Customer Reviews

into the harbour

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SORRY FOR MY LANGUAGE IMPERFECTIONS,I AM FRENCH.....WHO IS LIVING

IN FRANCE....THIS NEW CD WILLN'T SURPRISE THE FAN, BUT THE QUALITY IS HERE.

GOOD CHOICE OF INSPIRATION:

"HAPPY" (ROLLING STONES),"HANG DOWN YOUR HEAD" (TOM WAITS), TEX MEX AND WILLY DEVILLE INFLUENCE ON "WHEN RITA LEAVES",ETC....

GOOD PERSONAL SONGS.....WITH RYTHM AND BLUES "TEMPO" OF COURSE FOR THE ESSENTIAL.

ALWAYS GOOD VOICE IN SPITE OF THE TRANSIT OF SEVERAL GLASSES OF COGNAC AND OTHERS....AND THE ASBURY JUKES AT THE TOP.

GOOD CD " TO CONSUME WITHOUT MODERATION "

JEAN-MARIE FROM BERGERAC/FRANCE

In 1975, when Bruce Springstreen created "Born to Run," he said he wanted to take the best of Bob Dylan and mix it with the Philadelphia Wall of Sound of Phil Spector. The Jersey Shore's best music has always done just that: combine good lyrics and the outstanding rock and roll of NYC with the absolute soul of Philadelphia. There is simply none better at this combination then Johnny Lyon (if you need proof, just listen to Southside's version of Bruce's "Hearts of Stone"). "Into the Harbour" is a marvelous combination of rock and roll and soul. Starting with the Mick Jagger, Keith Richards "Happy," the album moves to Waits "Hang Down Your Head." But, the best is Southside Johnnny and the Jukes at their soulful best. The 5 minute "Don't call me baby" along with the title cut may simply be the best (and most souful) vocal performances I have ever heard from John Lyon, from whatever band he has had. This album is a treat.

Call it arrogance or call it hubris; call it what you will. I'm going to start to proclaiming my total and utter bias for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. I grew up in Jersey and spent the 60s in and around Asbury Park. I worked a snack stand in Convention Hall which gained me access to shows by the Stones; The Who (opening for Herman's Hermits!); the DC5; Paul Revere and the Raiders and a slew of others.

I also hung around Mrs. Jay's Beer Garden which was hard by Mrs. Jay's Resaurant; the former was as rowdy and the latter was not. But, it was at Mrs. Jay's and The Wonder Bar and The Upstairs that one got to see the local talent.

"Yeah," you say, "blah, blah, blah; you saw The Boss and Southside and all the others. BFD! What does that have to do with "Into the Harbour?"

Nothing and everything.

One of the other reviewers mentioned how Jersey was a amalgam of styles from The City (New York for the rest of you folks) and Philly. That meant a collision between hard-edged rock 'n' roll and lush soul-flavored rhythm and blues. That's why The Young Rascals had to be born in Jersey.

This synthesis had its apotheosis along the Jersey Shore, where was always a warm summer night; you were hanging out with you pals and the atmosphere was electric with sexual tension. Nothing epitomizes this more than the music of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, a band that for some thirty years has played a challenging melange of self-penned and cover-versions of paeans to love found and love lost. It was real life.

While Bruce Springsteen went on the arenas and world-wide acclaim, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes worked for a living. They were a bar band. There were numerous personnel changes. Many of the band members had other jobs. But, they entity that is Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes continued.

"Into the Harbour" is - I hope - simply the latest installment for the band and a fine installment it is. Whether covering Keith Richards and Tom Waits or singing your heart out on an original piece, this album is a must have for any afficinado of the music or the band. There is a maturity in some of the material, a reflectiveness that is touching and endearing. This is particularly the case with the title cut, a allegorical soliloquy about life and love and how over time one comes to learn what really matters. BTW - the cover shot is the bridge over the Shrewsbury River connecting Atlantic Highlands and Sea Bright. Many have come home under this bridge, back to their famillies and what keeps them striving to provide for them.

Buy it!

Enjoy it!

"Into The Harbor" is a real treat for loyal Jukes fans and for those who are new to their incredible sound. Recognized as "The World's Greatest Bar Band", Johnny and the Jukes are far more than that. Johnny's voice is truly amazing and the Jukes are as good or better than any band this side of E Street. The horns are fabulous, the arrangements are first class and the songs are a cross-section of classic Jukes sounds. You'll enjoy all of the songs but three - "Into The Harbor", "Dancing On The Edge of the World", and "Hang Down Your Head" - are truly outstanding. This is a CD that stands the test of time and will be one more classic for Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes.

"Into the Harbor" is the 13th studio album by Southside Johnny, released 30 years after his debut with the Asbury Jukes. Those three decades featured an absolutely perfect, legendary album (Hearts of Stone), lots of others that were good to great, a few that were mediocre, and one that was truly awful (hey, it happens to every musician). It has been an interesting musical journey for those who've stuck it out, which in addition to the studio albums, has featured numerous live sets, EPs, contributions to movie soundtracks, TV show themes, commercials - you name it, Southside's done it. "Into the Harbor" is in some ways a look back and reflection over that journey, and end result is one of Southside's best and most consistent efforts that is just about as good as anything he's ever put out. The CD kicks off with the old Rolling Stones song "Happy" which gets the classic party, bar band, Jukes treatment. From there, the CD features songs that are reminiscent of that old Jukes feel , but also feature an evolution into a more mature and richer sound. While all the tracks are strong, the title song is the absolute standout (with honorable mention to "Dancing on the Edge of the World"). The song "Into the Harbor" is the best thing that Southside has ever written, and on it, in the persona of a sailor, he looks back over his many journeys as he heads home one last time. Clearly, the song is an analogy to Southside's own journey both as a musician and as a person, and is a track that all of us who are well into middle age can relate to. This is a wonderful listening experience - highly recommended.