10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a classic + a good album on one CD, October 30, 1998
This review is from: Musical Shapes & Blue Nun (Audio CD)
Musical Shapes earns the 5 because it's a timeless though somewhat obscure classic. Blue Nun is quite good though not at the level of Musical Shapes. The aggressive strumming and beats in songs like "Cry," "Madness," and "I'm So Cool" are combined with bold vocals and lyrics to produce a magnificent effect. The rest of the songs on Musical Shapes are really good, though it may take time for fans of Carter's later music to adjust to the very different style.
Blue Nun originally came out in two versions in England with slightly different sets of songs with different sequences. Musical Shapes/Blue Nun takes all the songs from both versions and adds the B-Side song "If the Shoe Fits." Blue Nun has more of an urban pop/R&B sort of feel to it. Highlights include "Love is a 4-Letter Verb" and a wonderful cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born to Move" which was for some reason re-named "C'mon Feets" (this phrase appears in the Fogerty song).
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Even Better 20 years later, July 11, 2002
This review is from: Musical Shapes & Blue Nun (Audio CD)
I was a clerk in a record store when this first came out. I was really a rock n' roller at heart and had little regard for country music. I loved some of the stuff that was coming out of Stiff records - especially Nick Lowe. And while at first, Musical Shapes looked like just another country LP, when we opened the promo at the store and played it, we all fell in love with Carlene's "cowpunk" style.
Over the years, I bought every new Carlene Carter Cd but then put them on the shelf and never really listened to them. Recently as part of my mid life crisis I started listening to Carlene again. And as much as I love "Little Love Letters" and "Little Acts of Treason", I really needed to hear Musical Shapes again.
I finely got ahold of a copy and I am 19 again! With Carlene, theres's no whining or crying. She's brassey and sassy. She's tough and tender. I can't say enough about this CD. Okay I'm still warming up to the Blue Nun portion. But if you like Elvis Costello or NIck Lowe or even Tom Petty, you will love Carlene.
Get this Cd and "Little Love Letters" before they go out of print. And then, like me, you'll hope that CC starts recording and touring again.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
CARLENE CARTER is da Bomb! This double cd is really a 4.5 *, January 27, 2002
This review is from: Musical Shapes & Blue Nun (Audio CD)
I must differ a good bit from [other reviews]. Yes, the vocals in some of the songs are somewhat lost in the mix of the instruments. The thing is, that instrumentation is by the fabulous Rockpile (consisting of Carlene's then husband Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds).
Musical Shapes is a 5 star release. Cry is just a (...)kicking piece of rockin' country. 'Baby Ride Easy', a duet with Dave Edmunds, is one of the greatest duets you ever will hear. The interplay between the two is so convincing that you think it was a first person account. 'Madness' highlights the fine gutiar work of Edmunds. I will grant you, Ring of Fire is a let down compared to her step-dad's classic. The new wavish approach does not work. Too Bad About Sandy and Bandit of Love are other standouts. Foggy Mountain Top is a good re-interpretation of the ole Carter Family gem. Overall, this album can be mentioned in the same breath as Marshall Crenshaw's selt titled debut as fine examples of early 80s rockabilly.
I give Blue Nun 4 stars. A little inconsistent. The highlight of the album is the duet with Paul Carrack on Edwin Starr's "Oh How Happy". C'mon Feet, a retitled cover of the John Fogerty/CCR tune 'Born to Move' and Love Is A 4 Letter Verb are also stellar.
I have turned many hard core rock n roll fans on to Carter at rollingstone.com. She is like an alternative Linda Ronstadt. Get your hands on anything you can by this woman who is Carl Smith and June Carter's daughter, Johnny Cash's stepdaughter, Nick Lowe's ex, and a part of the legendary Carter Family no less! Plus, she was backed by Graham Parker's The Rumour, Rockpile, Paul Carrack, the Doobie Brothers, Paul Schafer, Clarence Cleomons, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at various times in her career! There is a reason so many talented guys wanted to work with her, and I am not talking just about her stunning physical attributes. She's a great one!
PS: Ring of Fire was co-written by Carlene's mom June and aunt Anita Carter, from June's perspective about John R. Cash of course. I highly recommend you get Anita's "Ring of Fire" offered here on amazon because she had one of the greatest soprano's that you could imagine.
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