Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2003 5:55 am Post subject: Keep On Runnin'
I was lucky enough to get my hands on Robben's new CD yesterday, and I'm finding it personnally to be his best work yet. The tones on the CD are very different, but still very Robben. I'm assuming most of it was done with one of the Bakers, and it sounds great. The tunes and the vibe are awesome, and Robben has simplified his playing somewhat, which speaks to me, but there are plenty of flaming guitar phrases to keep everyone interested. His singing is the best I've heard yet, and his various covers, "Badge" being one, are well done and well worth listening to. There is an overall warmth to the sound of this CD, and Robben's new material is great as well. I've listened to the whole CD five times now, and it's going right into the CD player in the car when I head off to work. You do not want to miss this CD if you're a Robben fan, which certainly anyone here would be. Excellent work. _________________ Ham Fisted Bloozer
Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2003 3:31 am Post subject: Got it!
I picked up my copy on the way home from work today and I'm on my second time through it. It's already been reviewed enough so that everyone knows what to expect, so I'll just add that it is a must buy. Get your copy ASAP!
Joined: 16 Jul 2003 Posts: 762 Location: Southern California
Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2003 3:16 pm Post subject: Saweeeeeeet!
As if people on this board actually need to be told to get Keep On Running...go get your copy today. I'm on my third listen this afternoon and this is one great recording and so far I've only heard it on my crappy computer at my office. I can't wait to get home to really hear this CD. I'll say that I'm really digging several songs already. In particular:
Homework
Peace, Love & Understanding
Bonnie
For the Love of Money
I hope to hear some of this Thursday night at the Coach House!
Joined: 07 Oct 2003 Posts: 10 Location: Vancouver BC
Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2003 5:44 pm Post subject:
I'm up here in Vancouver BC going crazy!!! I've read all the great reviews of the new CD and CAN NOT BUY IT!!! Virgin has it on order but have no clue when it will come in. At least there are 15 copies on order which should disappear in an instant. Thank goodness I'm going to Seattle Saturday. Maybe I'll have more luck there.
Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Posts: 21 Location: Manchester UK
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2003 12:47 am Post subject:
Hi guys,
I finally got my copy last night. I had it pre-ordered but it still took two days to get to me after the release date. First impressions, great album. Keep on Runnin just jumped out of the speakers, the immediacy of the recording is something I was not prepared for. It made my Hi-Fi sound better than it really is. The production is fantastic, the sound is fantastic, Robben vocals are stronger than I've heard on any of his previous albums. I'm playing it in my office at work right now and people coming in are commenting on how great it sounds
I LOVE badge, what a great track to cover! The album has a feeling of Supernatural about it to me, relaxed, confident, it breathes. The track "Bonnie" has definate links with "Hey Brother" which has always been a favourite of mine.
Anyway, now I just can't wait for the gig. Nice one Robben and thanks for another great album.
Cheers,
Rob. _________________ ---------------------------------------------------
Rob Livesey
Manchester UK
---------------------------------------------------
The album has a feeling of Supernatural about it to me, relaxed, confident, it breathes. The track "Bonnie" has definate links with "Hey Brother" which has always been a favourite of mine.
Cool ! "Supernatural" is the best collection of songs Robben has made in my opinion. It is not his best guitar work, nor his best guitar tones, but the songs were really nice and mature. Now if Keep On Runnin' does combine Supernatural's songwriting with his best playing...this must smoke !!!
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2003 7:19 am Post subject: Robben Ford's "Keep on Runnin' " CD...
OK, so I'm obviously in the minority here..
I picked this one up last night, and I have to say, I am somewhat underwhelmed.
I'm a HUGE Robben fan, but this is, to me, probably one of his weakest efforts to date... There are a couple of high spots -- Elvis Costello's (Nick Lowe's, actually) "What's So Funny About Peace, Love, and Understanding" is quite good, as is "Cannonball Shuffle"... But his rendition of "Badge" is just plain AWFUL, IMO... I think it is certainly his weakest from a vocal perspective, and this arrangement doesn't do much for me, either...
I also think that the cuts where Mayall played behind the *entire* song were downright clumsy arrangements. I'd have much preferrred to hear Mayall duet on vocals, and then just play a couple of measures of solo... hearing his constant niggling behind the vocals was very distracting, to me.
Overall, there are a couple of pretty nice tracks, but all in all, I was disappointed --- at song choices, at arrangements, and I also don't think his playing is up to his usual standards.
There -- I've said it. Flame away...
Anybody else...? _________________ Regards, Dave Orban
Joined: 16 Jul 2003 Posts: 534 Location: SF Bay area
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2003 8:52 am Post subject: Ahhhh, taste.
