Goodbye Jumbo [ECD]

Q - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s." Rolling Stone - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...displays an ambition as broad as the emotional range of its music...attempts to reclaim the glories to which rock once aspired, while avoiding mere imitation..." Q - 4 Stars - Excellent - Ranked by Q as the #1 Album of 1990. Entertainment Weekly - "...airy and delightful..." - Rating B+ Q - Ranked #94 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums" - "The magpie genius of Karl Wallinger peaked with this merging of seemingly tangential streams of pop, rock, soul, dance and folk....this entire album captivates throughout." Spin - "...a winning opus..." Stereo Review - Best Recording of the Month - "...a warmhearted, sonically gorgeous collection of lovably eccentric pop songs from a guy who'd be an obvious talent in any era..." Q (12/99, p.68) - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s." Q - 4 Stars - Excellent - Ranked by Q as the #1 Album of 1990. Q (6/00, p.60) - Ranked #94 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums" - "The magpie genius of Karl Wallinger peaked with this merging of seemingly tangential streams of pop, rock, soul, dance and folk....this entire album captivates throughout." Rolling Stone (5/31/90) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...displays an ambition as broad as the emotional range of its music...attempts to reclaim the glories to which rock once aspired, while avoiding mere imitation..." Spin (7/90) - "...a winning opus..." Entertainment Weekly - "...airy and delightful..." - Rating B+ Stereo Review (9/90) - Best Recording of the Month - "...a warmhearted, sonically gorgeous collection of lovably eccentric pop songs from a guy who'd be an obvious talent in any era..."

This is a fine album that paradoxically owes much of its originality to its up-front eclecticism. Karl Wallinger's undoubted talent and experience (musical director of The Rocky Horror Show, ex-Waterboys) are applied to create a powerful tribute to his '60s influences. The opening "Is It Too Late" is reminiscent of Them's "Baby Please Don't Go", and is followed by "Way Down Now", complete with "Sympathy For The Devil"-style "woo-woos". It is difficult to keep track of all the styles cleverly woven into the fabric, but the Beatles abound--Wallinger even had his studio built to reproduce the Abbey Road sound for the equally strong follow-up, BANG!|