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1-Jerome 2-Plain As Your Eyes Can See 3-Roll Back The Time 4-Whistle Stop 5-Rosey 6-Highways 7-U.F.O. 8-So Natural 9-Johnny 10-Sandman (2010/LITA) 10 tracks - digipac w.48 page booklet.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I was surprised, and slightly apprehensive, after ordering this album, given that the reviews in Mojo and Uncut were unanimously superlative, that no-one else (yet) has reviewed it here. The monthlies talked of a neglected, modern masterpiece, and they weren't wrong. What's more, it comes sumptuously packaged - replete with photos, lyrics, liner-notes detailing Sullivan's mercurial history. I won't summarise his mysterious story here but anyone who read the aforementioned reviews might be, as I was, uneasy by the lack of customer feedback here (I bought it without recourse to any sound samples). Well, I'm no writer, and so can't offer anything in the vein of the professional hacks, but will, like them, wholeheartedly, recommend this record. No hype this one. It's the voice that gets you first: shades of Fred Neil, yes, but also, to my ear, David Ackles, Glen Campbell, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Jeff Walker, even Tim Hardin (oh and Phil Ochs - just listen to how he sings "Roll Back The Time"). If any of these guys are your cup of tea, get this one down you fast. Stand-outs so far are "Rosey" and "Johnny" - but the whole record just has that worn-in, organic feel, as if an old friend you haven't seen for a long time has turned up out of the blue and his appearance seems like the most natural thing in the world (or discovering a beloved pair of jeans you have neglected for a long time and then tried them on - this won't apply to me as I have put on a load of weight recently - but there's no fat on this baby: it's a short record, a shade over 28 minutes, but don't let that put you off - every second is worth its weight in gold.) Man, as I'm listening to the record, another name pops up: Eric Andersen. Coffee-house-country-folk-southern-soul-singer-songwriter bliss. Enough for you? Great arrangements and backing (lovely strings, never overwhelming, never schmaltzy and some fantastic drumming) and a sublime suite of songs. It starts with an orchestral swell, reminiscent of Scott Walker, and the first words out of his mouth are: "I've found a magic man." What a conjurer. You, too, will find a magic man if you let this magic man into your life. This guy was a gifted mother and he looks a bit like Lester Bangs with his moustache on! What's not to like? But the voice, oh man that voice, like whisky neat that tastes so sweet. It's still niggling me - who else his voice has echoes of. Doug Sahm? Joe South? Tony Joe White? Ah, hell, he's not an amalgam, he's an original. And the album's a beauty. And a keeper. And I'm off to buy a vinyl copy.
Format:Audio CD
This slightly-overhyped release has seen plenty of media coverage - the story of Jim Sullivan's limited success and mysterious disappearance is a good one.
Listening to this it's not hard to understand why Sullivan didn't make a bigger splash. His songs are interesting and often quite beautiful, but his voice is more authentic troubadour than rock superstar. He was also incredibly unglamourous, to say the least!
What elevates UFO is its musicianship, which is anchored by none other than the renowned Wrecking Crew. Sadly, apparently no master tapes exist, so this rerelease has been mastered from several very worn original vinyl copies. Even so, the sound is fairly decent, given that engineer Dave Cooley states the original release was pressed on poor quality vinyl.
And so the inevitable question: do you buy? If you like West Coast 60s American rock, you'll probably like this. If you like singer/songwriters, ditto. The disc is housed in a digipack with a hefty booklet of notes, photos, newspaper clippings and lyrics, so it's as definitive a document as possible.
Listening to this it's not hard to understand why Sullivan didn't make a bigger splash. His songs are interesting and often quite beautiful, but his voice is more authentic troubadour than rock superstar. He was also incredibly unglamourous, to say the least!
What elevates UFO is its musicianship, which is anchored by none other than the renowned Wrecking Crew. Sadly, apparently no master tapes exist, so this rerelease has been mastered from several very worn original vinyl copies. Even so, the sound is fairly decent, given that engineer Dave Cooley states the original release was pressed on poor quality vinyl.
And so the inevitable question: do you buy? If you like West Coast 60s American rock, you'll probably like this. If you like singer/songwriters, ditto. The disc is housed in a digipack with a hefty booklet of notes, photos, newspaper clippings and lyrics, so it's as definitive a document as possible.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
9 reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Worth Checking Out
16 Nov 2010
Format:Audio CD
Jim Sullivan's U.F.O. is a mighty strange yet very pleasant gem straight out of left field. The lp was originally released over 40 years ago and didn't see much in distribution or sales. The lucky few who purchased the album found a really unusual slab of wax. Lots of surreal lyrics set to music that could be eerie, catchy, or both at the same time.
