Customer Reviews

Wallflowers

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Radio and most music journalists seemed to turn collectively deaf ears to this great debut CD by The Wallflowers, led by Jakob Dylan. It's an earthy and heartfelt album that must have gotten lost in the thick, heavy haze of early 1990s guitar-rock grunge that dominated the scene at the time. Admittedly, this Wallflowers album couldn't be more different from Alice in Chains than Bob Dylan is from Iron Butterfly, but if you like your music with a laid-back feel, this one fits the bill.

There's an innocent charm to this down-to-earth album that will leave you scratching your head as to why Dylan went undiscovered until 1996 with Bringing Down the Horse. Surprisingly, the musicians who helped Dylan on this album are no longer part of the Wallflower camp, though their formidable skills are evident and appreciated throughout the CD, especially the organ and piano portions. Dylan chose a plethora of skilled musicians to further enhance his great songs. Like Tom Petty, Dylan knows his bread and butter lies in songs that convey a down-home folksy sound and sense that middle America can appreciate. Dylan is adept at capturing simple moods and personalities within his songs, usually at the expense of a girl he knew well. Other songs aren't so movingly personal. "Oh my God, they sold Hollywood," he deadpans on the quiet seven-minute gem "Hollywood," a song that would sound right at home in some big-city bar.

Half of these tunes hover or significantly surpass the five-minute mark, perhaps indicating these guys simply hit the record button and let things flow. If a hit lies anywhere here, it would be the more electric-sounding "Ashes to Ashes," a no-nonsense rocker reminiscent of John Cougar in his prime. "Asleep at the Wheel" is strong as well, a genuinely tender piece with a beautifully played acoustic guitar and Dylan's gruff vocals. It's the epitome of this album: heartfelt and purposely non-obtrusive. At nine minutes long, the relaxed "Honeybee" is one of those songs where you simply sit back and let the music engulf you. It contains fine lyrics sung softly, shimmering organ work, pretty piano and a rising crescendo that helps end the album on a dramatic note. The final song, "For the Life of Me," questions the validity of suicide as a means of escaping, an attitude that many "hip" artists at the time communicated, perpetuated and perhaps unknowingly embraced back in 1992, when this album was made.

The Wallflowers' debut successfully melded rock and country. Through his stories within songs, Dylan is similar to his father; his surrounding instruments and tunefulness suggest images of a newer Tom Petty; his serious demeanor and musical integrity recall John Mellencamp and even Eddie Vedder. Honestly, this album might even best its hugely successful follow-up. Though it lacks the million-dollar hit, it has a flow and connecting oneness that is hard to brush off. There's a looseness and organic feel to these songs, a sense of not trying to please anybody or sell six million albums. Nothing sounds too planned or overly rehearsed, which is the way an outstanding debut record should sound.

This debut album by The Wallflowers may confound some fans of their subsequent albums. Originally released in 1992, it did not sell well, and it was several years before Jakob Dylan returned with a revamped line-up of musicians to hit the big time with the breakthrough 2nd album, "Bringing Down The Horse". By that time he had tightened up the formula, updating the sound and reining in some of the excesses of the debut. The Wallflowers known to most of their fans make crisp, consise pop-rock songs, but this early incarnation of the band had a much more freewheeling, loose approach, with little apparent regard for radio-play or the trends of the day. The Wallflowers have always had a retro/classic rock sound, but on the later albums this is filtered through a modern-rock sensibility. Not so on the debut, which sounds like it could have come out in 1970. The songs are often quite long here - 3 of the 12 cuts clock in at 7 minutes or longer, and the average song length is almost 6 minutes. The shortest, "Shy Of The Moon", is the only one on the album that's less than 4 minutes, and not coincidentally, it's probably the only song that could have had any chance as a single. But unlike many long rock songs, they do not feel bloated, padded or stretched out needlessly. In fact, the 3 longest songs are arguably the best, all 3 of them managing to achieve a hypnotic groove that justifies the length. One reviewer said the album sounds like it was recorded in a garage, and I'd agree, as long as you can accept that sometimes that's a good thing. The band is loose without being sloppy, and the sound is direct, rootsy and organic, yet still very well recorded. In a lot of ways this album reminds me of Bruce Springsteen's debut, "Greetings From Asbury Park, New Jersey". Springsteen started out making a wild, sprawling, uncommercial record before learning to shorten the songs, rein in the manic lyrics and give his music a chance to be heard by a wide audience. The Wallflowers have had a similar evolution, and as much as I love their more popular later albums, I love their debut, too. Maybe more, in fact.

