Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

Anyone?

RMD
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Re: Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

Post by RMD »

Strange, do not know where my post went, maybe I deleted it. But i will stick by it. And I have heard more than the hits. Had a friend who played Buffet all the time, huge fan. I respect Buffet but I guess he is not my cup of tea.

Zip City
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Re: Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

Post by Zip City »

I put Buffet in the same category as Randy Newman. Respected musician, famous songwriter, but I can't stand to listen for more than 10 seconds. Just not my thing
And I knew when I woke up Rock N Roll would be here forever

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

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RMD wrote:Strange, do not know where my post went, maybe I deleted it. But i will stick by it. And I have heard more than the hits. Had a friend who played Buffet all the time, huge fan. I respect Buffet but I guess he is not my cup of tea.


I appreciate the reply but I wasn't really asking if anyone here liked Buffett or not. I'm referring to how large the gap is in the types of music I like compared to what most of them like. I have posed the question on a Buffett board and worded it as politely as possible. The reaction has been one where several have gone on the defensive and/or accused me of creating "negativity", "trolling" and of trying to start a "pissing match", all while refusing to shed any light on the subject. It's been my experience that a lot of them simply don't like to engage anything approaching a serious discussion (musical or otherwise), that is why a great deal of the responses have been "I like turtles". To me, that only goes to show that there is indeed a divide and a very large one at that. As all of us have discussed here many times, musical differences is an intriguing topic, one that has even led to myself and others making new musical discoveries in the process. The reaction there has been one of outright hostility in some cases. Not exactly the response I was expecting and certainly not the reaction I was hoping for.
Last edited by Kudzu Guillotine on Fri May 24, 2013 1:48 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

Zip City wrote:I put Buffet in the same category as Randy Newman. Respected musician, famous songwriter, but I can't stand to listen for more than 10 seconds. Just not my thing


Again, that's really not what I'm asking. It could be any artist, not just Buffett. I'll try rewording it. I like an artist in which I have almost zero common ground with his fanbase on a musical level. I'm not suggesting that we all must like the exact same kind of music but the divide here is so gaping that it's always been something I've been intrigued by. I like artists such as Prine, McMurtry, Mount Moriah, Megafaun, Black Uhuru, Peter Tosh, etc. They (for the most part) are apeshit over Zac Brown, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, mainstream country, "Trop Rock" artists, Bob Marley (but most any reggae artist beyond him is unknown) and bands that most of my friends would consider "pedestrian" such as the Eagles, Styx, Nickelback, REO Speedwagon, Journey, etc. I'm not attempting to bridge that gap, just understand it. A prime example would be the Jackson Browne/Buffett bill I mentioned in a previous post in this thread. Some fans were thrilled at the prospect of Buffett and Browne sharing a bill together again but more were outraged that Buffett would allow an artist they considered inferior to cut into their precious concert time. I have been a Buffett fan for a very long time and was witness to the rise of the whole Parrothead phenomenon. To me, when those fans started coming on board in the years following his success with "Margaritaville", I believe that is part of where the divide lies. A friend has likened it to the fans that jumped on the Grateful Dead bandwagon following their success with "Touch of Grey" in the late 80's. I think that's a fair comparison and believe that may be why there's such a divide in musical taste but I'm afraid there's no polite way to put it without offending anyone.

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Flea
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Re: Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

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Kudzu Guillotine wrote:
RMD wrote:Strange, do not know where my post went, maybe I deleted it. But i will stick by it. And I have heard more than the hits. Had a friend who played Buffet all the time, huge fan. I respect Buffet but I guess he is not my cup of tea.


I appreciate the reply but I wasn't really asking if anyone here liked Buffett or not. I'm referring to how large the gap is in the types of music I like compared to what most of them like. I have posed the question on a Buffett board and worded it as politely as possible. The reaction has been one where several have gone on the defensive and/or accused me of creating "negativity", "trolling" and of trying to start a "pissing match", all while refusing to shed any light on the subject. It's been my experience that a lot of them simply don't like to engage anything approaching a serious discussion (musical or otherwise), that is why a great deal of the responses have been "I like turtles". To me, that only goes to show that there is indeed a divide and a very large one at that. As all of us have discussed here many times, musical differences is an intriguing topic, one that has even led to myself and others making new musical discoveries in the process. The reaction there has been one of outright hostility in some cases. Not exactly the response I was expecting and certainly not the reaction I was hoping for.



