Real Animal

Alejandro Escovedo | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 24, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Back Porch
• ASIN: B0018FZIS0
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,016 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Alejandro Escovedo's 9th solo album, produced by Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T.Rex, Thin Lizzy), Real Animal is a collective journey through Escovedo's various musical incarnations from punk rock to string quintets and it is as introspective as it is retrospective. This album features a band of frequent collaborators, including David Pulkingham (guitar), Josh Gravelin (bass), Hector Munoz (drums), Susan Voelz (violin), Brian Standefer (cello) and Chuck Prophet (guitar). The 13 original tracks unravel Escovedo's musical autobiography while presenting him as a masterful American musician, whose palette encompasses eloquent string quintets and shattering blasts of punk rock.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A True Believer meets the legendary Tony Visconti - nuff said, June 24, 2008

By 

Lil Mike "http://blog.eventmagic.com" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Real Animal [+digital booklet] (MP3 Download)

Escovedo has collaborated with longtime pal Chuck Prophet on the songs here, and come up with a career defining, if not quite desperately divine little record. Here's one that tells the tales, names the names, uplifts, crushes, teases & challenges the listener and simply rocks it's delightful & bedraggled heart out when appropriate.

Chronicling his life as a journeyman in the underground music world, this record is an audio companion to Escovedo's near death experience with Hepatitis C and his phoenix like resurrection to find respect and admiration from his rock n roll idols who've since become peers and friends ( guys like Bruce Springsteen and Ian Hunter). From his formative day's as a young punk at The Golden Bear club in Southern California, to staying alongside Sid & Nancy at the Chelsea Hotel, to his decades of raw road dogging around the world, all the road miles are documented.

Whether you are new to his saga, or recall the down and dirty days with The Nuns or Rank & File with Chip & Tony Kinman of the Dils, there's something for you here. It's a real animal of a rock n roll record in an "American Idle" mall mouse music world that may not realize what that means. Why wait for marching orders from the radio or Paula Abdul and her idiot buddies, just get it and hear for yourself these sad but True Believer stories that are simply something anyone should be able to appreciate.

Former Bowie and T-Rex producer Tony Visconti has called it one of the best thing's he's twiddled the knobs on in years, and I'd simply have to agree. If you are not up for the whole thousand mile musical journey with all it's slow side streets and speed bumps, at the very least download the awe inspiring opening cut "Always A Friend", and treat yourself to a rollicking retro-tastic rave up of a road ready tune.

psst: If ya like that one, and are in a hurry, and wanna skip the beatific balladry, here's a couple of the other ripping rockers worth checking out "9. Real As An Animal" "12. Chip N Tony"

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb album!!! ...top notch rock n roll...WOW!!!, June 24, 2008

By 

J. Niss (Western Mass) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Real Animal (Audio CD)

i'm stunned at how strong this album is.

Who would've thought that Alejandro's writing would continue to get even better? And the band(one of the finest live bands you'll ever hear) is in full bloom here, powerful and surprising in each cut - this sucker is as good as it gets, no exageration.

it's a bargain at any price, and at $9.99 here and at newbury comix this has got to be the greatest buy out there.

Hector outdoes himself throughout, btw.

as much as i love his other albums, this is the 1st studio work that hit me as immediate and as powerful as a live Alejandro show does (i've been to more than 20 since his 1st solo release).

alex, if you read this, way to go from the guy with the wood headphones.

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Stop the presses!!! er, i guess I should say say CONTINUE them... the track listing is expanded on the lp version - by one more new song and 1 great cover (just be surprised, now) and it makes this absolutely great rock album even greater.

also as it should be the analog is even better sounding, and the pressing is super quiet (AND cost under 20 bucks - vs the 20 to 40 plus usd for most of the "audiophile" pressings being made today (many of which are not so quiet at all).

hard to imagine that this is "better", as it's already an immediate must have for anybody who digs the stones or the velvet underground/Lou Reed/john cale or bowie or ian hunter/mott or patti smith/lenny kaye or neil young/buffalo springfield and i really ought to add any and all garage rock.

go ahead and add to this list the best of the best by every essential rock band, from clash to brian wilson. no, wait, make it every ELEMENTAL rock band - because Alejandro's stuff is SO good that it creates new space in the musical universe where none existed before.

btw , his music often transcends genre, though this is most definately a rocker.

He's been this good really since the 1st solo album and certainly from his album "13 years" on theirs been no one building as important a new rock catalogue as Alexandro Escovedo.

But if you've got the turntable get this on lp (too). if not, get a turntable and then get it on lp. if not, get over it!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT as always!!!!!, June 25, 2008

By 

Eva "mellow1304" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Real Animal (Audio CD)

Just when you think Alejandro's albums can not get any better! Real Animal is great, great, great. If you ever have a chance to see Alejandro alive, go for it. Go out of your way to see him and the band, it is very unique experience - and different each time! Oh - and to see/hear him "unplugged" in smaller surroundings - wow, BREATHLESS!!!