Customer Reviews

Time Stand Still

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First, a confession. I have followed The Hooters for over 25 years. I have seen them perform dozens of times in every venue from small clubs to theaters to arenas to stadiums [Live Aid 1985] and even casinos. So when I got my hands on a copy of the CD at one of their shows here in Philadelphia back in November, it was as if Christmas came a month early.
If you listen to popular music, you have heard the work of Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian [Cyndi Lauper...Joan Osbourne...and yes...The Scorpions among others.] But with the band, they really shine. After something like 14 years, The Hooters have released an album as good as anything they have ever done. You won't find any arena rockers or power ballads here. Simply a wonderful collection of songs by a wonderful, and distinctive group of musicians.

I am a biased Hooters fan. I've been listening to them for 22 years now, and I not only own "Amore", "Nervous Night", "One Way Home", "Zig Zag" and "Out Of Body", but I also own their imprint on Cyndi Lauper's "She's So Unusual", Patty Smyth's "Never Enough", Johnny Clegg & Savuka's "Heat, Dust & Dreams" and Joan Osborne's "Relish". I also have their side project Largo.

That said, I could not have been more pleased and excited last year to know that The Hooters were releasing their first new recording in 14 years. Expectations were high, and for the most part, The Hooters have succeeded. Many of the tracks are observations on life and growing up such as "I'm Alive", "Time Stand Still", "Until I Find You Again", "Ordinary Lives" and "White Jeans". I have to be honest, though, I don't think The Hooters are going to have a hit from "Time Stand Still". That's not to say that there are not any catchy tracks--there are. "I'm Alive" and "Time Stand Still" would be my first two picks as singles, followed by "Until I Find You Again".

I am a huge Don Henley fan, and "The Boys Of Summer" is one of my all time favorite songs, so I was relatively pleased with The Hooters' version. They changed up the tempo and used organic instruments, but it works quite well.

I think the weakest track is "Where The Wind May Blow" which almost sounded like Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear The Reaper". Also, "Free Again" was overly long, and I felt it's length was unnecessary.

"Morning Buzz" would be my fourth choice for a single and "Until You Dare" was decent. "Time Stand Still" as a whole works well even though I could argue that it's not there best work (or their catchiest). No, I reserve their best work for "Nervous Night", "One Way Home" and "Zig Zag", their first three albums were excellent. "Out Of Body" was okay, and "Time Stand Still" might be slightly better.

Four stars (which is great considering how long it's been since "Out Of Body") because it's good, but not great, and it doesn't surpass their first three albums, but the band aims high. My feeling is this: The Hooters are back, they should keep the momentum going and release another album next year. I feel they have the power to be in the spotlight again, and "Time Stand Still" surely shows promise.

I'm really happy to see the Hooters put out a new album CD. I've always enjoyed their harmony and wonderful use of various instruments not used so much in the rock genre - mandolin, concertina, etc. The guys haven't lost their edge at all either. This production is just as good if not better than their earlier efforts. I like every single track on this one. When I first saw the title of the CD, I thought about the Rush song of the same title. I'm a very big Rush fan, y'see, so naturally, I thought "they can't really be doing that song, could they?" Well, of course not, although that might get interesting - ha! The quality of the songs themselves, the mix and clarity of production is well above par. Kudos to the group for their talents and to the engineers who put it together. Five stars from me.

What a great "comeback" album from The Hooters. While some people might argue that the music is lackluster, I argue that this is the perfect evolution for the band's music. Who could really pull of "And We Danced" Part 2 anyway? This disc shows a more mature, songwriting focused side of the band. Still maintained are the band's "Hooterization" elements such as accordian, mandolin, mandola, and melodica, and recorder. The pop elements circa Nervous Night (i.e. layered 80's style production) are gone, but it is still unmistakably The Hooters. Rob and Eric made sure of that. The stripped down atmosphere of the record lets the musicianship of the band's members shine through. You'd be really hard pressed to find 5 better individual musicians than the members of The Hooters. At the risk of being long winded, pick up this disc. If you're a fan of quality songwriting by gifted musicians who are truly focused on the music, you won't be disappointed.

Time Stand Still is very well done. Take the talent the Hooters had back in the '80s and then add 20 years of experience and practice to them, and you get an idea of how good they sound now. The album is more in the "One Way Home" style than Nervous Night, and has the distinctive Hooters sound while still being true to its rock and roll roots. The Germans love the Hooters' "handcrafted music" sound which is why they are so popular over there. The handcrafted sound continues in the album. There's a lot of acoustic guitar, accordion, and mandolin.

