Barometer Soup

Jimmy Buffett

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 1, 1995)
• Original Release Date: August 1, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mca Nashville
• ASIN: B000002OWD
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,019 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Folk > Singer-Songwriters

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One more, comin right up..., August 8, 2001

By	spiral_mind (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Picking up a new Jimmy Buffett album is like going to a favorite restaurant or hitting a nice vacation spot. Though the quality may vary, you're pretty sure what to expect. And when you find a good one it's something you remember and return to for a while. This time Jimmy and friends also decided to turn to some of their favorite authors for inspiration; in among the usual sun-and-surf lines there are shades of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mark Twain and Carl Hiaasen among others.

Musically Barometer Soup won't be a huge surprise to.. well, anyone. You've heard this stuff before. Steel drums, tropical melodies, motifs that conjure pictures of beaches, boats and fruity drinks with those annoyingly cute little umbrellas in them. Read any of the other Buffett reviews on the site and you'll see all the same things. So then, no big changes.. and of course there are some silly moments. The seven-deadly-sins bridge in "Bank of Bad Habits." The chorus of "Don-Chu Know." "Jimmy Dreams" can't help seeming a little self-indulgent, but it can be charming in its own way. Ah, but there are some great highlights as well: the wistful "Barefoot Children," the singalong title track, and especially the kicking cover of "Mexico" (check the reworked intro, which is simply marvelous). It's these moments that raise this album a little above the level of, say, Fruitcakes. For a consistently strong album you can try one of the live releases (if you don't mind still more versons of "Volcano" and "Margaritaville.") Among Jimmy's 'regular' albums, close to 40 strong by now, there are a few that stand out from the others: Changes in Latitudes, One Particular Harbour.. and make sure not to miss Barometer Soup.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Factual fictions, fictional facts, December 6, 2000

By	Beau Yarbrough (Hesperia, CA) - See all my reviews

I'll add my voice to the chorus of praise here for this album -- "Barometer Soup" is the best of modern Buffett, hands down.

But the reason why, in my opinion, hasn't been stated yet: This time around, Jimmy is writing and recording songs inspired by the works of artists inspired by Key West. We get a bit of Mark Twain, a bit of Ernest Hemingway, a bit of Carl Hiassen, and a sprinkling of others. "Barometer Soup" marks a return to Jimmy's storytelling songs, which have dwindled in recent years. His cover of "Mexico" may be what got (some) radio airplay, but it's songs like "Remittance Man" and "Ballad of Skip Wiley" that will stick with you.

("Ballad of Skip Wiley," incidentally, got me to check out the books of Carl Hiassen, whom I learned about from the liner notes. No Buffett fan should pass up checking out Hiassen's work, which is sharp, funny and very in tune with Parrothead thinking. Great stuff.)

The songs, while almost all stories, range in tone from wistful and romantic to high-spirited fun. You'll find yourself singing along with the album and, as I did, cracking a book or two to see what inspired the men who inspired the man who inspired the Parrotheads.

"Barometer Soup" is one of Jimmy's best.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have !, September 6, 1999

By A Customer

In the harbor of Avalon, in the early evening, you can hear the faint music of Jimmy Buffett floating through and around the boats. In most cases, the music tends to come from this CD. Barometer Soup, Lage Nom Ai, Don't Chu-Know, and Mexico are popular dancing tunes here. Thank you Jimmy, for so adequately portraying the island life in your music.