Customer Reviews

You Had to Be There

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is one of my favorite Buffett albums. I originally purchased this one in 12" vinyl and am happy that it's still available to parrotheads everywhere in the much more durable CD form. This album has a little bit of everything. It includes party favorite and parrothead theme "Margaritaville", in addition to well-loved ballads such as "A Pirate Looks at Forty" and "Come Monday". This was the first Buffett album, to my knowledge, to feature the mysterious "lost verse" of "Margaritaville". Having listened to this album for so long, I was surprised to hear that the verse had ever been lost. To me, it's always been right here! Curious? Add this album to your collection and you'll enjoy more than just the extra lyrics. The double-live album includes some lesser-heard gems such as "God's Own Drunk" and "Wonder Why We Ever Go Home". Taped in Atlanta, Georgia, and Miami, Florida, this is a MUST for natives of both areas. True to form, Jimmy makes each of his audiences feel like his favorites, throwing in lyrics that personalize the show. Studio recordings can never parallel the excitement and spontaneity of a live performance, so if you haven't made a show yet, be sure to check out this album. Also included is a liner note from Jimmy himself, relating some amusing anecdotes from the many days of Coral Reefer madness. This recording covers ground from Paris to Nassau, from the silly to the sublime. For the first-timer or long-time fan, this is a wonderful mix of a little of everything Jimmy Buffet has to offer. It is truly a MUST for any collection.

For those of you who think the real thing is the antiseptic, sanitized version who's been raking in the cash since the mid-80's, this is the disc that will change your mind. This is how it was in Jimmy's creative heyday. Every concert a for-real party with plenty of recreational stimulants and rum for all. Jimmy cleaned up his act as the '80's rolled along, and with the cleaning went a lot of the life. Creatively he's never really come close to the early days, and his concerts are so dull that he depends on the crowd to make their own show, with his music as the soundtrack. This isn't all bad, as it means Jimmy is still with us, but now he's punching the clock for a paycheck more than leading the party.

The mark of any great release is when you buy it as different mediums come out. I first bought this on album. And it was great! But I wanted to listen to it in my car, so I bought the cassette. And I've had this release in cd for almost forever now.

Whenever the world stressses me out too much, I'll put this cd in. Suddenly, I get the urge to go to the beach, wear flip flops, eat oysters and enjoy a cold beer. Or six. I want to smell coconut butter sun tan lotion and feel the salt air against my face. I want to put on an old bathing suit. I want to taste rum. "You Had To Be There" puts me in a great mood!

Ah! those were the days. Buffett was in top form on this concert album, culled mostly from a 1978 performance at the Fox Theatre. He always knew how to get an audience into his songs, and here he has the playful banter to go along with the songs you should know by heart if you are a Buffett fan, ranging from "A Pirate Looks At Forty" to "Margaritaville." But, it is the extended version of "God's Own Drunk" which stands out on this album. Although I've been told, Buffett later had some legal wranglings over the song, which is why it doesn't appear on "Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads." For me, this is the CD set to get, over 100 minutes of Buffett live and unplugged, playing off a raucous crowd and loving every minute of it.

After listening to this its hard to listen to studio versions.

When I heard that Fingers Taylor and Mac MacAnaly would not be with the Coral Reefer Band this summer because of Corporate Jimmy, I shed a tear. Then I popped in this album. This is Jimmy at his best back in the day before the "Parrothead" phenomenon, the money and the sponsors.

The tracks that really stand outon this album are Wonder Why We Ever Go Home, Pirate Looks at 40 and even Margaritaville, but just about all Jimmy's older hits appear here.

The whole album is full of intimate intros and outros and there seems to be a real comradery between Jimmy and the audience, one of the distinct differences in Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. This is a mellow album that reall eases the listener into Jimmy's music.

... but I still recommend Feeding Frenzy!

If you are a Parrothead and don't have this in your collection, you need to resign. This is the ultimate Buffett collection! Sale the car, sell the house, and sell the kids , I don't care. Buy this one! Just don't sell the boat and hang on to the blender. You're gonna need them. This one has cool versions of the best tunes Bubba does. Margaritaville (of course), God's Own Drunk, A Pirate Looks at Forty, Come Monday, as well as Morris' Nightmare, and Perrier Blues. Great monologues and a great sound. Definately worth the bucks! And this coming from a real Parrothead. Take my word for it.

Far superior to his Feeding Frenzy concert CD, You Had To Be There is the quintessence of Jimmy's concert experience. Classic versions of "Margaritaville," "Changes...," and "Pirate," are interspersed with other great songs and stories. Much rawer in content, this was Jimmy at his best.

I went to high school in South Florida in the late 70's and JB is the soundtrack from that part of my life. My love of the ocean, Caribbean and sailing is all tied up in this music. I owned this album on vinyl and it is still one of my favorites. I haven't seen a JB concert in some years but this captures the concerts I used to attend in Ft. Lauderdale with my buddies. I agree with the other reviews that say this is his best live recording. It is very intimate and although I own the studio versions of all these songs I prefer the live versions of "Wonder Why We Ever Go Home", "Tampico Trauma" and "Grapefruit, Juicy-Fruit". The cultural references like the "Holiday Inn full of Coneheads" take me back to long summers and the "Yankee Clipper" beach...

Yes, this cd is kind of pricey, BUT it is WELL WORTH THE $. Your Buffett collection is not complete without this cd. If you're going to be stranded on a deserted island with just a cd player and one (okay, two) cd(s) to have, THIS is THE one to have! If you ever, or you've never been to a Buffett concert/party this cd will bring back the great memories and make you wish for next summer to see Jimmy & The Coral Reefers again! All the songs are superb. "God's own drunk" and "Grapefruit (juicy fruit)" are classics. Great versions of "Margaritaville" and "Son of a son of a sailor".