You can tell that the Hooters are making a statement with this album. They claim they're re-energized and their music proves it. They start strong with "I'm Alive" and "Time Stand Still" which could be anthems for those who were young in the '80s but getting long in the tooth now. These strong vibrant songs that say "yeah, we're not kids anymore, but we're better". And they're right. The next song is a cover of Don Henley's "Boys of Summer". They banish the drums and bass leaving the guitar, piano, and mandolin. The music matches the wistfulness of the words. I still like Henley's version, but this one is very interesting and in some ways I like it better. "Until I Find You Again", "Until You Dare," "Where The Wind May Blow" are all good pieces, but not as strong as some of the other songs. I might think differently after another dozen listenings. 'Morning Buzz" and "Catch of the Day" are just weird and fun (particularly "Morning Buzz"). When the Hooters do these sorts of songs, it's always entertaining. The mandolin picking in "Morning Buzz" is amazing. "Ordinary Lives" is probably one of the Hooters' best ballads - up there with "500 miles". The album concludes with "Free Again", which returns to the theme of rejuvenation. It starts slowly but the tempo picks up and culminates in one of the great instrumental riffs that the Hooters are so good at. Oh, there is one more song, but it's a hidden track and not listed on the album. It's called "White Jeans" and tells the story of the Hooters in their own words. It's fascinating to hear a musician give the story of his professional career in song.

If you're a fan of the Hooters, you will be very pleased with this album. It's a strong piece of work that stands up to a lot of play. It does not have a huge hit single on it like And We Danced (I'm Alive comes closest), but the overall quality makes this album one you'll want to put into the player and listen to the entire album. If you have not listened to the Hooters before or haven't listened to them since MTV stopped playing videos in the early 90s, then I recommend this album as a perfect way to meet a talented rock and roll band whose "handcrafted" music will leave you with a spring in your step and whistling their tunes.

In the past year or so, we have seen many reunions of bands from the 1980's and 1990's. I was estatic when Duran Duran reunited, but was a bit disappointed by their over-produced album and Andy Taylor's departure. I was in euphoria when the Police reunited, but fell into a deep blue funk when they produced no new material and a ticket to one of their concerts cost more than some people make in a week. I spent a day hanging with Crowded House in 1988, so I practically fainted when they reunited last year. I sobbed when I heard their new album because it had none of the energy, melody, and inspiration of their former albums. Other bands, like Tears and Fears, returned, stank, and disappeared again.

So you'll have to pardon me for not expecting much from a new Hooters album. I also braced myself for nausea, because their previous album from 14 years ago was a colossal disappointment. But, I gave these guys a chance again, because they are still one of the best live bands I've come across.

So how was their new album? It's simply their best since their debut album "Nervous Night". The best songs on this album stand up to or surpass anything they've done in the past. They are great musicians, especially Eric Bazilian, (how many instruments can this guy play?) So if you liked them in 1980's, especially those of you from their home state of Pennsylvania, you will love their triumphant return. Their new material sounds fresh and inspired while holding true to their unique sound. Now let's hope that the upcoming BoDean's album, (due in March), can be just as impressive.

I really like the band,so I was very nervous after all these years how their music was going to sound.I was immediately reassured by the opening track:"I'm Alive",great sound,typical Hooters sound,even better & matured."Until I Find You Again","Morning Buzz","Ordinary Lives","Free Again" & title track solidify the brilliance of the band.Typical beautiful ending of songs still there,different but matured.If it was not for a very poor coverage of Don Henly's beautiful song,"The boys of summer",I would have given them five stars.I could not put the CD down for five days!!!The Hooters are Alive!!!

Although I never really followed The Hooters I heard a few tracks on a talk radio interview of all places. I bought the CD and it is really, really, really good. These guys are talented musicians and good songwriters. You won't be sorry if you buy this CD!

`Time Stand Still' is superb. I've been calling it the perfect album to overcome what ever feelings I have that might resemble a mid-life crisis. The lyrics are inspirational and filled with thoughts like gratefulness to be alive (`I'm Alive'), to focus on the extraordinary moments in life (`Ordinary Lives'), things to do if you could make `Time Stand Still', and daring us to keep pursuing (and having) hopes and dreams (`Until You Dare'). And then there's `Morning Buzz', a really fun song...start this up on your daily commute and you'll always arrive at work with a smile. They also perform the Don Henley song `Boys of Summer', with a very memorable arrangement. The album closes with Free Again, a rollicking musical ride...a very uplifting song. Throughout the album the song lyrics are fun, with great hooks, and depth.

Truth be told, I've always been a Hooters fan. Before their major label debut "Nervous Night", I had been playing their independently released music frequently on my college radio station in the Philadelphia area (where the band is from). And with that bias, I may be qualified to state this - `Time Stand Still' is the best album by The Hooters since `Nervous Night'.

I waited four years to buy this CD at a cheap price on Amazon, and I am sorry I waited so long. Full disclosure: I went to grade school and high school with Fran Smith Jr., the Hooters' bass player and I am a long time fan of the group, having had them do an in-store appearance at a record store I managed in Philly in the 1980s. But this album knocked me out. The Hooters always had a great sense of the history of rock and roll, but the band really stretched out to show it on this album. "Time Stand Still" is part Americana-meets Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp and totally Hooters. Non-fans will be intrigued and old fans should come back into the fold for this disc. Highly recommended. They don't play albums like this on the radio anymore...and that's a shame.