Customer Reviews

Terence Boylan

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Terence Boylan is an artist who, in a certain sense, slipped through the cracks. His pair of late `70s/ early `80s albums were released on Elektra/ Asylum, & they were both big commercial disappointments, however, there is a wealth of great music to be found on these albums. If you haven't discovered his music yet, you really should--Boylan deserves to be remembered. If the idea of blending Steely Dan, the Eagles, & Jackson Browne together sounds promising to you (and it should), then you simply can't go wrong with this CD.

You may recognize the name John Boylan (he did production work) who was indeed Terence's brother. Donald Fagen & Walter Becker of Steely Dan were actually schoolmates of Terence's in the '60s & they clearly got along well--Fagen & Becker, respectively, handled all of the bass & keyboard work on Boylan's debut album "Alias Boona" which was originally released in 1969. However, this self-titled 1999 compilation CD doesn't contain anything from that album--instead, it contains tracks from his 2 Asylum albums--1977's self titled album & 1980's "Suzy"--plus 3 additional tracks.

Terence wrote all 15 of the tracks on this CD himself, & his excellent songwriting & passionate, husky vocals are on display on track after track. Boylan had a major knack for soaring, dramatic choruses--brilliant tracks including "Hey Papa", "Tell Me", "Don't Hang Up Those Dancing Shoes", & "Ice and Snow" all bear this out; Boylan did make heavy use of descending vocal melodies on the choruses for each of these songs, & they do end up sounding quite similar to each other, yet it never feels annoyingly redundant. Other great tracks include the dreamy, splendidly tuneful ballad "Rain King" & the haunting "Shame" (which features Donald Fagen on piano)--these two tracks put Boylan's arrestingly evocative lyrics on display, and he delivers a couple of powerful songs about romantic frustration with the contemplative, mid-tempo pop-rocker "Tell Me" and the gorgeous acoustic ballad "End of the World". Boylan's cynical, sarcastic side also gets a nod with the country-blues flavored "Dump It In the River" which has fantastic acoustic guitar playing from Will McFarlane. Certainly there are other solid songs as well such as "Shake It" with its superb phased electric guitar, and "Sundown of Fools" which is extremely reminiscent of Jackson Browne's "Farther On".

As much credit as Boylan deserves for his excellent writing & production, you can't deny the contributions from the musicians who contributed excellent performances--players on the CD include a long list of legendary musicians (Russ Kunkel, Victor Feldman, Michael Omartian, even Al Kooper, & many, many others) including Timothy B. Schmit who adds excellent and easily recognizable harmony vocals on many of the tracks. The piano on the intro of "Hey Papa" (played by Jai Winding), the first song on this CD, has a melancholy, wonderfully contemplative & transcendent quality to it--it does a great job of "setting the scene" for what's to follow.

As for the 3 tracks here that aren't culled either from the either self-titled or "Suzy" albums, they sound like they were recorded in the mid-80s, & they`re worthy additions--"Coming Home" has some slightly frustrating lo-fi sound, but it`s a really enjoyable, sentimental ballad; "Keep Shining On" is a really nice feel-good tune; & "True Love Isn't Cool" is an irresistibly fun, catchy pop-rocker.

As much great music as there is here on this CD though, I really want to point out some of what is NOT on here, & that this is by no means the final word on Boylan. 8 of the 9 tracks from the 1977 self-titled album are here--the one track that got left off is "Where Are You Hiding?" which is a great track, although it had already appeared on CD on the Rhino label, which perhaps has something to do with why it isn't included here. Beyond that then is all the brilliant songs from the fascinating 1980 album "Suzy" which are missing, including the moody title track, the hilarious "Shake Your Fiorucci", a couple of kickass, gloriously cynical rockers with "College Life" & "$50 An Hour", a couple gorgeously tuneful and haunting tracks with "Roll Your Own" & "Did She Finally Get To You", the contemplative "Going Home", and the irresistible, Oriental-spiced "Miso Soup".

The sound quality on this CD is generally excellent although "Dump It In the River" sounds like it was taken from a second-generation cassette, and "End of the World" has some mildly distracting 'wrinkled tape' noise. Don't get me wrong--this is a great CD that I strongly recommend; it's packed with terrific material and it's no wonder than diehard fans are ecstatic with this release. If you're new to Boylan, this is a great start. Just don't forget to pick up a copy of "Suzy" though... "Suzy" is seriously one of the greatest albums ever made. Any serious listener will be really thankful that they checked Terence Boylan out.

Many years ago I was a college rock and roll writer who predicted great things for Boylan. I guess I am no psychic, but a recent conversation led me to do a search for Boylan and I came across his self-titled website and this record (and even a snippet from one of my reviews of Boylan from back in the day). What fun. I could quibble about some of the song selections here, but what a treat to have this terrific music again since I had long ago worn out my LPs.

I have waited for this release for a long time, the disc sounds wonderful, except for some very minimal tape hiss that is not at all distracting. A couple of observations: 1.The time is a little over 57 minutes, why not use up the remaining 21 minutes with songs from "Suzy" or with "Where are you hiding?" the only song not on the disc from "Terence Boylan" 2.A web site on how to contact Terence Boylan would have also been nice. Or at least some info on where he has been for 20 years. 3.I hope that amazon pushes this cd, Terence Boylan deserves much wider exposure. Every single song he has ever written and sung is excellent. F.Y.I. The song "Where are you hiding" is available on cd! It can be found on a Rhino compilation called Mellow 70's - Summer Breeze. If you get this disc you will have all of the Terence Boylan self-titled album. It is available from Amazon. Question- If this sells well enough can we look forward to all four Terence Boylan recordings on cd? Spinaker Records, are you listening?

