Customer Reviews

Old Futures Gone

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wondered if I had moved on from John Gorka's music. It ocurred to me that perhaps I just didn't listen to "that type of music" anymore. Then I saw him play at a local pub. I marveled at his guitar playing. I was envious of his deep, rich baritone vocals. I was moved at his ability to write songs that were so easy for me to relate to. I plunked down the money for this album. By the time I drove home, I was singing along to "Dogs & Thunder" and "Always". It's true that there's not much different here. There is a bit more of a pop sheen to most of the songs. Kind of a melancholy James Taylor vibe going on. I would submit to you that it's okay that John is John and we need to know he's there from time to time. A lot of us feel a little less alone that way.

Okay, look, we don't buy Gorka to dance to, right? (Well, except for a few cuts on "Temporary Road".) Buy this collection if you remember Gorka's original boomy deep voice and you want it updated with his continually maturing lyrics and without the pessimism. If you're a first time Gorka, get the "Temporary Road" CD first. This is overall a bit slow and contemplative, except for 'Make Them Crazy' (my fave), maybe 'Shapes', and 'War Makes War'. This CD is a showcase for his fabulously dark deep vocals and is backed up by a variety of singers including the always lovely Lucy Kaplansky. At times a bit repetitive and silly (his trademarks after all), this is all very nice music.

This is an excellent cd with John Gorka offering a nice mix of original songs that do not all sound the same. A problem that is evident on some of his earlier cds. I especially appreciate the instrumental work and backup vocals that add just the right amount of depth to each song. I am glad I gave Mr. Gorka another
try. The cd shows that "old dogs can learn new tricks". I am very pleased with this cd.

The cd is dedicated to the memory of Paul and Sheila Wellstone who died in a tragic plane crash. Perhaps John put an extra level of effort into this work. I highly recommend this cd to John Gorka fans and anyone who appreciates good folk music with thoughtful and thought provoking lyrics.

Have you ever listened to a CD, and then you had to listen to it again and again, pulling out the lyrics and examining them, then realizing this is one of the best collections of music you have heard in your life. This is what John Gorka does for me. If you have seen him play live you are more hooked!

The music is wonderful and so are the lyrics, stirring emotions deep in the heart.

Lyrics like, "There are doors that you walk through, that only swing one way. Once you cross the threshold, there's nothing words can say." Then his characteristic MMM...MMM...

or lyrics from "Always"..."I will always be lonely, it's what I'm going on about. Love is hope without doubt, hate is fear turned out."

or lyrics from "Shapes"..."Words are just the shapes that the heart moves through. On the way to finding out if whatever there is true."

and undoubtedly the best lyrics:


"We can learn from everyone
How to or not to be
But we can learn the most from those
Who think differently
Who think differently.

War makes war. It won't bring peace."


"The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice." Martin Luther King Junior

I'm also impressed because this CD is dedicated to the late Senator Paul Wellstone and wife Sheila.

One not only gets a sense that Gorka is a great and sensitive musician, he is also intensely politically aware. He has a message through his music that more should be tuned into in this day and age.

FIVE STARS!!

Jeffrey McAndrew
author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"

Okay, look, we don't buy Gorka to dance to, right? (Well, except for a few cuts on "Looking Forward".) Buy this collection if you remember Gorka's original boomy deep voice and you want it updated with his continually maturing lyrics and without the pessimism. If you're a first time Gorka, get the "Looking Forward" CD first. This is overall a bit slow and contemplative, except for 'Make Them Crazy' (my fave), maybe 'Shapes', and 'War Makes War'. This CD is a showcase for his fabulously dark deep vocals and is backed up by a variety of singers including the always lovely Lucy Kaplansky. At times a bit repetitive and silly (his trademarks after all), this is all very nice music.

that applies to me, & to john, & to everyone else. & it beats the heck out of the alternative. however, the years seem to take some of the edge off. as a FOREVER john gorka fan, who owns literally every disk he has put out, i must say this is my least favorite. i am no longer expecting the angry troubador of "where the bottles break" or "houses in the field". but all of the songs have become so "soothing", as one reviewer put it, that the cumulative product is a little numbing. there is little here, eg, to match the clever witicism of, eg, "people my age" or when he cries", much less older nuggets like "prom night in pig town" or "i saw a stranger with your hair". there is nothing to match recent gems like "a saints complaint" or as touching as "two good reasons" or "part of your own", much less like "semper fi" or "ballad of jamie bee". still, the album finishes strong, with "war makes war" (incorporating the words of martin luther king") & the short but touching "if not now".

don't get me wrong. EVERYTHING john gorka does is better than 99.99% of what's out there. his voice is as familiar as an old friend. his lyrics are still very good. that's why i could not bring myself to give less than 4 stars. but if you are looking at this review, then you are already a gorka fan, & you know that. i just think that the years have mellowed john to a point that in the pantheon of gorka-dom, this rates near the bottom.

I have become quite the John Gorka addict. His voice is soothing, his lyrics range from quirky to pensive and the instrumentals are always nicely layered. While I admittedly favor his previous CD, "The Company You Keep," "Old Futures Gone" is good background music for sipping hot cider on a lazy and wispy autumn afternoon. Some of the tracks on this CD remind me of the vibe from some of Bruce Cockburn's early '90's work. It's good music for winsome spiritualits, laid-back nature-loving types, those who eat miso soup and who always seem to smell like bergamot body oil and quirky librarians.

I picked up John's "Temporary Road" in a used CD store, and was so glad that I did. I let my girlfriend listen to it, and she wouldn't give it back (now some three years ago). I'm not joking! On the strength of that recording (regrettably withheld from re-release by the rotten label that controls it!) alone, we went to see John live. He blew us away with his solo act. To give you but one indication of the quality of this very personal singer-songwriter, he's the kind of guy who stands out in the lobby after his show (even though he's doing another one in an hour) and makes himself totally available for handshakes, autographs, and the like. We went out the next day and bought the rest of his catalog. OK, I'll have to admit, his previous work could be a bit patchy.

Not "Old Futures Gone." Every song grabs you, musically and lyrically. I can't stop playing it; girlfriend is equally smitten. I could go song by song, pointing out why he is known for poignant lyrics, but that would only serve to suggest that his gifted voice, his guitar playing, and the wonderful arrangements on this CD somehow play second fiddle. They don't.

"October Road"? If you're a James Taylor fan, you'll know what I'm talking about. If you own "October Road," but don't know John, take a chance.

If you like John Gorka music then you'll like this. It's that simple. John Gorka is very much like Sinatra. If you like Sinatra then you like all of his songs. I wish that other musicians and artists could recognize what they are exceptionally good at, enjoy it, expand from that base, and keep doing it, and doing it, and doing it.
I was painting my bedroom walls. It took me two days. I listened to this cd probably 9 times through. I didn't get sick of it. And that is a true testament, because if a cd can overcome being overplayed and still enjoyed then it is a keeper.

Nice work John. Keep churning out the songs....just like Frank did. And don't worry about your songs being too "down". We love it all...from Morningside.....to The one that got away.

Side note this CD has an obvious political, or social tone. But even if you disagree, and love war, or 'wars' then it is still good, because the songs are still great, his voice is still great, and it's beautifully Gorka.

John Gorka continues to mesmerize with Old Futures Gone. I find myself drawn to his lyrics and beautiful melodies once again with his latest effort. I only wish that he would have included a few more purely acoustic/bare bones tracks. I miss hearing him pick the strings. My most recommended tracks are "Trouble and Care" "Soldier After All" and Riverside. Don't just buy this CD but share John's music with a friend.