Customer Reviews

Spooked

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Having enjoyed this band for some 20+ years as a house band of sorts for the Strawberry Music festivals, Mather Camp Yosemite, I'm a long time fan and I feel an affinity for the idea of these local guys making it. Well, at least in my eyes, they have, I hope some financial rewards follow suit, it's clear they love what they're doing. I hope they come back to Strawberry again this year! When you read Van Dyke Parks comments above about his production efforts, have no fear of overproduction, it's spot on, certainly more subtle/tasteful use of horns than in previous releases. In fact, the first half of this disc is a remarkable song cycle that showcases the bands many talents and tastes in music, the sequencing is near perfect. While I enjoyed the later half of the disc as well, great songs like, "There's Religion in Rhythm!", the flow achieved through the first six tunes is not sustained. Regardless of this minor point, the guys are in fine voice, the whismsy abounds, the playing astounds, so you're in store for a grinning journey ala their wonderous folkreggaeshantygrass stylings, I highly recommend this disc, check it out, you'll see what I mean.

Marley's Ghost and Van Dyke Parks count among my favorites, so I had high hopes for this. But it's all kind of muddled and not quite right. Even if there's some good stuff here, "Live at the Freight" this ain't. Even among their studio albums, there's better. Certainly, none of the other Marley's Ghost albums sound as non-Marley as this.