Customer Reviews

Pirates

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Rickie Lee Jones' 2nd album marked a radical departure for the beret wearing, Jack Daniel's swilling Coolsville resident. Piano-based and Steely Dan influenced, "Pirates" remains, over 20 years after it's release one of the most haunting pieces of music ever recorded. It marked a creative highwater mark that (unfortunately for all), Rickie has never again reached.
From the opening notes of "We Belong Together", it's clear that this work is much sadder than her debut. "We Belong Together" is every great male-rocking-loner song, with incredible shifts of tempo and texture, and a vocal performance that is gut-wrenching. "Living It Up", with its "Wild, and the Only Ones" chorus and awesome bridge (thanks to a great contribution from Sal Bernardi, Rickie's ex-lover and long term accompaniest), is the musical equivalent of the solemn Brassai photograph that adorns the album's cover. "Woody and Dutch" is the keyboard cousin of Rickie's "Danny's All Star Joint", with caramel coated basslines and cotton candy spun call and response vocals. "Pirates (So Long Lonely Avenue)" reminds you of why horns are so sadly missed in this era of teen vocals and electronic instrumentation. And the genuine masterpiece of this album, "Traces Of The Western Slope" is a near 8 minute tribute to distant ghosts, vacant eyed dope fiends and sexual awakening, played out with Becker and Fagen inspired instrumentation and Tom Waits like lyrics. No woman has ever written, or laid down a jazz/rock classic that comes near this song.
Between birthdays, Christmas gifts, and replacing copies that I have owned (on 3 different formats), I have probably purchased at least 30 copies of this disc over the years. And yet I still don't feel like I have fully compensated Rickie Lee for the contribution she made to my muscial education with this album. It has grown with me like an old friend, and remains to this day an all time favorite.

"Pirates" is a difficult but musically (and emotionally) rewarding album. I believe that it sounds better as time goes by, though unlike some Pop albums, "Pirates" ages like a fine wine, not cheese. To be fair, this isn't truly a Pop album, but given the imprecision of most stylistic terms (Rock, Soul, etc.) and the wide range of musical influences here, it would seem to become popular music by default.

Like Rickie's self-titled debut, "Pirates" is a collection of mostly acoustic music, with snatches of Folk, R&B, Blues, Torch, and what is now called "New Age" material. Then (1981) as now, it is a unique combination of lyrical prose and inspired musical drama. The tone is often somber and dead serious, but there are moments where a "good time" vibe ("Woody and Dutch...") and Rickie's self-effacing humor ("A Lucky Guy") lighten the mood.

Though a superficial reading of this album would suggest it's about Rickie's failed affair with mentor/lover Tom Waits, the topical and emotional focus of this album would seem to be solitude...reflections on the state of being alone and adrift. And though Rickie's phrasing/vocalizing is atypical for Pop music, the directness and passion of her performance is shiver-inducing. Attentive (and willing) listeners will experience feelings beyond empathy, as if the pain and disillusion comes from within and not from Rickie's words and music. To put it more succinctly, only a dim-witted lout or cynical misanthrope could listen to this album and not be moved in some way.

The "best" of this album is hard to define, as different listeners will have different songs that define their listening experience. For me, there are four selections that stand out. "Living It Up" is a story lyric written over a gorgeous, forlorn piano motif. "Skeletons," another spare musical tale, is a heart-rending true story set to gentle piano and string accompaniment. "Pirates (So Long Lonely Avenue)" is the album's centerpiece; like a page from the book of her soul, the changing tempos and emotional dynamics of this song seem to reveal Rickie's love of life, despite the fact that her "pirate" has yet to spirit her away. At first, "A Lucky Guy" would seem to be about the kind of carefree, irresponsible person who charms their way into a person's life, then leaves as soon as their spirit moves them. But as the song comes to a close, it's Rickie herself who has become the "lucky guy," if only to spare herself shame and hurt. There is pain and regret in her voice, but she is not a victim.

Though the lives and experiences of Rickie's street-wise, Bohemian protagonists may seem far removed from the lives of her fans, the directness of her observations is all-inclusive. "Pirates" is the kind of minor key masterwork that sounds intensely personal, just as it offers a glimpse at the universe of human emotion.

-Mic

Honestly, her voice got on my nerves back in the late 70's when she debuted with her popular "Chuck E's in Love", so I never really listened to her later material. It wasn't until my musical taste widened and matured that I later went back to some of her compositions and discovered what a very talented lyricist and storyteller Rickie Lee Jones is.

Although Pirates was released back in 1981, it remains one of my favorite CDs. It displays Rickie's master songwriting ability and proves her a musical storyteller of high emotional intensity and clarity. Her urban stories are set in a 'groovy', bohemian and vivid blend of folk, blues and jazzy musical compositions. In addition, one selection features jazz artists David Sanborn on alto sax and Randy Brecker on the trumpet and flugelhorn.

If you have never listened to Rickie Lee Jones, I highly suggest Pirates as it will move you emotionally and may even get your head shaking, feet stomping and fingers snapping.

