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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
and so it goes, January 29, 2002
This review is from: Mr. Buechner's Dream (Audio CD)
The editorial review does nothing to trumpet the brilliance of this release. Yes DA is a stalwart band and the best band CCM has had in it's history. But enough of the band, simply put they have released 33 of the best songs they have recorded in 15 years. Not since Darn Floor Big Bite have they put together such a collection. And it's twice the fun! After that album (yes it was back when albums were de rigueur) the band went into grunge/garage rock mode. Mimicking the current trends instead of anticipating them as they used to do. This isn't to say there weren't gems amongst these albums, but there isn't a dud in the group here. It is haunting, exiting, full of memorable hooks and melodies. Recorded with crisp clean clarity, not the grungy garage sound reached for in previous CDs. Each song has something to offer and taken as a whole, even with 33 songs, it is too short a journey. It begins with "This is the One" and the intro "Mr. Buechner's Dream" softly and with quiet, haunting noise seeming to surround you, then burst into life with "The Author of the Story" and a series of ever bigger rocking songs. Then you catch your breath with "I Get to Wondering," only to get back on the horse for the next few songs. The first disc ends with a roaring fire (literally) on Mr. Buechner Wakes Up and the perfect finalle "Joel" building up to it's finish. But that's only the first disc. Disc 2 (titled ...and so it goes) is more of the same. Rocking in spots, quiet and introspective in spots. Always just right. Terry Taylor uses all the influences from Brian Wilson, the Beatles, Jeff Lynne. A little country a little Rock and Roll. After 5 years of nothing this is a welcome breath of life and will keep me happy for months. This is most definaltly "THE ONE!" I cannot recommend it enough!
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mr. Buechner's Dream, November 14, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Mr. Buechner's Dream (Audio CD)
In order for an allusion (a deliberate reference within a piece of writing) to work, it must be clever enough for those "in the know" to appreciate but not distracting enough to block the enjoyment of those who simply don't "get" the connection. Legendary song-writer Terry Scott Taylor and his recently reenergized band Daniel Amos teeter bravely on the edge of an allusive fence with their latest release, an impressive 33-song, double-disc set, Mr. Buechner's Dream. After producing more than 15 albums over 25 years, and after a seven-year absence, many may have concluded that Daniel Amos reached the point where they had no more to say, no more to add to an already remarkable career. But the boys are back, and they are as ingenious as ever. Taylor, a true wordsmith, seems to be surfing at the crest of his wit with the endless string of head-nodding, laugh-to-yourself lyrics penned for this latest project (check out the line, "She's a bad dream / Like an adams apple / On a beauty queen" from "She's a Hard Drink"); however, at first listen, some (especially younger) listeners who are unfamiliar with DA's eccentric melodies and literary lyrics might wrinkle their forehead and shrug off the music as that generated by a bunch of "old guys." The added complication of centering the songs around Mr. Buechner--an actual Pulitzer Prize nominated author and Presbyterian minister, yet unknown to many--could serve to deter many from giving Mr. Buechner's Dream a chance. Taylor himself recognizes that Daniel Amos' music may not be instantly accessible to all. In "This Skin," he pleads his case: "I'm dreaming in and breathing in / The metaphoric air / Designed to get your faith in motion / Or this could grow on you (my friend) / Might not knock you down / Or drag you in / But it's a place I can begin / To get under your antenna and your / Thick skin." With touching ballads ("My Beautiful Martyr"), striking musical experiments ("Rice Paper Wings"), and well-crafted songs reminiscent of The Beatles ("The Staggering Gods"), Rolling Stones ("Fingertips" and the Beach Boys ("I Get To Wondering"), Mr. Buechner's Dream is an uninterrupted string of radiant rock consciousness. The inclusion of brilliant Bible-based tales--"Joel (from Joel, Chapter 2)," "Pretty Little Lies (A Song of Eve)," "Pregnant Pause (A Song for Abraham and Sarah)," "Steal Away (A Song of the Flood)," "Over Her Shoulder (A Song for Lot's Wife," "A Little Grace (A Song of Job),"--pushes this generous offering of songs from Daniel Amos into the "Instant Classic" category. For an inexperienced Daniel Amos listener, trust Terry Scott Taylor when he sings, "This Is The One."
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Even fans will be astonished at how good this is, April 6, 2002
This review is from: Mr. Buechner's Dream (Audio CD)
This is incredible. The first disc, which shares its name with the album, is more dreamy and Brian Wilson-like, while the second disk, "And So It Goes," has a harder musical edge. (Note that the Amazon track list is only for the first disk.) You will find things here that take you back to specific earlier albums in the DA or Swirling Eddies canon, but then again they never sound like they're coasting or repeating themselves. "The Staggering Gods," for example, made me think of "Vox Humana," but it stands on its own. "Faithful Street" has the sharpest satiric edge, puncturing not only the prosperity gospel but any form of rose-colored Christianity. But "Who's Who Here?" slashes just as hard at secular ambitions and conceits. Beautifully executed, beautifully ordered, and even better than we've come to expect from Terry and the boys.
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