Jimmy Buffett - Living and Dying in 3/4 Time

Jimmy Buffett's third album, Living and Dying yielded the hit single "Come Monday," which still ranks among his finest compositions. As wistful and romantic as that number may be, the dominant feeling of the album is gentle good humor, as on songs like the richly detailed "Brand New Country Star," the nostalgic "Pencil Thin Mustache," and a recitation of the Lord Buckley tall tale "God's Own Drunk." Buffett approaches country & western-style topics on "Livingston's Gone to Texas" and "Brahma Fear" without succumbing to the blandness of de rigueur Music City product. "West Nashville Grand Ballroom Gown," meanwhile, has to be considered the definitive song of debutante rebellion. It's a thin field, admittedly, but a song worthy of the title nonetheless. --Daniel Durchholz Amazon.com

Living&Dying in 3/4 Time

A great album for someone who is interested in,or just finding out about
Jimmy Buffet. This is an older record of his which contains some classic
cuts,all around good album. April 6, 2008

One of his best

During the 70's, Jimmy Buffett put out a string of excellent albums that made him the parrothead icon he is today. Living and Dying is one of those perfect albums from JB that combines irreverence and insight. There are whimsical songs (Pencil Thin Mustache, God's Own Drunk) and touching 'miss you' songs like Come Monday. And they are rapped in a package where you can touch each thought and feeling. Living and Dying is an album you can listen to over and over and still get enjoyment out of it. If you don't have this album, you need it. If you already have it, you know why. September 30, 2007

Buffet's Best

I was first introduced to this album while working in a record store in Oklahoma in 1974. The original album cover, which folded open to reveal a stylized map of Key West, made Buffett and Key West seem exotic to me. Having lived in Florida for nearly twenty years now, the Keys no longer hold the mystique that they once did, but the pristine orginality of this album stills shines through clearly. This album represents Buffett's art long before he attained the near universal fame that he now enjoys. While I have enjoyed many of his more recent songs, I still hold that the quality of the cuts here remain unsurpassed. They do not even hint of the "beaches, boats and bars" themes that pervade the majority of Buffett's later reportoire. The sound here is largely country/folk rock and the themes are varied, perhaps the most persuasive focused on the travails of being an itinerant performer, as is evident in the still moving "Come Monday" and "Ringling." Though this album is over thirty years old, it offers extraordinarily compelling lyrics and music. Check this out and meet the original Jimmy Buffett. September 29, 2007

Updating Buffett Collection!

I have played my ORIGINAL cassette tape so much, it is beyond use. Purchased this CD and I am thrilled with the clarity. January 4, 2007

Buffett Goes Country

Buffett is still rooted in Key West for this album, but the music actually takes a step backward towards his country Nashville leanings. Although the cover shot is of Jimmy on board and old shipwreck of a boat called "Good Luck" the album itself is one of his least tropical oriented works. Buffett scores his first big top 40 hit on this album with "Come Monday" and also includes longtime fan favorite "Pencil Thin Mustache". As a whole this album leans a bit too far on the country side for my tastes. Songs like "Brahma Fear", "Brand New Country Star", "The Wino And I know" are straight forward country. They are all decent songs, but not what I normally like about Buffett. My favorite song on the album "The Ballad Of Spider John" is not even a Buffett original, but a cover of WA Ramsey. Jimmy also does a live cover of Lord Buckley's "God's Own Drunk" which is good, but not as good as the live version that appears on the "You Had To Be There" live album a few years later. Buffett also covers one of his own songs here with a new version of "Livingston's Gone To Texas" that originally appeared on his "High Cumberland Jubilee" album two years prior. A lot of Buffett fans really love this album, but for me it is not one of his best. November 6, 2006

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