"I like turtles" is a great riposte. This is gonna be my go-to response for any "Why?" question that I just can't be bothered to answer.
Now it's dark.

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

Flea wrote:
Kudzu Guillotine wrote:
RMD wrote:Strange, do not know where my post went, maybe I deleted it. But i will stick by it. And I have heard more than the hits. Had a friend who played Buffet all the time, huge fan. I respect Buffet but I guess he is not my cup of tea.


I appreciate the reply but I wasn't really asking if anyone here liked Buffett or not. I'm referring to how large the gap is in the types of music I like compared to what most of them like. I have posed the question on a Buffett board and worded it as politely as possible. The reaction has been one where several have gone on the defensive and/or accused me of creating "negativity", "trolling" and of trying to start a "pissing match", all while refusing to shed any light on the subject. It's been my experience that a lot of them simply don't like to engage anything approaching a serious discussion (musical or otherwise), that is why a great deal of the responses have been "I like turtles". To me, that only goes to show that there is indeed a divide and a very large one at that. As all of us have discussed here many times, musical differences is an intriguing topic, one that has even led to myself and others making new musical discoveries in the process. The reaction there has been one of outright hostility in some cases. Not exactly the response I was expecting and certainly not the reaction I was hoping for.


"I like turtles" is a great riposte. This is gonna be my go-to response for any "Why?" question that I just can't be bothered to answer.


It's been an indication to me that many of those folks simply have their heads up their asses and can't be bothered to engage in the topic.

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lajakesdad
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Re: Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

Post by lajakesdad »

I never really gave Jimmy a chance at all. I knew Margaritaville from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack when I was a kid but that was it. More recently my soon to be ex-brother -in-law is a huge fan. My in-laws would all go to the shows and I would hear stories. On family camping trips he would always play some live Jimmy Buffet in his trailer. To me it sounded kinda like the Dead with way cornier lyrics. To them it was more about the party than the actual music. I found myself saying "you like this, you should listen to the Grateful Dead. " Later I found out Jimmy was a respectable songwriter, mostly thanks to you Kudzu. When Todd Snider covered West Nashville Grand Ballroom Gown it really peaked my interest. I have yet to dig into any of his stuff.

Maybe like you're saying Kudzu, I was judging his music because of his fans.

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

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I appreciate it. When and if you ever do decide to take the plunge, I suggest any of those first four albums he released on ABC/Dunhill. I don't think the next record, Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes, or the ones that have followed in the years since are bad but I believe those first four are among his strongest efforts. I'm also a pretty big fan of his first live album, You Had To Be There. For whatever's it's worth "Margaritaville" isn't on the Urban Cowboy soundtrack, though it may have been included in the movie (I've never seen it). The only Buffett song on the soundtrack is "Hello, Texas", which was exclusive to that release. So, maybe you're thinking of a different movie (FM perhaps). Still no headway in the question I posed to his fans on the Buffett board. Apparently posing such a question is perceived as an insult.

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

On the Changes In Latitudes, Changes in Latitudes tip, this excerpt from a write up on it from All Things Music Plus on the occasion of it's 37th anniversary yesterday sums up my thoughts on it and Buffett very well. Also known as fighting words to the Parrothead Nation.

Changes also represented the beginning of the end of the "Key West Albums": the Don Gant-produced A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean (1973), Living & Dying in 3/4 Time (1974), A1A (1974), and Havaña Daydreamin' (1975). It is these four albums that capture the feel of early 1970s Key West, Florida and Buffett's experiences as a struggling musician and storyteller. Although the albums are not exclusively about Key West, they detail the laid back island ethos of the small island city and its pre-"condo commando" status as an American Casablanca...a place where no one knows your name and would not care if they did. At the time, Key West was a derelict navy town looking for a direction and was filled with small bars and restaurants craving troubadours like Buffett, Steve Goodman, Jerry Jeff Walker, and others who would play for bar money. The albums document life in the Gulf of Mexico Region ("Biloxi", "Banana Republics", "Wonder Why We Ever Go Home") with displays of touring craziness ("Miss You So Badly"). After Changes, Buffett's scope grew to include the entire Caribbean and, later, the vast expanse of what would become "world music." Buffett's Key West experiences would pepper his later work (even recording his albums in Key West's Shrimpboat Sound), but not like it did in the 1973-1977 period. It is this period, along with the 1978 and 1979 albums that created the mythos Jimmy Buffett has parlayed into icon status as a performer, restaurateur, entrepreneur, author, and celebrity.

