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Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
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Track Listings
| 1. Middleman |
| 2. Common Sense |
| 3. Come Back To Us Barbara Lewis Hare Krishna Beauregard |
| 4. Wedding Day In Funeralville |
| 5. Way Down |
| 6. My Own Best Friend |
| 7. Forbidden Jimmy |
| 8. Saddle In The Rain |
| 9. That Close to You |
| 10. He Was In Heaven Before He Died |
| 11. You Never Can Tell |
Product Description
From Amazon.com
Atlantic Records' futile attempt to make John Prine a star came to a head with the appearance in 1975 of this bewildering 11-song collection. Stax vet Steve Cropper stepped into the producer's seat with Common Sense, replacing Arif Mardin, who'd helmed Prine's first three releases. Cropper opted for a fuller sound, making liberal use of horns and vocal choruses (Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne are among the backup singers). Prine, for his part, responded by penning some of his most obscure lyrics. "Forbidden Jimmy" paints a Cubist portrait of a fellow who "got a mighty sore tooth / From biting too many dimes / In a telephone booth." "Saddle in the Rain" finds the singer imagining God waiting in ambush for him so he can "drink my wine and eat me like a sacrament." Ultimately, even old fans found the likes of "Come Back to Us Barbara Lewis Hare Krishna Beauregard" impenetrable. On the other hand, this might be the Prine album fans of crossword puzzles enjoy the most. --Steven Stolder
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
It don't make no sense,
By
This review is from: Common Sense (Audio CD)
With _Common Sense_, John Prine threw off the burden of being the 'next Dylan' and strove more toward being the next Picasso. Cubistic is perhaps a way to describe his songs here. Indeed, Prine says here "It don't make no sense/that common sense don't make no sense no more," and proceeds to show you why.In "Saddle in the Rain," his use of the preposition "afterneath" is an attempt to do what Picasso did in his paintings, i.e., portray disparate dimensions at once. To my taste, it was a courageous, but, unfortunately, too precious approach. But it's a signal word in the record. Where his "cubism" does succeed is in "Way Down," where, through an eerie juxtaposition of space and time, he describes narcissistic pain bordering on insanity: "Thought I saw a neon sign/flash my name with the time/Prob'ly didn't see a thing/Crazy Dreams and broken wings" In the very funny and very bawdy "Middle Man," he adds up his possessions to describe the same despair described in Way Down: Got an Aunt in Ohio/A boat that won't row/Some Veteran's insurance/ and nowhere to go/Darlin' can I be your middle man?" This was a difficult work for his fans to understand, with it's horns and back beat, and strange lyrics, but it was a courageous attempt at something. It's enough to make you think that Prine is more than just a clever songwriter; maybe he's an artist.
5.0 out of 5 stars
It don't make no sense,
By
This review is from: Common Sense (Audio CD)
With _Common Sense_, John Prine threw off the burden of being the 'next Dylan' and strove more toward being the next Picasso. Cubistic is perhaps a way to describe his songs here. Indeed, Prine says here "It don't make no sense/that common sense don't make no sense no more," and proceeds to show you why.In "Saddle in the Rain," his use of the preposition "afterneath" is an attempt to do what Picasso did in his paintings, i.e., portray disparate dimensions at once. To my taste, it was a courageous, but, unfortunately, too precious approach. But it's a signal word in the record. Where his "cubism" does succeed is in "Way Down," where, through an eerie juxtaposition of space and time, he describes narcissistic pain bordering on insanity: "Thought I saw a neon sign/flash my name with the time/Prob'ly didn't see a thing/Crazy Dreams and broken wings" In the very funny and very bawdy "Middle Man," he adds up his possessions to describe the same despair described in Way Down: Got an Aunt in Ohio/A boat that won't row/Some Veteran's insurance/ and nowhere to go/Darlin' can I be your middle man?" This was a difficult work for his fans to understand, with its horns and back beat, and strange lyrics, but it was a courageous attempt at something. It's enough to make you think that Prine is more than just a clever songwriter; maybe he's an artist.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Prine sounds too obviously melancholy this time out!,
By 31-year old wallflower "Eric N Andrews" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Common Sense (Audio CD)
I've seen some reviews of this album mention the word "poor". While I wouldn't go that far, I will agree that COMMON SENSE is one of John Prine's lesser albums. On paper, the collaboration of Prine and Steve Cropper looked promising, seeing as how Prine's music often had a slight R&B tinge to it. The result doesn't meet expectations. What could have been a joyous sound like Prine's previous albums became somewhat more dark and melancholy. Songs like "Wedding Day In Funeralville" and "Way Down" were too obviously downbeat, whereas Prine often masked a sad song with a catchy melody. Even more unsettling is the fact that these songs are short and almost unfinished, leaving the listener no real resolution. Prine's cover of Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell" even has a certain sadness to it. After the stilted COMMON SENSE, it was apparent that Prine's backlog of songs was drying up. So it was no surprise Prine took 3 years off (a long time in the '70s) before rebounding with the magnificent BRUISED ORANGE.
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