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From:John Mellencamp , Island / Mercury ,
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#4438 |
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Don't Forget A Forgotten Classic, 2008-08-07
Looking back on my high school years, Scarecrow was one of the most popular and prevalent albums to be released in the 80's, along with Springsteen's "Born In The USA" and, unfortunately, Michael Jackson's "Thriller." (not my thing)
Do you realize all 12 tracks on this album were singles? I'm not sure how many hit #1 or were top 10 exactly, but how often can you say that about any album in rock history?
Scarecrow hit a chord with middle America, celebrated our innocence, and reminded us of a time when almost all of us had a relative who owned or once owned a farm or lived in the country.
During the "good times" of the 80's when the economy was strong, jobs were abundant, the internet didn't exist, and cable TV was still new, music was more of a focal point of entertainment and interest amongst youth. Songs had meaning and rock wasn't a pretentious glood and doom image circus, and pop music still had great musicians and song writers.
Scarecrow of course highlighted the plight of the small town family farmer, and the small town in general, which was just starting to truly fade away, as we transitioned into a global service oriented economy, increasingly more dependent on foreign interests and were victims of corporate mergers, that took away our insulated communities when good education was still free, drugs weren't nearly as abundant or harrowing, and being outside was the goal of our free time.
For those of us in our late 30's and early 40's, take some time to revisit a great pop album classic that takes you back to a more innocent time of our lives. "Between A Laugh And A Tear," "Rumbleseat," and "Face Of A Nation," are songs you don't hear much anymore, but are as good today as they were then.
Pay no attention to modern critics who call Cougar's talent "mediocre." It didn't matter, he wrote great songs, related to a wide audience, and sang about America without the oppressive Patriotic ferver of our modern times, questioning our direction and celebrating our good fortunte at the same time.
Mellencamp The Great, 2008-07-22
Another GREAT John Olde on a new quality CD ! This is one of my favorites.
4 of 4 customers found the following review helpful:
A "Must Have" Album, 2008-02-22
I bought this on vinyl in 1985 when it first came out and absolutely loved it. When I got my Cd player in 1986 I made a rule that I would buy no more than 2 CD's per week trying to switch my vinyl over to CD. the first CD I bought was Scarecrow. To this day it remains one of my favorites and a definite "Desert Island disc". Every song is either good or great. No filler here except maybe the bonus cut "Kind of Feller I am" which was not on the vinyl disc. From "Rain on the Scarecrow" to "Small Town" to "Minutes to Memories" to "Rumbleseat" this is a "must have" disc for any pop rock fan.
2 of 2 customers found the following review helpful:
Brilliant and Gutsy Album, 2008-02-07
This album is, to me, a trip through the midwest with JCM as the tour guide. The album starts with the stark "Rain On The Scarecrow" and never lets you breathe. "Minutes To Memories", "The Face Of The Nation", "Between A Laugh And A Tear" and "You've Got To Stand For Somethin'" all make this album worthy competition to Bruce Springsteen, and in terms of songwriting, it's superior to any of the Boss's 1980's albums. And those aren't even the singles (Lonely Ol' Night, Small Town, R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.), all of which are top notch tunes as well. Considering the trendy nature of popular music in the 1980's, it's amazing how fresh this album still sounds today, and how topical it still is in a new millennium. For anyone wanting to know one of rock's most unappreciated artists, this is an excellent place to start.
2 of 3 customers found the following review helpful:
The album EVERY artist hopes for and few attain, 2007-12-06
This album is so honest, so perfect, so transcendent that I almost feel like an idiot for writing a review.
But I will.
Mellencamp (or "Cougar," take your pick) was an FM radio JOKE.
It doesn't matter that Pat Benetar had a hit with "I Need A Lover." I have friends who saw Mellencamp as an opening act on a Rolling Stones show and he was, for all intents and purposes, booed off the stage.
But "Scarecrow?" Are you KIDDING me?
It's Mellencamp's "Born In The U.S.A." It's his defining moment. It's real, it's raw, it's honest, it's so mind-numbingly beautiful that you shouldn't even be reading what I've written here.
You should be LISTENING to the album.
"Rain On The Scarecrow"
"Small Town"
"Minutes To Memories"
"Lonely Ol' Night"
"Between A Laugh And A Tear"
"R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A."
Six KILLER tracks on a 13 track album that doesn't contain ONE bad cut.
What are you waiting for?
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