Customer Reviews

Palace of Gold

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

 

 

For a band like Blue Rodeo to really grab my attention at this stage of their career, they'd have to put out something completely incredible. After all, for any Canadian kid growing up in the late-80's to mid-90's Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor and company were a continual part of the Canadian music scene. Whether is was slow dancing to Try, losing yourself in Lost Together or yelling along to Hasn't Hit Me Yet, every rock or country fan of the north probably has at least one Blue Rodeo album kicking around their collection. So many, such as I once did, might feel that the band's glory days are over and they'd fade away into the twilight of their career as a band.

Then this summer I wandered on down with my family to a show Blue Rodeo did in Toronto. My expectations were pretty low, play a couple of the old tunes, try to wow me with some new stuff and I'll head on home and forget about the band. But when Cuddy, Keelor and company launched into the new stuff off their then upcoming album, I was immediately impressed. These country-rock boys brought out a horn-section and orchestra and launched into their new stuff with such confidence that I immediately new I would be buying their next record.

Palace Of Gold was that record and it is simply put the best thing the band has put out. Much like Five Days In July, Palace Of Gold's highpoints come when the band sticks to a slow, mellow groove that on this album is added to by a lush sounding orchestra and horn background that adds a depth to the band's sound that hasn't been heard before. Bulletproof, the first single, is that rare commodity in today's music scene, a slow orchestral ballad that doesn't come across as sappy. Stage Door manages the same trick with the song's confessional lyrics sounding real and honest.

Palace Of Gold does have its uptempo points, mostly provided by the Cuddy tunes. Walk Like You Don't Mind is brimming with energy and with the band's horn section adding a soulful backing, is the first Blue Rodeo song that you can dance to. Clearer View and Cause For Sympathy also charge things up but are nicely balanced by the orchestral bits.

Keelor tunes like Glad To Be Alive and Comet become all the more trippy with the added sounds. The tunes have a weird type of soundscape that Keelor's vocal performace keeps from getting to out there.

With Palace Of Gold, Blue Rodeo has managed that rarest of tricks in the music scene. They've reinvented themselves without running away from themselvess. Palace Of Gold does sound like a Blue Rodeo record, the first three songs on the album would not seem out of place on most of the band's previous offerings. But the inclusion of new sounds and dynamics mixed with the more classic sounding tracks makes Palace Of Gold something truly incredible.

The boys have added strings and horns to their sound on this album
and have got the mixture just right on most of the songs. If you
have heard anything by Blue Rodeo before you will be familuar with
Jim Cuddy's great country rock voice ,well it really stands out this time on "love never dies" and "cause for sympathy".Over all
about 90 percent of the tracks are great and meet "I want to hear
that again leave it in the CD player " mesure of a great disk.

Blue Rodeo has done it again. This time the vision is more expansive than ever, aided by The Planet Soul Strings, The Bushwhack Horns, and Bob Egan's expressive guitar. The result is the fusion of great songwriting we've come to expect from Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, the heartfelt playing of the band itself, and a more lavish production style.

The songs are what ultimately matter here. The band covers a lot of territory from heartbreaking ballads like "Bulletproof","Love Never Lies", and "Tell Me Baby"; to the rockers "Walk Like You Don't Mind" and "Clearer View"; to soulful tunes like "Glad to Be Alive" and "Find a Way to Say Goodbye". It's the kind of album you want to hear whether you're stuck in traffic or driving on the open road.

It's priceless.

I've been listening to Blue Rodeo since the 80's and have seen them a number of times live. This album is a very good effort and while not every cut can be considered a "HIT" like most of their other albums it's a very enjoyable listen. I like the horns and the extra cuts are cool...if you're a fan you will not be disappointed. (If you're thinking about a first purchase I recommend "Just like a Vacation", you'll be hooked and will eventually want to pick up all their albums.)

