Customer Reviews

Wait Till The Morning

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I agree with the earlier reviewer who said the guitar solo on Island of Jewels is great. I think I would go so far as to say it is THE best guitar solo I know of. Along with Island Of Jewels, At A Turtle's Pace and All Along The Watchtower are also very good, but I feel that a number of the other tracks are weak. I have several of their vinyl EPs, and I'm glad that the songs I liked best (those mentioned above) are included on the CD. I learned of Winter Hours around the same time I learned of O Positive, and I feel they are somewhat similar -- some very good songs, but not very consistent in quality (O Positive was perhaps more consistently good, but they still can't touch Island Of Jewels' guitar solo!).

This of course is actually 2 of their original albums on one cd.
Lush and gorgeous from the lyrical content to the music itself
to the mood of this recording -- I was greatly moved when I first
bought it back in the 80s and am still moved by it all these years later. Truly one of the most underrated bands of their era, as well as any era, Winter Hours touched those who wanted to listen, wanted to hear what "popular" music was capale of being, doing. I used to think it was unfortunate Winter Hours never got the audience due them, but now I am almost thankful, as it has become nearly a private moment, a warm secret that is mine, just mine. I don't know what the guys are doing these
days, if they remained in the music scene or not, but for a little while, in my impressionable early twenties, they give me
a reason to believe in all things beautiful. Thank you, guys.

Winter Hours is one of my favorite bands, even 10 years aftertheir breakup. This is definitely one of their best works. It's ashame that the rest of their amazing catalogue is not in print! Bob Perry has continued as a solo artist and his work is really great.

I saw this band perform in the Boston area numerous times in the mid-to-late '80s. They have a terrific, melodic jangly sort of sound, very typical of that time period. The singer had/has the best pure voice I have ever heard in rock and roll.

This is a very good if uneven album. I happen to think that "Island of Jewels" is one of the most beautfiful rock songs ever written...the lyrics are poignant and self-examining, and the extended guitar-work soars like nothing else I've ever heard (with the possible exception of the hypnotic, repetitive riff at the end of the live version of U2's "Bad"). Just this song alone makes the album worth buying.

The rest of the album is also good, although some tracks are forgettable.

I wish I could find other stuff released by these guys; I seem to recall a song or album entitled "Smoke Rings"...

I did not have the pleasure of seeing the band when they were togeher, but I did have the pleasure of becoming friends with singer Joesph Marques. A great singer and intelligent man. If you like these guys you'll love new bands like Wide Load Joad!

I used to live in Connecticut, and like one of the previous reviewers, I had the pleasure of seeing Winter Hours perform several times in the mid-1980's (the club was called the Grotto and was in New Haven). These tracks were culled from 2 EP's they put out back then on vinyl. It's really pretty and rocks at the same time. They had a jangly, 2 guitar sound that was very popular back then in the wake of R.E.M.'s success. The singer was excellent - great voice. Highly recommended for any one into bands like R.E.M. back in the 80's.

Very simply, a must have for everyone who knows anything about great music. Put on your list of CD's to have forever.

This is a sample of a number of Winter Hours' earlier releases. It is a shame they are not a household name. They preceded the success of bands like Hootie and the Blowfish and DMB but surpass them in almost every other way.

Most good modern rock and roll music. I've been an acolyte of this band since I first heard them on NYC-area college radio around 1984, on once-fine stations like WNYU FM and WRHU Hosftra
and WBAU FM Adelphi University (now defunct!) where later I even sat in and did some radio and training for same as a volunteer and student. Hearing that lead singer Joseph Marques passed on last summer was yet another awful disaster in a year
(so far, half a decade maybe) of too much of such bad news. When this band broke up I was sad enough, but hearing that Joe died was far worse. And with him died perhaps
(I really hope I'm wrong) really good, bracing, adventurous,
well-written and intelligent post-punk rock music. I was a huge R.E.M. and 10,000 Maniacs fan in the 80s and I still value Winter Hours' music WAY ABOVE both of those bands' earlier output. That's the esteem that I still hold this band in, it was a magic time when I first heard the opening chords of "Hyacinth Girl" on the radio in 1984 and was stopped literally in my tracks by the sound this band made...it still sounds magic to me now. I don't hear magic like this very often these days, though I always hope for some like this band released regularly for about seven years. Most of today's bands wouldn't even have the faintest clue how to write a song half as good as anything on this CD, and that's not a positive reflection on where they're mainly at at all. You could say some of this sounds dated, the production isn't always great (early stuff was done on a budget like many indie records) but the music holds up for the most part. And in 50 years' time it will be holding up a LOT better than most of the sheer worthless, soulless trash on the radio and in the stores now. With the decline of bands like Winter Hours, college radio declined apace, it became overly commercial and formatted. But this CD will serve to remind us of a time when turning to left of the dial was never more exciting and mind-expanding and just plain rockin'. I know Michael Carlucci of the band and he's
still very proud of what they did, and well he should be.
Winter Hours's music will stand the test of time, it already has and it's been what, twenty years? Buy this if you have any taste in indie rock whatsoever, you won't regret it. This CD
will stay in rotation for a very long time. p.s. Winter Hours' Bob Perry has a fabulous recent solo album out now Light Fuse, Get Away which is available here on Amazon, get that too, it's really a great uplifting, folk-alt. country rock album.

Simply a great CD debut by a band that was done in by the 80s gloss.

Sadly, Joseph Marques Rodriguez, lead singer of Winter Hours, passed away on June 28th, 2003.

That said, you can now get "These Familiar Places" a 2-CD compliation of all the WH EPs and albums (many available on CD for the first time), with three previously unreleased tracks, is now available....