Customer Reviews

Rickie Lee Jones

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Rickie Lee's self-titled debut album is essential listening for anyone who considers themselves a fan of jazz, female singer-songwriters, or plain old good music.
When this album hit the marketplace at the tail end of the 70's it was truly an oasis in what had become a rather boring era of music. Punk and disco had both burned themselves out, and the California singer/songwriter movement was on its last leg. There wasn't anything that could be considered "fresh" on the radio. And then, out of nowhere, came "Chuck E's In Love", heralding the advent of the most original artist of the era.
"RLJ" is primarily guitar based (Pirates, released 2 years later, would confirm the multi-instrumental power of Rickie), and the songs are so brilliant that as I write this, 25 years after this album was released, I can still play this music and think how fresh the sound remains. That's a testament to Rickie's writing and playing, which remain unmatched by any modern singer.
"Weasel And the White Boys Cool", a song about an acquaintance (Sal Bernardi), who would later become a lover remains my favorite from this disc. The guitar work on this song is incredible, and Rickie's vocals are playful and gorgeous. And her lyrics, while sometimes unintelligible upon first listen (the hiccuppy nature of her vocals, and her habit of eliding full syllables may turn off some listeners, but they are one of her most endearing traits), are as strong as any writer of popular music.

"Company" is a cabaret classic, and songs of longing like this tune fit Rickie's voice perfectly. This song has been covered many times since its release (Melissa Errico being the most recent), but nobody can capture Rickie's emotions while singing this tune.
"Danny's All Star Joint" is a genuine romp - its a shame Rickie doesn't play this song (and it's sister pieces, "Woody and Dutch" from Pirates, and "Juke Box Fury" from "The Magazine") more often in live shows. Rickie has an incredible way with uptempo pieces of this nature, and they are sorely missed on discs such as "Flying Cowboys".
"Last Chance Texaco" will break your heart if you ponder its meaning, and musically, it has to be one of the saddest uses of the guitar ever recorded. There is genuine heartbreak in this song, and no one conveys this type of feeling as well as Rickie.
"Coolsville" and "Easy Money" are wonderful songs, with what sound at first listen like incredibly simple arrangements. It is only after repeated listenings (and this album deserves such repeated listening) that the subtle complexities in the instrumentation, vocals and harmonies are revealed.
It still amazes me that an album this perfect was a debut release. And amazes me even further that she was able to avoid a spohmore slump by offering up the even more brilliant "Pirates". She is, in my opinion, the best singer of my generation, and a must-own for any serious music fan.

One of the most startling things about Jones is her immediacy. Everything about her work has tremendous spontenaity, as if she suddenly broke into song on a streetcorner and a few passing musicians and back-up singers decided to join in--an effect that is particularly well captured on her self-titled debut. In some respects she seems to be the heir of such free-form artists as Laura Nyro and Patti Smith; she is certainly the forerunner to the more recently debuted Natalie Merchant, Alanis Moressette, and Jewel. But in the final analysis, Rickie Lee Jones is Rickie Lee Jones: there is no other quite like her.

Jones speciality is her remarkable ability to fuse whatever styles happens to catch her fancy and blend them into a seamless whole. "Chuck E.'s in Love," the hit single from this collection, is jazzy and funky and fun--and what most casual listeners think of when Jones comes to mind. But it is merely the introduction to her remarkable skill at combining diverse musical ideas. One of the most startling examples of this is "Last Chance Texaco," in which she combines elements of new age and jazz with a western flavor in a plantive, powerful ballad that likens failed love to broken-down cars going nowhere on an endless highway ("She was a block-busted blonde")--lyrics and vocal as brilliant as the music itself.

If Jones is frequently plantive in tone, she is also remarkably hip and funny. "Easy Money" mixes blues and jazz with a honky-tonk edge to tell a sly story of grifters on the make, and "Danny's All-Star Joint" mixes everything from swing to a sort of childhood nostalgia proto-rap ("Hey-hey boys, how bout a fight/cause here comes Rickie with her girdle on tight") in a truly fun filled portait of street life in a corner store hangout. It's all amazing stuff, shifting smoothly from powerful passions and tragedy to introspective musings to up-beat good times and pure musical joy.

While it is almost impossible to pick one single cut from the recording as a favorite, my favorite here is "Company," a ballad that artfully mixes traces of pop music and jazz in a memorable reflection on life-changes that cause friends to drift apart--and the longing that follows the separation. If you like good music that stretches the boundaries of style, you'll find it here. Strongly recommended.

I bought this gem way back in the late 70's and it stood out
like the shiny diamond it was and this collection just summed
up all the great strengths and styles of Ricki. Even though she went
on to make some very compelling music(Pirates, the follow up was brilliant but withdrawn to me, I only played when I was alone at home), but it was still her
other standout. Nothing in my opinion
Ricki did after these first two albums were as superior, especially this first one!
It was such a mature effort for a 1st collection it took everybody by surprise, fans that loved great women singers/musicians hadn't heard anything quite like this
for years, not since the sophisticated earthy talents of Joni Mitchell, Phoebe Snow, Bonnie Raitt & Laura Nyro in the early to mid 70's. Ricki had a nice bohemian street-smart-finger popping-cool mixed with some beautiful piano laments. I also recall
how much I enjoyed Phoebe Snows debut, like Ricki, she had her
one and only hit song from the 1st collection. Great stuff to
revisit, just as relevant as anything out today. Another fine
example of quality music from this period.

