Customer Reviews
Prine Time - By: Cary Grant, 29 Jul 2009 
First Prine I ever bought having seen the great man on The Old Grey Wistle Test many years ago. If you like songs well written with the odd twist & really well sung with some fantastic music Prine does not disappoint. There are lots more out there.
Rough, raw and ready to bite you! - By: , 08 Apr 2001 On this album, (one of my all-time favourite top three by Mr. Prine) his voice is raw, his words hard-hitting & his plaintive melodies as inventive as ever. There is a downbeat feel to this album, but the blues are part of human existence, & we sometimes need to tune into that spectrum, if only to then appreciate the light & hope that beams from the other end of the tunnel. So, don't expect a lot of jokes & humour on this CD, but do expect the cream of songwriting talent to regale your ears. "Ain't it funny, -how an old broken bottle, looks just like a diamond, when it's far, far away..." is one of John's lines that has remained firmlyin my consciousness, especially any time I am outin the countryside & am reminded of the truth of his observation. Alongside his deeper, more social laments, we also have on this album a more personal note, -the wishing to name a drink after a certain (ex!?)-female partner, who has again caused the writer to turn for solace to the bottle. "Sour Grapes" has it's moral tale to tell, & "John Garfield Blues" wails at the loss of one held dear. In keeping with many another song-writer, such as Phil Ochs, John also makes various statements about the futilty & heartbreak around American involvementsin warfare. "Take the Star out of The Window" relates to this, just as the line; "...we lost Daveyin the Korean war, -still don't know what for..." (in another song), adeptly inserts comments as to the grief felt by relatives of those young men who 'disappeared'in these conflicts. If you'd like to sample one of the best of his mien, buy this album, & you will be affected for many a long year to come.