As other reviewers have discussed and debated the merits of Pirates' songs and Rickie Lee's vocals, I will limit these comments to the quality of MoFi's remaster. The album itself was beautifully recorded, with veteran Warner Brothers producers (Bonnie Raitt, Randy Newman et al) Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman at the helm and a number of skilled engineers, such as Elliot Scheiner, at the board. Many of the backing musicians, such as Randy Brecker (of BS&T and jazz fame), Victor Feldman, Steve Gadd (of "Aja" fame) and Chuck Rainey, were (and remain) the finest studio and touring musicians in the U.S. and were also used by Steely Dan; indeed, Donald Fagen himself also appears on the album. In short, this remaster is the closest to quality vinyl that I have heard, it is a notable and significant improvement over the regular "redbook" CD and it does real justice to the album's stellar production and the high quality of the songwriting and performances. The differences are readily notable from the first song, "We Belong Together," in which Gadd's drums finally regain their depth and power, and similarly for the joyous bouncing bass on "Woody and Dutch . . ." For those who don't have an SACD player, don't worry. I played this MoFI version on both regular redbook and SACD playback and I prefer the regular version, as it sounds a bit warmer and less harsh but with all of the sonic detail intact. If you do have at least a decent playback stereo system and get a thrill out of clearly hearing individual instruments and how they interweave and combine in the final mixdown, and (of course) if you enjoy Rickie Lee's music, then I would recommend reaching deep in the pocket and spending the requisite dollars for this MoFi hybrid SACD remaster. BTW, the "mini-LP cover" packaging is made of high quality, thick cardboard and the booklet is nicely manufactured as well.

Pirates, the movie, which is what this record is, has not lost much potency as years have gone by. In fact, though the sounds and ideas introduced here have long been taken up and overused, listening now reveals how weird it all was, how we are swept up in the most visual recording I have ever encountered. We learn all of the characters hopes and dreams, we know them instantly - the first sign of a great author. Her credibility as narrator is unquestionable, we know she feels everything and more, and yet we are safe watching our window, and somehow the story is told to us through osmosis as much as anything. Her voice here is like one of the horns, in fact the horn arrangements are hers. Michael Brecker, Steve Gadd, Donald Fagen, many great contributions. Very complex, and sad, yet satisfing, like any great movie, one is left with the feeling that ones own life has a part, you know, in the big picture. this record somehow reminds me of the much later, and much different Ghostyhead. I suppose those same characters, now seperated and less corporal, are still somehow calling from Ms. Jones ethereal world. This record was a five star rated in rolling stone at the time. It is a classic, overlooked by the new media. and though perhaps the production, careful and lovely, has been tendered too many times, if one views it as the film it is, and the creation of language that it was, this should not incumber the experience of getting to know *unt-finger louie and Zero and all the rest of the fluent speakers of blonde. and make no mistake - this is not your mothers car. Quietly obscene language has slipped by the censors in the hands of the sweet-voiced Rickie many times. She is wild, sly, sophisticated, and extremely tender. this is one side of the many-headed beast.

Everything you've heard is true. This is Rickie's masterwork. It remains haunting twenty years later. This album is perfect for a gray, rainy Saturday afternoon. You will love the characters and their sad, but sometimes hopeful stories. Its grand, sweeping and heartbreaking. There is nothing quite like it contemporary music.

I'll admit right away I am not a big Rickie Lee Jones fan, perhaps only because she turned me off long ago by bad-mouthing Joni Mitchell. But there is no denying that Pirates is a masterpiece of contemporary music. I have never heard sadder, more devastating stories set to music. The arrangements are wonderful and the studio musicians were among the best of the day. This collection is an emotional vehicle, it takes you away and leaves you changed. A stunning accomplishment from a complicated, and probably misunderstood, singer/songwriter. OK, for creating Pirates I forgive her for misunderstanding that other blond genius, Joni Mitchell.

Rickie was in 1979, and is still today in 2005, my favorite female singer. While critics compared her to Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro, Rickie was in a class all by herself. No one has ever come close to imitating her style- lyrically or musically. Listening to this wonderful masterpiece on cd is like being given a gift from Rickie herself. Play this cd late at night with the lights out and you'd swear this artist is singing directly to you, for you. Every composition is that personal. Every song on this cd is my favorite, so I can't recommend listening to one over the other. Just trust me, you need this in your collection of must-haves. She is that good. P.S. Thank God "Girl At Her Volcano", her third LP, is now finally on cd!! I've completely worn out the original 10" vinyl LP and cassette.

This isn't just Rickie Lee Jones' best album, its among the best period. Funny thing is, I'll never forget how much I hated it on first listening. I just didn't get it. But I gave it a chance and it is masterpeice. Its storytelling and poetry are the likes of which we rarely see these days. That's just the lyrics. When you consider the music which is jazzy, be bop and a little avant garde _ this is a tremendous work. Finally it is a sincerely emotional piece. Most of it is sad and expresses a longing, loneliness and even tragedy, but makes the fun and joy of the title tune, with Jones scatting like she'd been possesed by the ghost of Ella Fitzgerald, so joyous. Some might even call this album depressing, but the trick is that it makes you FEEL! A philospher once said that that is what art is all about

I was seven years old when this album came out. I wish I could say I grew up listening to Rickie Lee, but that would be a lie. I didn't discover her until high school. But to me, this album still conjures that time perfectly - hanging out on the stoop in West Philly, playing in the sandbox, Sesame street, all the shaggy-haired hippies entering the 1980s, all of it! An old friend from a nearby neighborhood has memories of roller skating around the dining room to this album and wondering what c**t-finger Louie meant. Listening to Pirates is like reading Jack Kerouac for the first time when you were a teenager - that bittersweet, highly romantic, pulsing-with-life feeling that is so intoxicating. The difference is that Pirates does it to me every time, whereas I could only read Kerouac a few times before it became a little stale.

Every part of this album is perfect, down to the romantic picture on the cover. The production is simply amazing. Those analog synths twist my insides up. Sometimes I just can't take it!

I am moving to the New Mexico desert in a few months, so Flying Cowboys will probably be spending more time on the record player. But until then, it's all about Pirates. I can't believe that one person made both of those albums. What a gift.