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Jimmy Buffett - Barometer Soup Audio CD

A fair review of the Jimmy Buffett "Barometer Soup" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Jimmy Buffett reviews here, or go back to the Jimmy Buffett tabs.

Jimmy Buffett Band: Jimmy Buffett
Title: Barometer Soup
Rating:
Release Date: 1995-08-01
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Barometer Soup 2: Barefoot Children 3: Bank of Bad Habits 4: Remittance Man 5: Diamond as Big as the Ritz 6: Blue Heaven Rendezvous 7: Jimmy Dreams 8: Lage Nom Ai 9: Don't Chu-Know 10: Ballad of Skip Wiley 11: Night I Painted the Sky 12: Mexico

Barometer Soup is Me!!!!
In my opinion this is Jimmy's best album!!!
Twist on word play and his joy of flying and the ocean makes me ready to cruise to St Criox.


Mark Twain's recipe
Besides being an excellent musical offering, Jimmy Buffett once again shows how well-read and well-traveled he is. Diehard Buffett fans don't need another review to tell them why to buy this excellent CD, nor do new Buffett fans. Good liner notes are essential to the critical listener that loves to learn "the story behind the story. " In his liner notes for the song "Barometer Soup" Jimmy wrote, "The term Barometer Soup was first mentioned to me by Herman Wouk, a gentleman who has plowed a few seas himself. " Now, if you've read Wouk's Don't Stop the Carnival: A Novel, (which inspired a musical masterpiece by Buffett Don't Stop The Carnival [ENHANCED CD]), you'll know that Wouk not only plows seas but writes a mighty tale. And it is my secret hope that Wouk first encountered this phrase from our own Mark Twain. In Twain's A Tramp Abroad the author takes us along on a memorable excursion through Europe in the 1870s. And in chapter 38 he gives us the recipe for barometer soup. Here is an excerpt: "I hunted up another barometer; it was new and perfect. I boiled it half an hour in a pot of bean soup which the cooks were making. The result was unexpected: the instrument was not affected at all, but there was such a strong barometer taste to the soup that the head cook, who was a most conscientious person, changed its name in the bill of fare. The dish was so greatly liked by all, that I ordered the cook to have barometer soup every day. " Now, to read the rest of that story you have only to read the book. This is not the only connection (round-about as it may be) to Mr. Twain. "Barefoot Children" conjures up the boyhood days of Sam Clemens for the imaginative listener. . .

"Keep your raft from the riverboat,
Fiction over fact always has my vote,
And wrinkles only go where the smiles have been. . . "

Now, the first two lines are obvious. The third line is a beautiful paraphrase of Twain's quote, "Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. " Continue on to Track 4, "Remittance Man. " Jimmy's liner notes describe first meeting the RM in Twain's Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World (Dover Books on Travel, Adventure). This sad, soulful tale was inspired by about two pages from the 712 page book and shows again what a creative reader and writer is Jimmy Buffett. Buffett's liner notes provide important context for those who love the stories as much as the melody. Whether the author is F. Scott Fitzgerald or Buffett himself (yes, his books are as good as his music), Buffett makes the connection memorable. "Jimmy Dreams" speaks to the child in all of us and becomes a fast favorite. "Lage Nom Ai" harkens back to the spirit of "Somewhere Over China" and "The Night I Painted the Sky" is a more mystical and haunting descendant of "The Weather is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful" in an escapist-kind of way. It's fun making connections to Buffett's other work, but don't think for a minute that there is any repetition going on (with the exception of his stunning remake of James Taylor's "Mexico"). This CD is a gem. It is a "Diamond as Big as the Ritz. ".


Almost 5 Star
To me "Soup" is a much better album than "Fruitcakes" and I rate it right up with his classic albums. This is more like it. Almost every song here is a winner. The album starts with the title track "Barometer Soup" which is one of those songs that you hear it once and you can't get it out of your head. If radio would have given this a chance I think it could have been a hit. Other highlights include "Barefoot Children", "Bank Of Bad Habits", "Remittance Man", "Lage Nom Ai", "The Ballad Of Skip Wiley" and "The Night I Painted The Sky". The album closer is a spirited high energy cover of James Taylor's "Mexico". Buffett has a talent for picking good cover songs and this one is perfect for Buffett to tackle. On the down side Buffett includes some silliness that has plagued many of his 90's era albums. Songs like "Don't Chu-Know" are meant to be light hearted fun, but seem more like album filler to my ears. Overall "Barometer Soup" is one of Buffett's best 90's era albums and a big improvement over "Fruitcakes" in my opinion.


One of his worst ever
This made sense, since he never really did anything new or different (until the 2000's). Sometime around the mid 1980s I noticed that Rolling Stone stopped writing reviews of Jimmy's releases. This one is just more of the same banal/lackluster junk he put out during a 15 year drought.


My first Buffett CD and still my favorite
I remember listening to this one in the summer of 1995, during which I spent probably too much time on Spanish Banks. This was the first Buffett CD I bought and it is still my favorite. It set the mood perfectly, and was always on the player during the afternoon sailing jaunts. If these sorts of things appeal to you, this one should form the basis of your collection. Alternatively, Far Side of the World probably ranks close to Soup in overall quality, and is a little more sophisticated in the range of music.
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You can see a complete list of all Jimmy Buffett discography, or go back to the Jimmy Buffett tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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