Skip to main content

Jimmy Buffett - Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

Jimmy Buffett
To the "Parrotheads" and the youngsters known as a "Parakeets" I offer no offence and have nothing but respect for the departed Mister Buffett. He always seemed like a helluva guy and someone who knew how to keep his head up. He also seemed like the kind of guy you'd want to share a drink and laugh with.

For me, as one of the great unwashed, my knowledge of all things Buffett starts and ends with one song. You know the song. Do I have to write it out? Fine I'll write it out, but  I'll have to double check my spelling, but I'm hoping I get this right the first time.

"Margaritaville" there, are you happy?

I was in my early teens when the song had it's first run on the radio. Then slowly the song just worked it's way into popular culture, and it's sort of stayed there. At least as far as I can tell. I suppose the kids today may not know, but for decades now the song has been a constant in the repertoires of cover bands all over North America, and everybody knows enough of the words to sing along to the chorus. I'll be honest, it was never really my jam, but I also have to admit the song had a charm that was hard to describe. 

... and yes I do know how to play it.

For a guy generally thought of (by me, I guess I should qualify this) as a one hit wonder, there was certainly a lot more going on than I ever expected. I suppose if you run in a slightly different circle there's a whole world you get a chance to see. For a guy who seemed to come out of nowhere he'd been there the whole time. Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes was his seventh album, and it wouldn't be his last either. Over his career he managed to attain a level of success that's actually kind of staggering. With eight gold and nine platinum records that's a lot of precious metal. I really had no idea.

Oh, and he was smart with his money ... he may not have been related to Warren Buffett, but that didn't hold him back from becoming a billionaire ... yes, million with a B.

Listening to the Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes has been enthralling. Truly. Maybe I was just in the right mood as the sun was shining throw the window and the weather is warming up. Hearing the happy go lucky attitude to the songs combined with some great performances was too infectious to ignore.

The album sets the tone early, and there's really something special going on. It's not all soft rock with a hint of country. Although it really is a wonderful merging of tropical with country rock. The good old boys, or I guess more accurately, The Coral Reefer Band could really tear it up. "Tampico Trauma" is a great song, and along with the big guitars and riffage, the song added the kitchen sink with a string arrangement ... really. It's a killer track.

I wonder if Jimmy knew how special "Margaritaville" was when he was finished tracking the song. I wonder if there was a discussion about song order, where it was decided to just take the first side to set the mood, and spool out the line and wait a bit before reeling it in.

I was already hooked, well and truly hooked before flipping the record over. If by chance I hadn't been, the opening double stops that signify the opening sequence to "Margatiaville" would have set that hook firmly. Man, I don't know why I went with a fishing analogy ... I'll just stop. I'm just going to cut bait. 

Okay, now I'll stop.

I'm waving a you

The second side opens with the big hit, and honestly it's the reason I got the record. I'll also admit that while it's the earworm on the record, it isn't the best song on the album, which really surprised me. Oh, make no mistake without the song the record wouldn't feel the same, but it's the cherry on top. There are no weak songs or moments where I was impatiently waiting for the next song. It was a really, really good album. Now, I'll also be the first to admit that as much as I enjoyed this it scratched the itch. I'm sure I'd enjoy hearing more of his material, who knows maybe I'll find a copy of his greatest hits some day.

That would be cool.

To quote Steve Martin, "Well, I'm gonna go then, and I don't need any of this! I don't need this stuff, and I don't need you! I don't need anything, except this."


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Garfield - Strange Streets

I'd seen this before in the bin, but kept flipping through the stacks. I'd see it a few more times, each time stopping to look at it a little more. There was something kind of cool about the cover where the stylized Celtic knot had the dotted yellow line - it was a strange street for sure.  I pulled the record out of the jacket and I was struck by the centre image. There was the familiar Mercury label, the same one I'd seen a thousand times on BTOs Head On album. Well, I'd bought things based on odd associations before - like when I had to buy anything that Solid Rock Records released (this was generally a good thing) who knows maybe this was a hidden gem. There weren't any real scratches or rash, just a lot of dirt and dust - it seemed to clean up okay, but we'll see how it goes. The album opens with the title track, and this wasn't straight ahead pop, or rock. It was leaning to the progressive, but with a pop bent. Oddly enough the vocals reminded me of Mi...

Hoodoo Gurus - Mars Needs Guitars!

The first time I got this album it was a gift from my old roommate Otto. For a goofy little nebbish he would occasionally surprise me with some left of field musical treasures. Although, I still think he was reaching a little when he brought home the new "Led Zeppelin" album by Kingdom Come and forced me to listen to "Get it On" over and over again.  I'd not listened to Mars Needs Guitars in a long, long, long time. The first thing that I jumped out at me was how David Faulkner's vocals reminded me of his fellow countryman Peter Garrett from Midnight Oil. I think the reason this never occurred to me was at the time I didn't have any Midnight Oil until Diesel and Dust in 1987. I'm not saying it was all the time, but there were a couple of songs where it stood out. Not a bad thing, just a thing. Even at the time this felt slightly out of step with what was going on in 1985. It seemed like everyone was using drum machines and synthesizers and having t...

Saturday Night Fever - The Original Movie Soundtrack

It was going to happen sooner or later. Nostalgia is a cruel Mistress...she can dull the sharpest edges and over time can even soften the hardest of opinions. I found this in the dollar bin, and frankly at a dollar I was worried about what this would cost me. Not only from a monetary perspective, but my time, and more important my credibility. Fourteen year old me was screaming "Don't you dare. DON'T DO IT! Put it down. Walk away!" Then there was grey bearded me holding it and looking at it, thinking, "How bad could it be? I actually kind of like "Staying Alive" and me buying this record won't bring disco back, and no one will have to know I bought this." I pulled the album out of the bin, and carefully took out the records. They'd seen better days, and there were a couple of decent scratches that would no doubt make their presence known later. The jacket was in decent condition, and both of the albums had the original sleeves. I dusted the...