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Re: Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

Post by Mike127 »

When I was in middle school in the late-80s - that was about the time that I became completely music obsessed. I never really could dig on hair metal and I wasn't yet hip to all the great indie/punk/alternative that was coming out at that time. Sometimes something like Crowded House or R.E.M. would break through the top 40 and I'd get into those bands, but for the most part my musical education consisted of me reading books on rock n roll & blues and taking out as many CDs/tapes/LPs from the public library as they would allow. As far as my musical tastes went, I was essentially a 40 year old trapped in a 13 year old's body. I'd get into a specific artist or sound and immerse myself in that for months at a time. Even though alot of the music I was listening to wasn't exactly obscure, I think I felt a certain sense of rebelliousness at being the only kid in my school who win a radio trivia contest about Eric Clapton, or recite the Allman Brothers discography.

At some point around 8th grade, I went through a huge Jimmy Buffett phase. I'm not really sure why, but I know I definitely gravitated towards the earlier stuff and I think I really appreciated the way he could tell a story or paint a picture of a certain lifestyle that seemed like such a far away place from where I was at (my middle school years were not the happiest time to put it mildly). Plus, he added some humor to his music and that was missing from so much earnest classic rock.

The summer before I started high school my mom took me to a Buffett concert in what would have been about 1991. My tastes were already starting to change about this time. I was listening to stuff like Robyn Hitchcock, The Smiths, Primal Scream, Nirvana, etc. It was the beginning of what would lead me further and further down the rabbit hole of ever more obscure music, always trying to be one step ahead of what the next guy (or girl) was listening to. I was forming my cultural/musical identity around something that I (at the time) thought was very different and more modern that what I'd been dedicating myself to for the last 3 years. Anyways, being the oddball nerdy kid that I was, the whole frat party atmosphere of the concert really turned me off big time. The music just seemed to be an afterthought and the songs that I was listening to in my room alone were just a backdrop to this event that just really seemed so absurd to me and I questioned how I could ever have felt such a strong identification with his music.

I don't think I've voluntarily listened to a note of Jimmy Buffett after that night, and my Buffett phase has always been this sort of skeleton in my music listening closet that I rarely admitted to, or only did so with a tinge of embarrassment or derision. That all said, 20+ years down the road, and I now also feel a little bit of embarrassment for being such a snob about it at the time. The fact is these days I listen to alot of stuff like Townes, Guy Clark, Prine, etc. and it's easy to see how having listened to some of those better, early Buffett records all those years ago gave me the grounding to appreciate artists like that.

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

Nicely put, Mike. That early stuff still sounds best on the boat when we're so far out to sea that you can't see land. Buffett's been a part of our deep sea fishing soundtrack for about as long as I can remember.

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

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While I appreciate the sentiment and agree with it 100%, I don't know how in the hell the horrid "Math Suks" ended up on the list of songs that supposedly make the case that Buffett is more than a "party artist".

Jimmy Buffett: With all due respect to his Parrothead fan base, the singer-songwriter who plays Blossom on Tuesday is more than a party artist

Image
Do you think we'll hear some serious songs when Jimmy Buffett, captured in a 2011
performance at Blossom Music Center, returns to the picturesque venue in Cuyahoga
Falls on Tuesday, June 24?

(Peggy Turbett, The Plain Dealer)

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Flea
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Re: Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

Post by Flea »

The easy answer to

What's your favorite non-party song from Jimmy Buffett?


would be side 2 of Son Of A Son Of A Sailor, minus "Manana" if you're picky:







Now it's dark.

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Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

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Re: Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

