It seems that a lot of you epinionators like to deal in nostalgia, so I decided to join in. Now I'm not going to concentrate as much on albums as I am on songs. You know, those songs that really grabbed you for two weeks or two months or more. The songs that you just couldn't get enough of and you had to play over and over and over and over .......... and still you never got sick of them. The ones you had on vinyl but you went back and bought again on CD if it was available and probably never played much - it was dated - just to know you had the best copy of it that you could get. And the funny thing is most of the time the song wasn't even by one of your favorite artists.
I intend to do reviews on the albums that contain such songs, ones that I am able to remember. The rating for the album may not be that good(in many cases that was the only good song) but to me the songs are TEN STARS.
I'm going to call this series My Musical Fixations. They will not be coming out in a steady stream as I am working on current projects as well but I promise to do better than Steven King has in his Gunslinger/The Dark Tower series .
I'm starting with Jude Cole because I just ordered a used copy of Start the Car from Half.com for one of those songs It Comes Around. For those of you who are not familiar with Jude Cole, here is a short bio taken from AMG
(Jude Coles Official Site was down for maintenance):
"Jude Cole joined the British power pop band the Records in 1980, after their first album was released; he stayed with them for one album. After a few years, Cole re-emerged with his own solo record, 1987's Jude Cole, which was a much slicker, mainstream-oriented affair than any of the Records' records, yet it did have its charm; unfortunately, it was ignored. That was not the case with his second album, 1990's A View From 3rd Street, which had a bona fide hit single with the sweet, yearning "Baby, It's Tonight." Another single from the album went Top 40, as Cole enjoyed a surprise success. Although he wasn't able to repeat his success with the follow-up, it was another solid album of mainstream pop/rock, full of shiny hooks and sleek, memorable melodies." Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Jude Cole's music falls into the adult contemporary rock field. I would describe Coles style as a cross between two greats, Bruce Springsteen, sans the horns, and John Cougar Mellencamp. One could also make a case for influences from other greats, Southside Johnny and Tom Petty.
Now to my song! It Comes Around first came to my attention through the radio(At that time I liked the music on the radio), but of course the DJ never gave the song name or the artist. This happened a few times so I called the station and talked with the DJ. Once armed with knowledge of the artist and song title I headed to the local record store and purchased same. I was so enamored with this song that I even tried to memorize the words. It was fruitless because I cannot remember lyrics. I sure lots of people would not think this song is anything special but it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was the right song by the right singer at the right time. Coles singing by the way is very good, kind of folksy a tad country. The music also is heartland style, ala Mellencamp, and it sticks in your head until something else knocks it out. The song is apparently about some very attractive lady who goes to the big city seeking fame and fortune as told ostensibly by a childhood sweetheart. The lovely lady apparently makes it big but she's still not fulfilled and seems troubled which leads to drinking and ?
LYRICS to It Comes Around
Poetry and angels
Flowers and perfume
You fill your house with pretty things
Pretty things hide the bitter truth
Well there's a fire on the mountain
Burning out of control
And you're standing at the top now
With nowhere left to go
So lock your doors up tight
And say a prayer tonight
You know it's hard to keep the demons down
When it comes around
In the darkness of your room
While you're drinking to your past
And living your cartoon
Deep down in the gutter they're calling your name
One day it comes around
You were such a pretty woman
Those were the days
One thing's for sure in this town, baby
Being pretty pays
All the fame and riches
Gonna turn out to be fool's gold
When you look to find shelter in the ones you bought and sold
So sad, so alone
It cuts right to the bone
When you find out how it feels to hit the ground
When it comes around
In the darkness of your room
While you're drinking to your past
And living your cartoon
Deep down in the gutter they're calling your name
One day it comes around
Turn it off man, I've seen too much
You better look over your shoulder honey
You're losing your touch
Deep down in the gutter or up on the stage
One day it comes around
It comes around and around and around
[ Solo ]
So lock your doors up tight
Say a little prayer tonight
You know it's hard to keep the demons down
When it comes around
In the darkness of your room
While you're drinking to your past
And living your cartoon
Deep down in the gutter they're calling your name
One day it comes around
Turn it off man, I've seen too much
You better look over your shoulder honey
You're losing your touch
Deep down in the gutter or up on the stage
One day it comes around
Is this a Great song or what?
If You've enjoyed this review here are the links to my other FIXATIONS:
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.