After not hearing this album for over 20 years, I bought a new CD copy of it just last week, hoping that despite the passage of time, some of the thrill I got when playing it to death all those years ago would be there. And some of it is, but not as much as I'd hoped. Rickie Lee Jones has grown tremendously as an artist over the past 29 years; THE EVENING OF MY BEST DAY and THE SERMON ON EXPOSITION BLVD, her last two albums, show her taking chances and having those chances pay off in a big way musically. PIRATES, by comparison, mostly sounds...tame. "Skeletons," "Traces Of The Western Slopes" and "Woody and Dutch On The Slow Train To Peking" still get under my skin, especially "Skeletons," but most of the rest sounds about as dated as Tom Waits' albums prior to SWORDFISHTROMBONES. The album certainly makes me nostalgic for my youth, but taken as a whole it doesn't pull at my heartstrings in the same way it once did.
Hey, it happens.
March 21, 2008 |  | Please enter a title for your review |  |
American Idol made me think singing was lame. This album changed my mind.
January 29, 2007This is a great followup to Rickie Lee Jones' self-titled debut. There is no sophomore jinx here. "We Belong Together," "Living It Up," and "Skeletons" are worth their weight in gold. The voice is still pure and has held up to this day. Rickie's musicianship and song writing have not diminished and this album 25 years later is a testament to that fact. This is worth every penny and I highly encourage purchasing!
December 13, 2006Rickie Lee's follow-up to her stunning debut did not resonate with me at all when I first purchased it way back in 1981. I hated it. Then, one day, it hit me - - this is great! Pirates has been with me ever since. The characters she paints ("c**t-finger Louie) and stories she tells (the heartbroken kid in "Skeletons" - building model planes which resemble bones) are brilliant. This album is a classic and would be a wise buy for anyone who appreciates unique songwriting delivered in a manner that only Rickie can pull off.
June 26, 2006 | | A Haunting Seduction..... | |
Rickie was in 1979, and is still today in 2005, my favorite female singer. While critics compared her to Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro, Rickie was in a class all by herself. No one has ever come close to imitating her style- lyrically or musically. Listening to this wonderful masterpiece on cd is like being given a gift from Rickie herself. Play this cd late at night with the lights out and you'd swear this artist is singing directly to you, for you. Every composition is that personal. Every song on this cd is my favorite, so I can't recommend listening to one over the other. Just trust me, you need this in your collection of must-haves. She is that good. P.S. Thank God "Girl At Her Volcano", her third LP, is now finally on cd!! I've completely worn out the original 10" vinyl LP and cassette.
November 3, 2005More reviews at Amazon.com ...
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