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Continued from this thread.
Flea wrote:
Kudzu Guillotine wrote:
I am not sure if I am right about anything as everyone has different tastes. As I'm sure I have posted countless times in the past, my experience with Buffett is that I was a fan long before there were anything called Parrotheads or there was an enterprise called Margaritaville, Inc. When I first heard him, it was within the context of fellow singer/songwriters like Steve Goodman, Jerry Jeff Walker, Willis Alan Ramsey, Michael Murphey, John Prine, Jesse Winchester, etc. Buffett himself was marketed by his label to be the next Jim Croce as Croce had just passed (they had also met but I'm not sure of the extent of their friendship beyond that). There are a few clips you can find on YouTube that are from a film put together by his label called Introducing Jimmy Buffett that include songs like "Come Monday" and "He Went To Paris". They were later included on a video compilation called Tales From Margaritavision but that was only released on VHS. For some reason, it has never been reissued. In this era, there was no "Cheeseburger In Paradise", "Fins" or any sort of novelty songs of that nature. Sure, there was stuff like "Why Don't We Get Drunk (And Screw)" and "God's Own Drunk" (which I realize isn't an original) but they showed more of a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. For those that only know Buffett from his "Mayor of Margaritaville" persona, I can only imagine how difficult it must be to look past that to a time when the focus was more on his songcraft. When Bob Dylan named him one of his favorite songwriters of all time several years ago, it was not without good reason. If anyone is capable of setting aside all that the Parrothead era has wrought, I believe there is some excellent songwriting and performances to be found on those records he cut for ABC/Dunhill in the early to mid-70's.
As for a cut-off point, I think the quality of his songwriting begins to lessen around the time of Son of A Son of A Sailor but that doesn't mean that record (or the ones that have followed) are poor efforts as a whole. That's just where I believe the quality starts to diminish. With the exception of his newest Christmas record (which is atrocious, at least what portions I have heard), I have purchased all of his studio albums (and at least a couple of the live ones) throughout his entire career. Like in his early days, when he covered the likes of Steve Goodman and Jesse Winchester, he has continued to cover folks from Guy Clark to Mary Gauthier and Will Kimbrough but for whatever reason, they seldom (if ever) carry the same sort of weight that his early covers did. There are also a couple albums Buffett cut for Barnaby Records before he and Jerry Jeff made that fateful trip to the Keys in the early 70's and he was signed to ABC/Dunhill. These two records have more of a folk / country-rock sort of flavor but are not quite in the same league as what was to come. I also enjoy the soundtrack he did for the movie Rancho Deluxe, recorded during an era when you were much more likely to hear pedal steel on his records than steel drums.
I pretty much agree with all of that, but I would counter that his last GREAT! record was Coconut Telegraph.
I like that album as well but as a friend asked me long ago, how did he go from singing stuff like "He Went To Paris" and "A Pirate Looks at 40" to songs like "Coconut Telegraph"? I think it was brought on by the success of "Margaritaville". I don't think there's anything necessarily the matter with either "Margaritaville" or "Coconut Telegraph" but before long (still pre-Parrothead era) it got to where he was known mostly for those type of songs. Even his attempts at reaching the country music market with Riddles In the Sand (1984) and Last Mango In Paris (1985) failed. I believe it was somewhere during this era that he stopped being taken seriously as a songwriter. This, despite songs like "That's What Living Is To Me" on the largely dismal Hot Water (1988). A friend of mine that has also continued to follow Buffett throughout his career has said, "Buffett writes about what he knows". That makes as much as sense to me as anything. While I realize there was more than a bit of mythmaking to the beach bum persona of his early era, those are the records that resonate the most with me. To me, his last truly great album was A1A (1974). Havaña Daydreamin' and Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes also have their moments but to my ears, A1A remains consistently wonderful throughout. Of the albums that followed, the first that really gave me any serious reservations was Somewhere Over China. With the exception of a few songs, this saw him entering into crooner territory.

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Re: Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

Post by jr29 »

Honest truth...before this week I knew about 6-8 Buffett songs. I liked "Come Monday" a little bit, loved Todd Snider's "West Nashville Grand Ballroom Gown" cover, and could listen to "Coast of Marseilles" (written by Keith Sykes). I'm also a Mac Mcanally fan and Mac was a Coral Reefer for at least a couple decades. That's pretty much where I was with Buffett.
For the first time ever I listened to "A Pirate Looks At 40" a few days ago. It's so great. I'm stunned that I didn't know this song. I'm gonna dig a little deeper into his work.

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cortez the killer
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Re: Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

Post by cortez the killer »

jr29 wrote:
Sun Sep 10, 2023 8:38 pm
For the first time ever I listened to "A Pirate Looks At 40" a few days ago. It's so great. I'm stunned that I didn't know this song. I'm gonna dig a little deeper into his work.
That's the one. If I'm not mistaken, he and Jerry Jeff Walker ran in the same circles before Jimmy became Mr. Margaritaville and JJW got sucked into Luckenbach and the Texas scene.

* Edited to add the following link:
https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-enter ... ritaville/
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