Customer Reviews

One Night: Live 1982

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

 

 

I never saw Greg Brown in 1982, but going from this record, it must have been quite an experience. His voice isn't quite the rumbling thundercloud it would later become -- in parts he sounds quite like Randy Newman -- but that wonderful Brown mix of humour (never at the expense of others) and poignancy is already in place. Sixteen songs, most of them unavailable on any other Brown release, and nearly all essential. 'Ella Mae' -- a song about Greg's grandmother that's also about the dignity of a well-lived life and how we live on in our children -- doesn't have a whiff of mawkishness or sentimentality about it, and damn near moves me to tears every time I hear it. 'Dream On' -- a beautiful example of Brown's shaggy-dog storytelling -- always provokes a grin too. That this disc was unavailable for years is a crime. Whether you're a long-time Greg Brown fan or don't know a thing about the man, you need this.

Like another reviewer, I also stumbled on to Greg Brown's music by accident. There are really only a few men and women who can integrate their musical abilities with the life-stories they have to tell SO seemlessly that the listener finds it impossible to think of one without the other. Greg Brown is one of these artists. My husband and I love this CD because there is not a "bad" song in the bunch! Greg has the ability to make us laugh "Dream On", to make us wish for another time and place "Canned Goods", and to make us sad "Banjo Moon". His voice and guitar pull these emotions out of even the most cynical listener I've exposed to Greg's music. His imitation of Mr. Waits in "Waiting" is hilarious, and his story "On Records, The Sound Just Fades Away" reminds me that when I was a child, I also wondered what REALLY was going on in those radios to make the sound come out! He can also make the gentlest songs come out of that big baritone voice as in "Never Shine Sun". He has an amazing ability to modulate his voice to whatever is called for by the storyline in each piece of music which makes him his own master, and certainly not like anyone I have ever heard before. I am in the process of buying the rest of his CDs and can't wait to hear what I already have deduced, that here indeed is an artist of the highest caliber.

One night many years ago, a local FM station was playing "One Night" - I quickly slapped a cassette in and recorded what I could of it, including the radio announcer saying, "this is now out of print, so if you ever see it, get it." The cassette got played to death. Last week, the same station (WPKN, bless 'em!) was playing it again. I was thrilled to hear it again, and learned via Amazon that it was re-released. A must-have for Greg Brown fans. Thank you, Greg.

I went to school in Iowa City, Iowa from 1977-1981 and for the price of a beer and pizza you could hear Greg Brown at places like the Sanctuary and the Mill. There often was no cover charge. This is exactly what it sounded like. He was like a big, rough diamond that all the locals new about. You could tell he was going to shine bigger than those little places. this is really a great CD.

for someone who has only stumbled onto greg's music recently, this cd offers a wonderful comprehensive look at the upstart of his career. it also represents well for his live performances and his stark nakedness -- in his tales as well as his songs.

for someone who has only stumbled onto greg's music recently, this cd offers a wonderful comprehensive look at the upstart of his career. it also represents well for his live performances and his stark nakedness -- in his tales as well as his songs.

I've been waiting ten years for this release, since I first heard a warped second-generation cassette version of this incredible performance. It was the first I'd heard of Greg Brown, and I think this remains his best recording. Thanks to Greg and Red House for the re-release; ten years later, I can toss my overplayed third-generation tape!

I saw Greg Brown live in Cedar Falls, IA recently and have since purchased many of his CDs. He's great live, and this album gives the listener a good feel of actually being there.

This is a great piece of work from an outstanding songwriter/performer. His songs are full of wit, irony, heartbreak, and his vocalizations are unique and interesting. I've listened to this CD over and over again without it getting stale. After being introduced to his music on KPIG in Santa Cruz, we bought and listened to "The Live One" with the same enthusiasm. This collection (One Night: Live) is every bit as good!