Jimmy Buffett Album: “Banana Wind”

I believe there are 2 kinds of Jimmy Buffet fans: (1) Those who grew up in the 70's before all this Parrothead stuff and believe with all their hearts that Mr. Buffet hasn't done anything really worthwhile since the early 80's. (2) The Parrotheads themselves, who bestow adulation on anything the man does, musically, or otherwise.

I am neither of these.

I like good music, and I feel there are several Buffet albums, old and not-so-old, that fit into this category. BANANA WIND distiguishes itself by being as close to a concept album as Buffet has probably ever done. Most of the songs have an unmistakable Cuban vibe. And most of them are about living the Good Life and Having Fun.

But. . .and I think both types of fans will agree. . .Buffet's greatest strength has always been as a songwriter. He's an observer, often a casual one, of the human condition. And he's shamelessly, relentlessly, old-fashioned. "Are we destined to be ruled/By a bunch of old white men/Who compare the world to football/And are programmed to defend?" he wonders in ONLY TIME WILL TELL, an opening statement still, ironically, quite fresh 10 years after it was recorded. His bitterness continues on OVERKILL, this time aimed at a recording industry that (at the time, remember Jimmy's first-ever Grammy award was still 7 years away) has either ignored or treated him with disdain for decades: "A million here, a million there/A mindless corporate dance/Get paid for fu**in' off/In the South of France."

Not that BANANA WIND doesn't have its share of toe-tapppin' overtures to Buffet's patented beach-bum lifestyle. Story songs like JAMAICA MISTAICA (a reportedly true story about Buffet and U2 lead singer Bono being mistaken for drug runners), HOLIDAY and BOB ROBERT'S SOCIETY BAND rank among his most witty compositions.

Even I (and I'm not taking sides...see the first paragraph) admit that Buffet's output in the 90's was a bit uneven. But I'd rank BANANA WIND at the top, because it's the only one from that period that I can listen to straight through without being temped to skip track here and there.

For Buffet fans: Don't waste my time, you already have it.

For Good Music fans: A great sampler from a paradoxical icon.

I've always been a casual fan of Buffett, but this album is truly an enjoyable, pleasant piece of work. It's songs are instantly hummable, with sometimes cheesy, but lovable lyrics. To all you Parrotheads, don't overanalyze the man, just enjoy his stuff.

The first time I listened to this disc after buying it 3 years ago, I hated it. But as I listened more, it grew on me and I now consider it to be my favorite of all Jimmy's works. I love the island sound and Jimmy pulls offa nice switch in tempo from the slower, country sound that he reverts back to on his newer CD, Beach House on the Moon.

It's impossible to put any one CD by Jimmy in place among the 20 - something years of music he has made, and every fan has their own particular favorites that don't jibe with other people's, but for me, "Only Time Will Tell" ranks up there with "Cowboy in the Jungle" and "One Particular Harbor" as the best individual songs Jimmy has made.

"Wind" is another really strong 90's era album from Buffett. After his mediocre late 80's albums and the lackluster "Fruitcakes" in 94, Jimmy seemed to really get back on track with "Barometer Soup" and "Banana Wind". Some of the best songwriting of his career is to be found on this album that is often overlooked by fans of the Buffett catalogue. I remember around the time this album came out I was sitting in a movie theater and they were playing music over the loudspeakers prior to the start of the film. Usually it is background noise, but this song came on that caught my attention right away. I thought the voice sounded familiar and sure enough it turned out to be the single "Only Time Will Tell" from the then new Buffett album. I don't think I ever heard it again anywhere other than the album, but it is a great song that should have been a hit. There is really only one clunker on the whole album, the song "Mental Floss" that see Buffett trying to be lighthearted and it just comes across as corny to me. The rest of the album is solid with highlights including; "Jamaica Mistaica" which tells the true story of Buffett getting shot at in Jamaica when his plane was mistaken for a drug running plane. "Banana Wind" is a cool and breezy instrumental. "Overkill" has Buffett taking on the music industry with some of the harshest words he has used on disc in years. "Desdemona's Building A Rocket Ship" further explores a character from one of his novels. "Happily Ever After (Now And Then) is another cool little song. For me though, the real highlight of this album is the last song "False Echoes" that was written about Jimmy's father and his struggle with Alzheimer's disease. The song clocks in at over 9 minutes and is truly one of Buffett's most heartfelt well written compositions of his entire career. The song shows just how good a songwriter Buffett can be when he puts his mind to it. For me "Banana Wind" is a must own album for any Buffett fan and is his best studio album in the last two decades.

This is a great CD for all Buffett fans! The disc has a couple of tracks which are a little slow for my tastes. But there are some great songs like Jamaica Mistaica (my favorite by the way). I would recommend this disc to everyone who likes Buffett. It just proves that he gets better as he gets older.