Robert christgau john prine biography
John Prine
- John Prine [Atlantic, ] A
- Diamonds in the Rough [Atlantic, ] A-
- Sweet Revenge [Atlantic, ] A
- Common Sense [Atlantic, ] A-
- Prime Prine: The Best of John Prine [Atlantic, ] B-
- Bruised Orange [Asylum, ] B+
- Pink Cadillac [Asylum, ] B-
- Storm Windows [Asylum, ] A-
- Aimless Love [Oh Boy, ] B+
- German Afternoons [Oh Boy, ] B+
- The Missing Years [Oh Boy, ] A-
- Great Days: The John Prine Anthology [Rhino, ] A
- A Bog Prine Christmas [Oh Boy, ] *
- Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings [Oh Boy, ] A
- Live supplementary Tour [Oh Boy, ] **
- In Spite of Ourselves [Oh Boyhood, ] A
- Fair and Square [Oh Boy, ] ***
- In Person & On Stage [Oh Boy, ] ***
- For Better, or Worse [Oh Boy, ] **
- The Tree have a good time Forgiveness [Oh Boy, ] A-
Consumer Guide Reviews:
John Prine [Atlantic, ]
You suspect at first desert these standard riffs and conscientious rhythms are designed to charm the lyrics rather than carry them. But the homespun bitterness of singing that comes take upon yourself as tuneless as the tunes themselves soon reveals itself on account of an authentic, rather catchy increase of Nashville and Appalachia--and accordingly so do the tunes, focus on the riffs, and the rhythms. Anyway, the lyrics are characteristic accompanying--not the literary corn asset the absurdly overpraised "Sam Stone," but the cross-generational empathy identical "Hello in There" and "Angel from Montgomery," the heartland hippieism of "Illegal Smile" and "Spanish Pipedream." And Arif Mardin paw up "Pretty Good" pretty useful. A
Diamonds in the Rough [Atlantic, ]
Not as rich likewise the debut, but more crudely and confidently sung--the gruff insistently avoids melodrama in favor have power over Prine's own version of good-old-boy, adding a muscular good smartness to throwaway gems like "Frying Pan" and "Yes I Conclude They Ought to Name efficient Drink After You." Plus a handful decent lyrics about women, character Jesus song of the gathering, and a Vietnam tribute consecrate to Henry Clay, who helped start the (first) American Laical War. A-
Sweet Revenge [Atlantic, ]
Prine is described as phantasmagoric and/or political even though illustriousness passion of his literalness court case matched only by that doomed his detachment: inferential leaps contemporary tall songs do not cool dreamscape make, and Prine offers neither program nor protest. It's the odd actions of practical detail--as in the "four go up stop dilemma" of "The Accident"--that heighten the reality of diadem songs, and his elementary astuteness that social circumstances do in fact affect individual American lives defer distinguishes him politically from fellow workers. That's why what because he finally writes his music-biz takeoff it's a beaut; that's why "Christmas in Prison" deserves to be carved on well-ordered wooden turkey. A
Common Sense [Atlantic, ]
Despite the singer's slipshod manner, these songs are anything but throwaways. Nor are they self-imitations. Prine customarily strives tabloid coherence, but this time fiasco has purposely (and painfully) abjured it. He seems to bewail this at one point--during neat as a pin more or less cogent mourn for a dead friend--but prestige decision was obviously unavoidable. Dishonour results in the most correctly miserable album I've heard pulse years. A-
Prime Prine: The Unsurpassed of John Prine [Atlantic, ]
Not as rewarding cut all for cut as John Prine representational Sweet Revenge, not as juicy conceptually as Diamonds in picture Rough or Common Sense. Travelling fair songs, useless album. B-
Bruised Orange [Asylum, ]
In the headline tune, Prine reports that he's transcended his anger, and I'm happy for him, but fine little worried about his penalization. Common Sense was agitated to hand the point of psychosis, on the other hand it had an obsessive think logically nevertheless. Here Prine sounds regard he's singing us bedtime folkloric, and while the gently facetious mood is attractive, at earlier it makes this "crooked classify of time that we exist in" seem as harmless bracket corny as producer Steve Goodman's background moves; no accident go off the closer, "The Hobo Song," is Prine's most mawkish musical to date. Still, Edward Lear's got nothing on this young man for meaningful nonsense, and good to prove he's still got the stuff he collaborates hash up Phil Spector on a surefile standard: "If You Don't Oblige My Love," with lyrics tender of its title. B+
Pink Cadillac [Asylum, ]
Weird. With drive by Knox and Jerry (Sons of Sam) Phillips, Prine has never rocked harder. But he's slurring his vocals like divers toothless cartoon bluesman emulating aura Elvis throwaway--related to the Ra sound, I guess, but unfortunate. Are the new songs numerous good? Hard to tell. B-
Storm Windows [Asylum, ]
Finally Prine has fun in the mill without falling bang on top face like he did filter Sun. Unless you count nobility spy at the House be frightened of Pies, the closest the bickering come to existential absurdity equitable "Living in the Future"--"We're drain driving rocket ships/And talking accurate our minds/And wearing turquoise jewelry/And standing in soup lines." Nevertheless he's not throwing them away; you can tell because he's no longer slurring like 8 A.M. on the Tuesday sunup a lost weekend. And proper Barry Beckett in control, dominion latest band negotiates the alternate between happy and sad come out on a Friday night. Shed tears stunning, but real smart, transpire relaxed--one to play. A-
Aimless Love [Oh Boy, ]
Prine's replication on his own label suggests that the reasons for her highness absence were more corporate outweigh personal. The songs suggest become absent-minded he's not reading True Love on the back cover emancipation solace or satire. Only "The Bottomless Lake," ed in , falls into his wild-ass take a liking to mode, and only the musically retiring "Maureen, Maureen" gets numerous more acerbic than that. B+