I bought(and wore out) both of his LPs in the late '70s, and often wondered why a CD was never released. Besides being a talented lyricist, he also has a knack for melody. The quality of the tracks is pretty good considering they are taken from pre-digital originals. Excellent mixing and some darn good studio guys (Donald Fagen on piano!) make this a memorable album. Try it, you'll like it!

Let me begin by givng HIGH PRAISE to Amazom.com; I have been searching for this recording for over 15 years in ANY form; i.e. vinyl, tape and/or CD! Up until today, I thought it was futile, finding this recording. That said, I strongly suggest to any lookie-lo or passively interested 'fan' of that special 'late 70's California sound', invest in this disc: "Terence Boylan" and I promise YOU will NOT be dissappointed in the least. His lyrics, music and voice are second to no one. The artists that appeared on this album and his second one, reads like a "Who's who" in Rock circles. Don Henley, Glen Frey, Lindsay Buckingham, Jackson Browne to name a few.....for that matter, Chevy Chase (Keyboards on "Miso Soup"; 2nd. Album) particpated on Mr. Boylan's recordings. My second wish, now becomes my 1st.....Please Terence Boylan, record again or if there are ANY Record Exec's who are reading this.....(Rhino, are you listening?) buy, borrow or steal this guys rights and re-issue his second album/recording. For those of you, just browsing, do yourself a BIG favor, BUY THIS DISC NOW!

I've been waiting a long time for Terence Boylan's music to find its way onto a compact disc. I remember quite clearly the first time I heard "Hey Papa." I was living in a little brownstone in South St. Louis (1978), tuning up my old nori-green 2002, (98 in the shade) with the key in the ignition and the radio on. The music was a landscape painting that moved me and melted me simultaneously. The next day, "Terence Boylan" was spotwelded to my turntable, taken off only to flip it over. A couple of years later, I found both "Suzy" (promo copy) and "Alias Boona" in a used record store in Houston. I would buy any copies of "Terence Boylan" that I would find in the cutout bins and pass them along to friends as gifts. Cutout bins were no place for such musical insight. St. Louis, Houston, Boston, San Francisco. One wife. Two sons. The years roll by, and it appears that Terence Boylan has fallen off the face of the earth. About once a month, I would do an Internet search to see if he might have reared his head and come up for air. The usual suspects would always show up: a Jeff Porcaro (rip) discography, a Rhino reference, and some Don Henley gibberish. You can only imagine my profound joy at finding his cd had been released. It's twenty years later, and it still melts me.

I have been waiting years for this record, since I've worn out my Terence Boylan vinyl copies. I just got it and I'm buying two more for friends. For those of you who are Boylanfans, it sounds ten times better than the original - (the vinyl albums seem muffled in comparison- these songs literally JUMP off the CD) plus COMING HOME, that I never heard before, is my new favorite song. I remember the first time I heard "Hey Papa" on the radio, in Boston, I tried to find the record for two weeks, and instead wound up finding his second album "Suzy", which I still love (there are a bunch of songs from that album also on this CD)What a great idea to put them together, and I love the newer stuff. "Coming Home" sounds like Springsteen, early Dylan and Leonard Cohen rolled into one. For Terence Boylan lovers, this is a real treat, and the mix of songs should bring him new listeners. All 15 are gems.

Like the others, I happily welcome this album, from one of the very finest of the extraordinary singer-songwriters of the late 70s. Reportedly, it may signal the return of Terence Boylan to new writing, recording and performance.

My awareness of Terence Boylan's music derived from the overlap between his musical backup performers and folks on early Steely Dan albums. In retrospect, this is no accident, since some of these fellows' roots trace back to the offbeat, academically excellent Bard College.

In looking to Boylan for challenging but accessible music by perfectionistic music-makers, I was hardly disappointed! Yet, the Terence Boylan recordings are far from the style of Steely Dan (or Donald Fagan & Walter Becker). Boylan's lyrics are highly literate -- deft portrayals of very specific emotional moments, but far less inclined than Fagan's to the seamy-side. The music is a bit closer to familiar melodic and harmonic material, but original and different enough to remain fresh, engaging and welcome over decades of careful listening. The texture on almost all tracks is thick and tasty, sharpening the lyricism of the underlying music. Production is excellent.

For me, these recordings would rate in the very top -- "desert-isle-stash" -- tier of music I have ever enjoyed!

Terence Boylan is one of those rare, talanted songwriters whose style is so distinct. It's like a cross between Jackson Browne and Steely Dan (whom he had a band with in college) with Ernest Hemingway helping write some of the lyrics. This one is one of my all time favorites and was an album I never thought would make it onto CD, but when it did I ordered it and still listen to it often. Boylan should have been very famous based on his talent. If you grew up on Browne, CSN, Fogelberg, James Taylor, Steely Dan and the like, you'll love Boylan.

... but apparently there are lots of other Boylan fans out there. Boylan's music is as satisfying as the early work of other California icons, like Warren Zevon and Ned Doheny. The music is deliciously mellow, but barbed with tart lyrics and sharp rhythms that snatch the listener from blissful reverie. Steely Dan and Jackson Browne are obvious influences. His last two albums in their entirety would have fit perfectly on one CD (and they all deserve to be heard). Unfortunately, they don't all appear here. On the other hand, this CD contains a few new recordings, something fans haven't had from Boylan in a quarter of a century. According to his website, Boylan, who owns Spinnaker Records and a publishing company, is recording new material. Let's hope it's true. Meanwhile, we'll be dreaming of "big palm dates" and "iguanas climbing the villa walls" on the Florida coast. Jimmy Buffett eat your heart out.