The debut of the legendaryworthy 'Flowers, is WELL worth getting. This album has it all, and it showcases beautifully the raw unbridled talent of the band at it's beginning. The songs on here are still begged for by fans at current concerts, they have and will stand the test of time.
You will NOT be dissapointed, at this beautifully crafted gem. Get it!! and tell everyone you know! :)

I've had this Cd for a while, and somehow I still manage to listen to the whole thing every day. To put it another way--I'm in love with it! The Wallflowers are my favorite band, and if you don't have this cd I seriously suggest you get it. Also, try their latest Cd, Bringing Down the Horse, which is also one of my favorite cds. Well actually, those two are my favorite cds!! Jakob Dylan has so much talent, and has managed to make quite a name for himself even after having to live under the shadow and expectancies of his father. With everything from the song "Ashes to Ashes" that makes you want to grab your air guitar, to Asleep At the Wheel (which also happens to be my favorite song on the album) I assure you you won't be disappointed. Here's proof of how much I listen to this Cd...if you turn the radio up all the way right after Shy of the Moon, you can hear the band talking! But beyond that, I think that this cd is an unbelieveable debut album, and I have no idea why it didn't do well. If you're into original roots rock without all the fluff and frills, this CD is definitely for you. If I could give it more than five stars, I would. Go out and get it NOW! You'll love it, I promise.

... and here's why. I love the Wallflowers, absolutely love them. And if you're probably like me, you fell in love with them during the time of "Bringing Down the Horse". It was one of my favorite albums ever. So naturally, when I found out they actually had a CD before Bringing, I rushed right out and got it. Unfortunately, this album may be by the Wallflowers but I can't say that it compares to "Bringing Down the Horse" or "Breach".

Here's why. There are three incredible songs on this CD that really make me think Wallflowers when I hear them- "Shy of the Moon", "Asleep at the Wheel", and "Honeybee". The rest of the songs may sound like Jakob Dylan, but (and being a Wallflowers fan, this isn't easy to say) Jakob's vocal timing on many of the songs is off, the guitar riffs are less than catchy, and the Wallflowers changed their organ/piano player for Jaffe after this album for good reason. I guess the best way to describe this album is that there are glimpses of talent and catchiness that would later result in "Bringing" and future albums, but the Wallflowers were still coming together as musicians and as a band, and this album shows it.

My recommendation: try to take a listen to some of the tracks before you get it. See if it is what you expected compared to Bringing and/or Breach. If your impression doesn't match up with my review, perhaps this album is for you.

After a debut like this, I'm surprised The Wallflowers really aren't more popular. These days, you just don't hear a lot of bands with an original, unique sound, so this was a very refreshing cd. Every element of the music seems perfected, which is somewhat rare for a debut. I highly recommend this and all Wallflowers cds!

This my third review of a wallflowers CD. I was lucky to find it at the store since the wallflowers aren't vary popular with the teenage fans in my town. In fact nobody at my school knows who they are. This Is a wonderful album that makes me wonder why they changed their style. It got the folk and down home roots that make an awesome combination. It almost sounds like songs that Bob Dylan would write. In fact my dad who is a Bob Dylan fan fell in love with CD and wanted to keep it for himself. With Jakob's trademark use of captivating lyrics and a more toned down band this has to be the best wallflowers CD.

I would highly recommend The Wallflowers. It has a much more classic sound to it than Bringing Down The Horse...it sounds like they recorded it in their garage, all playing together, than in a studio! The songs range from uplifting to heartbreaking. Shy of The Moon, Be Your Own Girl, After The Blackbird Sings, & For The Life of Me are the lighter songs. They balance with songs like Sugarfoot, Hollywood, Ashes To Ashes, Somebody Else's Money, and Honeybee, which are the darker songs on the album. All the rest are kind of in between. It is a long album, Honeybee is 9 minutes long! It's worth every dollar...like Bringing Down The Horse, it makes you think. My personal favorite is Sidewalk Annie, for Annie is my name... ;)

While it may be easy to compare Breach to Red Letter Days or Red Letter Days to Bringing Down the Horse, the debut album for the Wallflowers cannot be compared. It totally rocks, of course, (hello, it's the Wallflowers) but it's just different. Not bad different, not so different you can't tell this is Jacob, but it really is amazing in a completely different way. Songs like Shy of the Moon, After the Blackbird Sings and so on are so mindblowing I wish I'd wrote them. But the same can be said for their next three albums. Anyway, this is a great CD and a must for a Wallflowers fan, but don't expect it to be anything you've already heard.

I started listening to the wallflowers in 2000, when i got breach. i worked my way backwards from then, and when i got to 1992's "The Wallflowers" i said why didn't i get here sooner. J.D's rich vocals are a delight! with the crafty guitar work traded between Tobi miller and Jakob Dylan, and the frequent crescendos, this is something you can't miss. every song is great. this is also a very daring album. some of the songs, are so long. but they are good. believe me. get this. there are three daring albums of 1992-2003. COUNTING CROWS-ACROSS A WIRE, JOHN MAYER-ANY GIVEN THURSDAY and this album. the other two, most people don't release a double live album with only one or two major label releases. but The wallflowers, that's a different story. do yourself a favor and buy this album.