Well said, Kevin. This came out at the end of my junior year in college and I didn't catch up with it until many years later. It's a timeless record, and man, that band!
Hiatt is a guilty pleasure of mine, starting with "Riding with the King" and this album and "Slow Turning" (the next one). This is when he really found his voice. He's a roots rocker who writes more clever lyrics than most. I understand why he tried to be Elvis Costello or Graham Parker, but he really hit paydirt when he moved past that in the late 80s. And yes, I'm sure getting sober helped too.
Most welcome. I really loved this in the days when rock music meant everything to me (sadly, I’m now becoming the old droog I always swore I’d never be, the one who never listens). I’m pulling it out now to listen.
I'm bout to give this a listen, as I'm largely unfamiliar with his work. Aside from the ones you mentioned that have been covered so widely, I mean. I'll come back and let you know what I think.
This was quite a satisfying listen! The first song pulls you in and perfectly sets the tone for the rest of it. In fact, I added it to my Spotify playlist of Super Good Album Openers. Overall, perfect length, good balance of emotions throughout, and everything flows together smoothly. Thanks for the recommendation!
I’ve been lucky to see him live twice ~ once at an outdoor venue in Detroit when he opened for Little Feat (post-Lowell George, of course) and outshone them; and once at the Birchmere, in Alexandria, VA, a much more intimate space. He told good stories and put on a great show.
Nice! I've only seen him play once, and it was in a mid-size theater. He tore the roof off the place, but I'd like to see him in a more intimate space as well.
Indeed it has!
An amazing album and one of my faves. Back when I recorded mix tapes , "Have A Little Faith In Me" was on every single one! Thanks for sharing, Kevin.
You bet! i'm glad you enjoyed it.
Well said, Kevin. This came out at the end of my junior year in college and I didn't catch up with it until many years later. It's a timeless record, and man, that band!
Right? It's a heckuva lineup.
I was just building my first “audiophile” system, and I loved putting this LP on to wow my friends-a perfect record!
It's a great one for test driving any new set up!
Hiatt is a guilty pleasure of mine, starting with "Riding with the King" and this album and "Slow Turning" (the next one). This is when he really found his voice. He's a roots rocker who writes more clever lyrics than most. I understand why he tried to be Elvis Costello or Graham Parker, but he really hit paydirt when he moved past that in the late 80s. And yes, I'm sure getting sober helped too.
100%. And I'm glad you mentionmed his clever lyrics-- that's something that often gets lost in the discussion.
Most welcome. I really loved this in the days when rock music meant everything to me (sadly, I’m now becoming the old droog I always swore I’d never be, the one who never listens). I’m pulling it out now to listen.
One of the little known value adds of On Repeat: Making readers feel young again. :)
I'm bout to give this a listen, as I'm largely unfamiliar with his work. Aside from the ones you mentioned that have been covered so widely, I mean. I'll come back and let you know what I think.
Please do!
This was quite a satisfying listen! The first song pulls you in and perfectly sets the tone for the rest of it. In fact, I added it to my Spotify playlist of Super Good Album Openers. Overall, perfect length, good balance of emotions throughout, and everything flows together smoothly. Thanks for the recommendation!
Right on! I'm glad you liked it.
Thx Kevin. He's one of those guys I knew about but hadn't listened to much.
What I took away here was "8th album" and "return to form" so I'm starting with the 1st album :)
Kind of a Randy Newman meets Leon Russell vibe.
You're in for a great ride! Let me know what you think once you;ve had a chance to listen to them.
Great album and I would hope all of my writing is that "rough."
Thank you!!
I’ve been lucky to see him live twice ~ once at an outdoor venue in Detroit when he opened for Little Feat (post-Lowell George, of course) and outshone them; and once at the Birchmere, in Alexandria, VA, a much more intimate space. He told good stories and put on a great show.
Nice! I've only seen him play once, and it was in a mid-size theater. He tore the roof off the place, but I'd like to see him in a more intimate space as well.
Might I humbly suggest:
https://bookshop.org/lists/have-a-little-faith-the-john-hiatt-story?
And I’ve written extensively on this album in particular.
https://themixtape.substack.com/p/from-the-archive-35-years-of-bring
Happy to meet fellow Hiatt fans!
Right on! Thanks for the links.