Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Disc From a Most Underrated Performer, May 22, 2000
Any fan of Fleetwood Mac or Danny Kirwan himself will surely enjoy this disc. I have all three of Danny's solo albums on LP and love them all. A few years ago, I found "Second Chapter" on CD. Sadly, this title is now out of print. The disc I am reviewing is basically alternate takes of the songs on Danny's first solo album "Second Chapter." It is not the career retrospective compilation his fans have been waiting for, but it is a high quality disc. Every song is a gem and the false starts really add a special human element. I really wish they would release his second and third solo albums "Midnight in San Juan" and "Hello There, Big Boy!" respectively, on CD. I thought I would find a song or two from those albums on this disc, but unfortunately, none were included. I recommend this disc highly though. The love songs are as good as any written in the 70s and the uptempo songs ring of sheer optimism and joy. The crystal clear sound quality is amazing. I have never heard Mr. Kirwan sound so good!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Deserves far more recognition than it gets!, March 4, 2002
Of all the talented guitarists that have been in and out of Fleetwood Mac, perhaps none have been more overlooked than Danny Kirwan. He wrote some of Fleetwood Mac's greatest melodies, and when he jammed with Peter Green the results were simply magic. This is Danny's only official CD available on the market today, and its a shame it hasn't gotten more recognition.Ram Jam City is compiled from Kirwan's first solo album Second Chapter, containing the original tracks, outtakes, and false starts. The album is very different from his Mac material, containing more country and bluegrass influence. While not every song is a winner (Falling in Love With You Again is ... [no good]) when Danny's on the mark he's on the mark, scoring brilliant pop hooks and melodies on songs like Cascades, Silver Stream, Hot Summer Day, Second Chapter, and Ram Jam City. These are songs that could have taken their place among the greatest pop-rock songs of the'70s yet failed to achieve little more than a minor cult success. With Danny Kirwan (and his fellow bandmates in Fleetwood Mac) there's always the mystery of what if. What if Kirwan stayed on with Fleetwood Mac for the Rumours era glory days, oh what great music they could have achieved? What if Danny kicked his alcohol addiction and continued his solo career, oh what heights he could have reached? Instead Danny's stuck in a homeless shelter, with a 23 year musical dry spell that may never be broken, and as for Fleetwood Mac. Well... we all know how that worked out. So drop the speculation, lose the what ifs, and for now enjoy the great music made by the great Danny Kirwan.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Always unique, this is some of Danny's best music., June 12, 2000
By A Customer
Of all the celebrated Fleetwood Mac guitarists, Danny Kirwan had the widest range of musical influences and interests as this CD of his post-Mac solo material demonstrates. Reggae, big band, C&W, jazz, pop, rock and roll....nothing seemed beyond his capabilities and you find elements of all these styles in his songs. As a songwriter, vocalist, guitarist and arranger he remains unique. While his songs with Fleetwood Mac often dealt with lonliness and loss, the lyrics throughout "Ram Jam City" are upbeat and joyful. He sounds as if he was having a great time during the recordings. When you're not playing this CD, you'll still be singing the songs and hoping for more releases of his long-neglected work.
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by Danny Kirwan 