De gustibus non disputandem est. (One cannot dispute taste. What one finds to be spectacular may be loathed by another.)That is one of the reasons reason I prefer to read reviews (of plays, movies, music) AFTER I have experienced them. I tend to be the kind who needs to listen to new albums about 5 times before I can truly "hear" it.
On another note (b flat?) and speaking of hearing, does anyone know what is used make that electronic percussive sound in the chorus of "Badge?" It occurs twice, immediately following the lyric, "Don't you know {sound} that the wheels..."
I have supersonic hearing (I think I was a dog in a previous life) and others tell me they cannot hear it, to which I am accustomed, since I hear out of "normal" hearing range. (What, you think I would be normal at ANYTHING?)
By the way, "Peace, Love, and Understanding" has become the anthem for my classroom this year. My seventh grade students love it, and we sing it several times a week, particularly when we are made aware of incidents that display a lack of humanity. When one of my students asked me, this year, "Why can't people get along?" I replied, "They can. It is a choice, and it begins with you."
Joined: 13 Jul 2003 Posts: 1043 Location: Boulder, CO
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2003 12:20 pm Post subject:
Hey professor,
Here's my advise....keep listening! I would agree "Badge" is not the best track on the CD.
However, keep listening, like fine wine, the CD get's better with time! After the Badge track the CD just keeps getting better and better....
I can remember not liking Supernatural when it first came out. Now it's one of my favorites.
Hey I didn't even like Aja when Steely Dan first released it. How could that be? Once it sunk in a while I realized it was one of the greatest records ever....don't be too quick to judge until it sinks in a little.
Also, "Keep on Running" has a different sound than other Robben CDs to my ears. It sounds like it was mastered differently....hotter and more compressed. It took my ears a little time to get use to it.
Joined: 16 Jul 2003 Posts: 762 Location: Southern California
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2003 1:44 pm Post subject:
I'm like some others here. It takes me quite a few times listening to a new CD before it starts to sink in. With Supernatural, I remember thinking to myself, 'there's no guitar on this record' or 'I'm not sure if I like the strings on this song'. After several times listening I found myself replaying sections because I heard something new that I thought was cool. Then I really started to appreciate the song writing and the arrangements for what they were. Today, I think Supernatural is a fantastic CD.
I think I'm going through the same thing with Keep on Running in that its getting better each time. There's something I can't put my finger on though. I get the sense that Robben's phrasing is quite a bit different - shorter, more choppy phrases. Not bad, just different than I've heard before.
I disliked Tiger Walk when it came out (and I still think the drums are to loud) but together with supernatural it became my favourite album after some time.
To me Badge has something special, really intense feeling inspite the "thin" voice that fits in quite well in this arrangement and I disagree that the arrangemants are bad on this album, although the fiddling harp sometimes nerves a bit as Mayalls harp playing always did to me(my opinion, no reason for war),
The guitar sounds are the best ever over all the sound is fantastic, perhaps the horns to perfect sound almost like synth horns,( I won a beer because my keyboarder said they were synthesizer horns)
Elisabeth: what you think is electronic percussion I think is just echoes / delays of "how" coming together with with a non delayed "how".
Here's my advise....keep listening! I would agree "Badge" is not the best track on the CD.
However, keep listening, like fine wine, the CD get's better with time! After the Badge track the CD just keeps getting better and better....
I can remember not liking Supernatural when it first came out. Now it's one of my favorites.
Hey I didn't even like Aja when Steely Dan first released it. How could that be? Once it sunk in a while I realized it was one of the greatest records ever....don't be too quick to judge until it sinks in a little.
Also, "Keep on Running" has a different sound than other Robben CDs to my ears. It sounds like it was mastered differently....hotter and more compressed. It took my ears a little time to get use to it.
Hey when's the next CD coming out?
I did give it another listen today at the office and again on the train ride home. There's definitely a lot of good stuff on there, but I still thought that the arrangements were lackluster, the song choices somewhat peculiar ("For the Love of Money"...???), and the playing was kinda perfunctory... Hell, it's GREAT playing, but there's no real "stretching," and THAT is what I've come to expect from Robben...
And, no matter how hard I try, I STILL can't listen to Badge all the way through...! And Mayall's harp playing -- sheesh. Gimme some Mark Ford or Charlie Musselwhite (and I'm a Mayall fan from WAY back...)
Nonetheless, there is some great guitar work, and yeah, the sound is quite a bit different -- I think I like it. Makes me REALLY curious to know what kind of sounds were on the last Blue Thumb CD -- the one that got bagged... _________________ Regards, Dave Orban
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