Jim's voice in itself is good in a singer/songwriter kind of way. One might say it's a bit limited, but it works very well with his material. According to the liner notes, his live performances consisted of only him and his guitar, yet the tracks on this album are fleshed out with a small back up band, along with some brass or strings here and there. Thus, the album may not be a true representation of what he normally sounded like, but the arrangements and performances are very well done, and perhaps aid in making the music and words a bit more accessible without totally selling out.
That being said, the album does take a few spins to really sink in, and it is a bit of an acquired taste. Your best bet is to listen to audio samples if they're available, or check around places like YouTube to listen to clips posted there. It's a short album (clocking in around 30 minutes), but it's an enjoyable way to spend many half hours.
The Jim Sullivan story is eerie in itself (he disappeared in 1975 and no one seems to know what really happened to him) and very well told in the liner notes. In fact, the booklet is chock full of pictures and newspaper clippings along with a well written essay about Jim's life and the making of this album. It makes for a very intriguing read.
It should be noted that this cd was mastered from vinyl sources. Not surprisingly, the master tapes went missing a long time ago. The folks who cleaned this up did a great job. It's hard to tell a lot of the time that tapes were not used to master the disc. When you consider that the original vinyl pressings of this lp were not of the highest quality, that makes for a mighty impressive bit of work.
Overall, this is a nice little purchase all around. The music is good, the songs are very unique and well performed, and the package is one of the best reissues I've seen in quite a while. If, as suggested before, you check out some song samples and like what you hear, get this cd. You'll dig it, and you'll probably wonder what became of ol' Jim as well.
Jim's voice in itself is good in a singer/songwriter kind of way. One might say it's a bit limited, but it works very well with his material. According to the liner notes, his live performances consisted of only him and his guitar, yet the tracks on this album are fleshed out with a small back up band, along with some brass or strings here and there. Thus, the album may not be a true representation of what he normally sounded like, but the arrangements and performances are very well done, and perhaps aid in making the music and words a bit more accessible without totally selling out.
That being said, the album does take a few spins to really sink in, and it is a bit of an acquired taste. Your best bet is to listen to audio samples if they're available, or check around places like YouTube to listen to clips posted there. It's a short album (clocking in around 30 minutes), but it's an enjoyable way to spend many half hours.
The Jim Sullivan story is eerie in itself (he disappeared in 1975 and no one seems to know what really happened to him) and very well told in the liner notes. In fact, the booklet is chock full of pictures and newspaper clippings along with a well written essay about Jim's life and the making of this album. It makes for a very intriguing read.
It should be noted that this cd was mastered from vinyl sources. Not surprisingly, the master tapes went missing a long time ago. The folks who cleaned this up did a great job. It's hard to tell a lot of the time that tapes were not used to master the disc. When you consider that the original vinyl pressings of this lp were not of the highest quality, that makes for a mighty impressive bit of work.
Overall, this is a nice little purchase all around. The music is good, the songs are very unique and well performed, and the package is one of the best reissues I've seen in quite a while. If, as suggested before, you check out some song samples and like what you hear, get this cd. You'll dig it, and you'll probably wonder what became of ol' Jim as well.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Very cool
27 Jan 2011
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I discovered this CD a few months ago when I heard an interview on NPR with one of the guys from the record company that is responsible for this release. I had never heard of Sullivan, but this CD is a wonderful revelation. It seems strangely familiar to me. The songs are sometimes wistful and sad and not of a genre that I normally enjoy, but I can't get enough of this disc. They did a great job with the sound considering they didn't have master tapes, but only low quality vinyl from which to start.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Surprisingly good..I'm digging it
2 April 2011
Format:Audio CD
I got this cd after reading the story of Jim Sullivan in "Shindig" magazine a month or two ago. Intrigued, I love stories about artists who recorded one or two records then vanished! This case even more so because he literally did...vanish. But back to the music, he has a great voice and for a 40 year old recording, it doesn't sound overly dated. Some good songs here as well. The cd sounds very good someone did a good job re-mastering here. Whoever bankrolled this project got some good professional musicans to play on it as well. I give it 4-4 1/2 stars. I can't get the opening song "Jerome" outta my head. Two thumbs up on this one!
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