. From then on I bought all their material and they become one of my favourite bands even though I am more of a classical fan thses days.

In retrospect this is not their best effort, but it is still superior to other relarses in the field. It contains a number of tracks written a few years previously such as 'fly away home', 'you know like I know' and the wonderful 'mountain range' which is sort of a re-run of Colorado Song with flutes and oboes replacing guitars.

What I particularly like here is the superb 'Red plum' with its scintillating mandolin and the evocative 'watermill' where Steve Cash gives a great vocal performance. Larry Lee's 'homemade wine' is great bluegrass/pop and shows the bands ever present sense of humour. 'Noah' although a great song is given much better treatment on the 'It's Alive' disc. 'Arroyo' - perhaps my least favourite ozarks number - is a disappointment.

The disc is a good one, but the band missed the talents of Randle Chowning who left during recording and as a reminder his gem 'better days' recorded during the 'it'll shine' sessions ends the disc on a high note.

The pictures of the band having dinner, fishing and generally looking amiable in the Missouri contryside - sadly - belong to a lost era of music.

This is my very favorite album of all-time. Incredibly, it hasn't been available until the end of 2002! The music is wonderful and the sound quality is outstanding. Bonus tracks are well-selected too. Country rock at its best!

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils released this gem in 1976. Yet again they managed an eclectic mix of bluegrass, country, rock and jazz tinged pop and not a bad song in the bunch. Fine singing and playing and brilliant song writing that hardly sounds dated after almost 35 years. If anything, this sounds even better in the barren wilderness of what passes for music in this day and age.

Opening with the gospel influenced Fly Away Home, you know you're in for a good time with down home, genuine mountain music. Acoustic guitars, banjo, harmonica, tamborine and a simple old time bass beat from Supe are guaranteed to carry you to a better place. John Dillon doing what he does best. Follow this up with one of Larry Lee's beautiful 70's pop ballads, highlighted by some nice flute passages and the assurance that "Everything's gonna be alright". Roll right into the laid back slide inflected southern rock of Breakaway From Those Chains and you're reminded you're still in the Ozarks. Next up we have one of my very favorite of OMD songs, The Red Plum. A blend of old English folk and American mountain music and you're in for a real treat. Simple and beautiful, reminiscent of Fairport Convention, who were known to get along quite well with this band. Closing out side one of the original vinyl is a dreamy mostly acoustic ballad, Mountain Range, from the under rated, talented John Dillon, who finally was getting his due with this album.

Side two opener, Watermill, is a perfect example of laid back country with gorgeous harmonies and an almost pop element. No one can do this quite like the Daredevils. Some lovely sax playing over some twangy dreamy music winds the song down to a peaceful conclusion. Noah's another slide inflected bit of Ozarks style rock'n'roll. Another winner from the pen of John Dillon. Guitarist Rune Walle (from Norway) had replaced the talented Randle Chowning on guitar. While the singing and song writing abilities of Mr. Chowning would be missed (and he was no slouch on guitar), Rune was not only a superior guitarist, but brought in a skill on multiple instruments that breathed some fresh air into the band. Next up, a jazzy Larry Lee number telling us "It's how you think that makes you swim or sink." Following is Arroyo, a silly funky ditty of Steve Cash's, that some don't seem to like, but the band still plays in their live sets. Not my favorite Cash song, but it's still good. Homemade Wine is, I think, my favorite Larry Lee song of all time. One of those down home, fiddle powered numbers that sums up everything that makes this band great. This is the sound of the Ozarks complimented by some fine playing and singing. A great way to close the original album and leave you with a smile. As it happens the opening and closing numbers were recorded in the band's home base of Springfield, Missouri.

Now for the CD, we have some excellent bonus tracks which were left off the original vinyl, though in my opinion, even with the constraints of that format, two of them could've and should've made the album. Now A&M records was a good artist friendly label in the 70's as a general rule. However, the producers they matched with OMD didn't always understand what this band was really about. No one can doubt the talent of Glyn Johns and David Anderle and both turned out a fine finished product. The problem was, sometimes it sounds just a bit too polished. Add to this the fact that Johns (who co-produced OMD first two albums) wanted to leave If You Want To Get To Heaven off their debut because it didn't match what he considered their sound, and you get the idea that sometimes some of the best are dead wrong. Anderle made his blunder excluding the hillarious up beat old timey hill music of Steve Cash's A Dollar's Worth Of Regular. He neither understood the rural sense of humor or what many OMD fans really liked. Bands like Goose Creek Symphony and Black Oak Arkansas got away with this type of song because their record companies weren't trying to squeeze another Jackie Blue out of them. In the case of Supe's Roscoe's Rule, well it just fit the over all mood of this record, and the man who inspired it's on the album cover! It's a shame, but thankfully we get to finally hear these terrific numbers.

Final cut on the CD is a really good Randle Chowning number called Better Days, that would've fit in nicely on this or any other OMD album. Laid back Ozarks country with their trademark harmonica that so many fans loved from that first disc onward. Recorded for It'll Shine When It Shines, I believe this wound up as a b-side for a single. Some fine music from a fine band at a bargain price. Better music from a better time.

MEN FROM EARTH was the last great album by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. Randle Chowning had left the band before it was recorded (although he plays and sings on it), and had been replaced by Rune Walle, but the band's sound still remains the same. Many people have criticized this album because of Chowning's absence, but that criticism was undeserved, because it's as great as the previous three. If you buy the first four Ozark Mountain Daredevils CDs, including this one, you'll have a perfect library of their work.

I may be different from others in only having a few REAL favorites by OMD, but they've always given me a high regard for the group's great creativity. One is on this album and makes it worthwhile in itself: FLY AWAY HOME. Fabulous! Probably my favorite favorite.... And yeh that cover picture is a real gem!

1. Fly Away Home
2. You Know Like I Know
3. Breakaway (From Those Chains)
4. The Red Plum
5. Mountain Range
6. Watermill
7. Noah
8. It's How You Think
9. Arroyo
10. Homemade Wine