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Harry Chapin - Portrait Gallery Audio CD

A fair review of the Harry Chapin "Portrait Gallery" 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 Harry Chapin reviews here, or go back to the Harry Chapin tabs.

Harry Chapin Band: Harry Chapin
Title: Portrait Gallery
Rating:
Release Date: 1993-06-29
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Dreams Go By 2: Tangled up Puppet 3: Star Tripper 4: Babysitter 5: Someone Keeps Calling My Name 6: Rock 7: Sandy 8: Dirt Gets Under the Fingernails 9: Bummer 10: Stop Singing These Sad Songs

How could they discontinue this?
Shame because this album has produced so many great songs, such as "Dreams Go By", "Tangled Up Puppet", and the epic "Bummer", which I think should have achieved the acclaim of "Sniper". "Portrait Gallery", one of Harry Chapin's albums, has been foolishly discontinued on CD and is now one of his rarest albums to obtain. It also has lesser known songs such as "Babysitter", about Harry losing his virginity, "Star Tripper" about the scars of fame, and "Dirt Gets Under the Fingernails", another battle of the sexes. Anyway, this is one of Chapin's best albums. If you can find it, it's worth a purchase.


Not his best...
The lyrics are good, but in regards to the instrumentation, it is over-produced. I think each Harry Chapin album is good in its own right, but if I had to give a Chapin album the title of "not-the-best", it would be this album.

Granted, I think an album that is over-produced can still work, but this seems to come off as pure self-indulgence. My theory: his album before this, Verities & Balderdash, had gone to No. 4 on Billboard and had given him a # 1 hit with "Cat's in the Cradle". As with the unwritten rule in the music biz, if you have great success with a record, the artist can "have it his way" to a greater degree in the record that will follow. The trouble is, with this album, I think the producers and execs at Elektra Records let Harry "have it his way" a little too much.

The record does have two songs which, I think, sound good: "Star Tripper" and "Sandy". So, in the end, the record is not without some merits, but overall, I cannot help but think that this record could have been better.

- Marc Alan Hosch

P. S. This album is not Chapin's finest moment, but to be fair, Bob Dylan released a slew of horrible records in the 1980s, yet even then, he was still greatly respected.
.


One of his best
His music reminds me of my childhood and I could listen to this one anytime of the day and enjoy it. Got into Harry because of my parents and I could not thank them more for it.

Some of his best songs are on this one: Dreams Go By, The Rock, Bummer, and Tangled Up Puppet.


It's Haryy
For those of you who missed him, I'm sorry. For those who sat through a Chapin concert you'll understand.


Awesome album art
All the songs are good, but my favorite is "Dreams Go By. I don't know if anyone's noticed this yet, but if you turn the cover 90 degrees to the left you will see the "portrait" is of Harry. ".


You can see a complete list of all Harry Chapin discography, or go back to the Harry Chapin tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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