The 5 stars here is because this band really shines live and is a "must see". I saw them on the tour for this album in San Fransicso Sept 2003, playing a small club. Gregg was not there (his dad was ill and he flew home to be with him) but this didn't stop the guys from putting on a killer show (over 2 hours!). "Oh Susana" opened up (she has a great voice - check her band out), her guitar player sat in with Blue Rodeo. That kid totally rocked out, it was simply great -- apparently he picked up the parts the day before or something like that. These guys played in Toronto to 450 000 people along with the Stones and AC/DC and in San Fran they play a 250 seat club. Figure that out. They deserves so much more recognition! Thanks guys, keep on rockin' and don't forget us canucks on the west coast...sometimes we really need a fix...and some whisky of course.

They sound a little different with some instrumental additions, but they still manage to come out with tunes that wrench at your soul and uplift it at the same time...like they always do!

Like some of the other reviews here deriding this album, I was not impressed ... at first. Although listenable, the first seven songs seem done before with the obligatory politcal statement "Palace of Gold" being one of their weakest songs in recent recordings. But when I put this album on again for the first time in a few months, I as able to truly appreciate the quality in the remaining songs. Beginning with "Stage Door", the use of the horns and violins added a refreshing new mix to the already unique BR sound. In particular, "Stage Door" and "What a Surprise" integrates the new sound with strong melody to create two of the best recordings to come out of BR. It find it quite ironic that these two songs represent the best efforts on this album since I am generally a Jim Cuddy fan. But in recent albums, I am finding more often that Greg Keelor has created the unique melody and lyrics in his songs that I usually expect from Jim. If you have not heard the previous album, check out "bitter fruit", "andrea", "this road" and especially "rage". Overall, the CD is worth getting if you are a BR fan.

I disagree strongly with the previous writers. This is my favorite band. Period. I really think they've lost their inspiration this time around. The first single,Bulletproof, is a song Jim's written many times before. Greg is asleep on this album. I've listened to it countless times and I just can't connect with it. They added horns, strings etc. but there's nothing new here. My favorite song on the album is Stage Door but again it would be the 8th or 9th best song on Five Days in July, the high point of their career. For a recent album by Blue Rodeo, I think Days in Between would be a better choice.

This album is a bit of a change for Blue Rodeo, but still a great, consistent record. By no means is the change bad, the band has added horns on this album (and to their live shows) to help fill out their sound and it works very well. Long-time fans won't be disappointed, and this album should help convert those not already into the band. A great album by one of Canada's best bands.

I'm a long time Blue Rodeo fan but I'm not afraid to say that
I don't like everthing these guys have done. These guys have re-invented themselves again ,not an easy thing to do, they added strings and horns and it works well. There are one or two weak tracks but most are highly enjoyable. This is a must have!

This is not the first album that Blue Rodeo has produced. They have had the credit with the stellar 1994 release "Five Days in July". So this cannot be blamed for the muddy sound of this album. First off let me say that the songs on this album aren't really that bad. There were a lot of high points writing-wise. Most of the high points belong to Greg Keelor on this record (as was the case on their last outing "The Days In Between"). In fact, this has been the case as Blue Rodeo has moved forward. Keelor has stretched his wings further this time creating not only a well-written song, but adding to those songs wonderful mental landscapes with just the right usage of instruments.
Keelor alone could not carry this album. Cuddy had some fair additions, but they could have easily been the same songs he was offering up back in 1994.
The most notable difference that anyone educated in Blue Rodeo will notice is the addition of the Bushwhack Horns and the string section. The only problem with this is that when added to a full on rock assault like "Walk Like You Don't Mind" or "Clearer View" (which are Cuddy's better offerings) it served only to make a cluttered cachophony with badly buried vocals. The lesson here is just because you have these at your disposal doesn't mean you should always use them.
Maybe it was a case of having too many ideas or just not having the technical knowhow of mixing. When listening closer, there are many parts that were buried that would have just put certain songs over the top, like the female echoed vocals on "What a Surprise".
Over all, this is worth getting if you are a completist, but that's about it.