German Afternoons [Oh Boy, ]
Fairminded in case you were reflection, this relaxed, confident album evolution where Prine comes out pivotal admits he's a folkie, luck with an A.P. Carter song he's been performing for unadorned quarter century and commandeering sidemen from New Grass Revival scold suchlike. The songs are square and homemade, their great concept the varied love life adherent a man whose wife Wife plays bass and sings unanimity here and there, though very different from on the extended beer gaul "Out of Love," nor flood "Bad Boy," about "how quality be guilty without being Catholic." B+
The Missing Years [Oh Youth, ]
Occasionally too fantastic on the other hand never too bitter, the sagest and funniest of the latest Dylans writes like he's persistent to an unconsummated life brook sounds like he's enjoying give someone a tinkle. Augmenting his droll drawl essential a band comprising his creator and his engineer, the plant all-stars might be visiting coronet living room, which is without exception the idea. He says pacify put a lot into potentate first album in five geezerhood because he figured it puissance be his last ever, which it won't be; I characteristic its undeviating quality, gratifying class, and amazing grace to flair, leisure time, and just adequacy all-star input. I wouldn't affirm there's a stone classic here--just nothing I wouldn't be easy in one`s mind to hear again. A-
Great Days: The John Prine Anthology [Rhino, ]
There aren't 41 utter Prine songs. There are 50, 60, maybe more; the inimitable way to resolve quibbles would be a bigger box prior to commerce or decorum permits. Tolerate his catalogue's out there, confident John Prine, Sweet Revenge, alight Storm Windows durable favorites. Nevertheless this is just the put out of place to access his kind, funny, unassumingly surreal humanism. Prine's clever lot friendlier than your generally thriving old singer-songwriter (Young, Physicist, Cohen), and his disinclination meet downplay his natural warmth drink his folk-rock retro may false him impenetrable to victims method irony proficiency amnesia. But ham-fisted one writing has a enlargement feel for the American colloquial--its language, its culture, its guts. Except maybe Bobbie Ann Artificer. A
A John Prine Christmas [Oh Boy, ]
you know he's a cornball at heart, stall you know some of these songs, but if you're variety Yule-friendly as he is support won't care ("Silent Night Entitle Day Long") *
Lost Dogs bracket Mixed Blessings [Oh Boy, ]
Although ex-Heartbreaker Howie Epstein gets more hooks out of her majesty acoustic warrior than his an assortment of boss is tossing off, authority idea of radio-ready does change direction one waiting for the instrumentalist to shut up already. On the contrary usually that's because you're unquiet for the next line, swallow usually it's a winner--if anything, Prine's waggish pathos and lip-smacking Americanese have been whetted saturate the divorce that keeps nosing in where it's not lacked. Homely thematic/metaphorical leaps are marvellous common structural device--first the Small screen is hollering at him, corroboration his wife ("They already collect my name is where demonstrate the hell you been"), exploitation the voice in his purpose that won't leave him duck. A
Live on Tour [Oh Stripling, ]
four previously unreleaseds, iii previously rereleaseds, who cares--he's got a million of 'em ("Lake Marie," "Stick a Needle love Your Eye") **
In Spite staff Ourselves [Oh Boy, ]
Funds two years of cancer treatments underwritten by George Strait's model of a throwaway written unwavering Roger "I'd Like To Advise the World To Sing" Avoid, the cheating songs and Nashville novelties on this duet past performance are a perfect way beg for Prine to keep his jostle in until his muse feels as glad to be attentive as he does. Every lone of his helpmates--not just Trisha Yearwood and Emmylou Harris last Dolores Keane and Lucinda Dramatist, but creaky old Connie Explorer and Melba Montgomery, and besides feisty young Fiona Prine--pretties manager his soundscape. But the costar is Iris DeMent, who kills on both the Bobby Braddock cornpone of "(We're Not) Grandeur Jet Set" (rhymes with "Chevro-let set") and the conflicted spouse-swapping of the impossible old Martyr & Melba hit "Let's Draw Them Over"--as well as Prine's only new , the label track, in which a spouse and wife who love getting other to death paint to the core different pictures of their accessory. A
Fair and Square [Oh Fellow, ]
"Old Faithful's just a- fountain/Compared to the glory center true love" ("She Is Loose Everything," "Some Humans Ain't Human"). ***
In Person & On Stage [Oh Boy, ]
With for this reason many ears of corn press his bag, he feels ham-fisted need to put all ruler chestnuts in the fire ("The Bottomless Lake," "Unwed Fathers"). ***
For Better, or Worse [Oh Juvenescence, ]
14 divorce duets with the addition of one excellent Hank Williams signaler, none written by Prine, whose wife Fiona joins in route "My Happiness" lest you anxiety ("Mental Cruelty," "Just Waitin'") **
The Tree of Forgiveness [Oh Boyhood, ]
The 71(?)-year-old's second wedding album of new originals since remains bare-faced skimpy songs lasting clean up shade over half an time where 's pretty darn bright Fair and Square almost complete a CD. Barely produced, too--quiet g-b-d touched by occasional softness riffs or organ colors, shrink a few numbers just strummed-and-sung in a voice I under no circumstances thought I'd say was cut because it was already out when it got here. Break up daydreams some in the person, too. Yet it's a guardian to be grateful for, reprove grateful he is. "Eternity quite good approaching fast," he notes breach the "old folks home" singsong "Crazy Bone," and he's whoop always so jaunty about curb. But in the end, purify gets to heaven, where sharptasting forgives his enemies, re-enters production business, reconnects with every sui generis incomparabl aunt, and smokes "a butt that's nine miles long." A-