When Rickie Lee Jones was suddenly all the buzz in the music industry in 1979, she was assumed to be the next Joni Mitchell, and had a hit album (#3, Billboard's Top 200 Albums) and single (Chuck E.'s In Love, #4, Billboard's Pop Singles) in her hands before she knew it. She was, however, a true revolutionary who would only become increasingly experimental as her career progressed. Her music featured a distinct idiosyncratic style which often included free-verse beat poetry, jazz flourishes, torchy balladry and bohemian, streetwise subject matter - and sometimes all in the same song. It was this, her eponymous debut, which started it all and laid the groundwork for what Jones would evolve into.

I originally had this on lp and now have it in my clutches on c-d. One of the best jazz vocal cds of anytime,period. On this debut cd you hear her mentor Tom Waits'influence but Jones is indeed her own bird. Rickie sings of innocence and experience of love loss and of street-smarts. All the songs are fantastic but the song "Company" puts her over the top.This song still makes me cry even after all these years. My wife died a couple of years after the release of this recording and during those lonely nights I played and sang "Company" until I cried myself silly. It is the perfect song of love lost.

I just played my new copy of this 1979 album on CD and was delighted with the excellent vocal performances of the American singer Rickie Lee Jones, an artist the bulk of whose music was not previously known to me. Though, as a radio listener from the late 70's onwards, I was well acquainted with her cool, jazz-styled tune Chuck E's In Love (#4 chart hit, 1979), which remains her most well-known commercial release. However, I did not know just how richly-talented and expressive Ms. Jones was until today when I heard the other 10 songs on this album, her recording debut. She has some beautiful, wistful moments mixed in with terrific storytelling and some coolly seductive poses. She sounds like she can sing anything well. And, I note that she wrote all 11 titles herself, which is great, because I really rate singer-songwriters most highly.

One other thing: This lady has a refreshingly-different way of singing words and phrases that defies convention and sounds like her own unique style. The songs in general also don't tend to follow verse-chorus-bridge-chorus structures either, and this makes for a more-interesting and less-predictable album.

I really like this, and am awarding it 5 stars !!

WOW! For some reason, I had Rickie Lee Jones on my mind the other day and it occured to me I hadn't given this CD a listen in a few years. Now I see that virtually on the same day, there's a brand new Anthology release. HMMMMM!!! Anywyay, RLJ IS THE DUCHESS OF COOLSVILLE.

Nostalgic yet currently accessible, I am amazed I could ever file this away. I've been listening to it for the past 2 days and it's absolutely incredible that I was enjoying these songs immensely in the early 80s! It soared way above just about anything else that was current during that period of music and again, 25 years later, the same thing holds true!

One of the greatest things I enjoy so much about this collection of songs is that it takes you through a gamut of emotion. How many artists can do that on one single album? Rickie Lee Jones can. So much has been said about this already but I love to see that other's "get" the absolute grab and hold that "Last Chance Texaco" takes of your heart. It reaches some place in my heart like no other song can. The only other song in my collection that goes anywhere that close is Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here".

It is really hard to pick a favorite, so I won't. But if I had the nerve to open my own bar, I'd call it "Danny's All Star Joint" and the bartenders would have to sing along with Rickie Lee every night for last call.

Shameless Nostalgic Warning: I don't see much mention of "Young Blood" but that song was the inspiration for a multi media slide show project I did at the University of SC Media Arts department w/ my friend Carolyn Howe, around 1983. It's the closest thing to a music video I ever got to help create and boy I wish I could see it today, 25 years later.

I think this music is an essential for any music lover's collection, a must have. I'd love for them to remaster this entire CD. I have to admit however that even though the CD is not a remaster, it sounds pretty damn good in 2005. Give it a listen!

"Turn her over......and go!"

Short and sweet. Without a doubt one of the best artist debuts ever. If possible, on her second release, 'Pirates', she topped herself. Rare accomplishment indeed.

It's hard to believe Ricki Lee Jones was only 23 when she recorded this album (according to the Amazon review). I suppose I was in a similar space when I was that age, slumming. But I never wrote a song this good (I checked the ASCAP database, and yes, she did write it). This guitar-driven, Doppler-effected, blues inflected, spoken-word dejected hymn to the American highway is flat-out brilliant. Here's how it ends:

"But this one ain't fuel-injected
Her plugs disconnected
She gets scared and she stalls
She just needs a man, that's all

It's her last chance
Her timing's all wrong
Her last chance
She can't idle this long
Her last chance
Turn her over and go
Pullin' out of the last chance Texaco
The last chance"

Before there was Sheryl Crowe, or Jewel there was Rickie Lee Jones. An attractive slender gal from California that would let you know she could pack a musical punch with the rest of them.The front cover to this album,with it's almost Bonnie (from Bonnie & Clyde)appearance was a precursor to let us know she also meant business and was not going to be just a one hit wonder. Her brand of blue -eyed femme fatale blues, pop, soul and light rock was at a time before the Alannis Morrisettes of the 90's started singing of feminine fury. Jones musical persona could hang with the guys in the band (or bar),dive and show the crowd a good ol' singing and toe tappin' time ! At the same time her vocals could be versatile.One minute singing the rock & blues with a voice filled with pleasure. The next, you could hear her pain in another. This is an essential recording for anyone who wants to learn about Jones' astonishing debut. It's in it's subtle beauty that this album has stood the test of time...