Jimmy Buffett "Down To Earth" (Barnaby Records, 1970) (LP)
Jimmy Buffett "High Cumberland Jubilee" (Barnaby Records, 1971) (LP)
"God Don't Own A Car," was my personal anthem for a couple of decades... (...love that Louvin-style mandolin riff, too!) Now I drive the biggest gas guzzler I could find, and I double park in front of compacts, blocking them in just to mess with people's minds. Ha, ha, hahahahahaahah! Seriously, though: great song. The rest fo the record is perhaps less memorable, though I still have a copy, just for that one fab track.
Jimmy Buffett "A White Sport Coat And A Pink Crustacean" (ABC-Dunhill Records, 1973) (LP)
Jimmy Buffett "Living & Dying In 3/4 Time" (ABC-Dunhill Records, 1974) (LP)
"Come Monday" is such a great song. And "God's Own Drunk" was a fun novelty track, too.
Jimmy Buffett "A1A" (ABC-Dunhill Records, 1974) (LP)
Jimmy Buffett "Rancho Deluxe" (Soundtrack) (United Artists Records, 1975) (LP)
Jimmy Buffett "Havana Daydreamin' " (ABC Records, 1976) (LP)
Includes "My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink And I Don't Love Jesus..." Need I say more?
Jimmy Buffett "Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes" (ABC, 1977) (LP)
"Margaritaville." Dude... need I say more? Now that was a hit record for you.
Jimmy Buffett "Son Of A Son Of A Sailor" (ABC Records, 1978) (LP)
This was Jimmy at his commercial peak, with "Cheeseburgers In Paradise" and "Livingston Saturday Night" plastered all over the radio, offering a welcome alternative to the deluge of disco and bland, humorless, late '70s soft-pop AOR. This was where his wry-humored beach bum persona really gelled and wormed its way into the American mainstream. Made him a bundle of cash, too. But, say what you will about Mr. Buffett, this is definitely one of his strongest albums.
Jimmy Buffett "You Had To Be There" (ABC Records, 1978) (LP)
A concert album, capturing some of his live appeal...
Jimmy Buffett "Volcano" (MCA Records, 1979) (LP)
Jimmy Buffett "Coconut Telegraph" (MCA Records, 1981)
Jimmy Buffett "Somewhere Over China" (MCA Records, 1981)
Jimmy Buffett "One Particular Harbour" (MCA Records, 1983)
Jimmy Buffett "Riddles In The Sand" (MCA Records, 1984)
Jimmy Buffett "Last Mango in Paris" (MCA Records, 1985)
Jimmy Buffett "Songs You Know By Heart" (MCA Records, 1985)
Jimmy Buffett "Floridays" (MCA Records, 1986)
Jimmy Buffett "Hot Water" (MCA Records, 1988)
Jimmy Buffett "Off To See The Lizard" (MCA Records, 1989)
Jimmy Buffett "Margaritaville Cafe: Late Night Menu" (MCA Records, 1993)
Jimmy Buffett "Fruitcakes" (MCA Records, 1994)
Jimmy Buffett "Barometer Soup" (MCA Records, 1995)
Jimmy Buffett "Margaritaville Cafe: Late Night Gumbo" (Mailboat Records, 1995)
Jimmy Buffett "Banana Wind" (MCA Records, 1996)
Jimmy Buffett "Great American Summer Fun With Jimmy Buffett" (MCA Records, 1996)
Jimmy Buffett "Christmas Island" (MCA Records, 1996)
Jimmy Buffett "Don't Stop The Carnival" (Island Records, 1998)
Jimmy Buffett "Beach House On The Moon" (Island Records, 1999)
Jimmy Buffett "Calaloo" (Margaritaville Records, 1999)
Jimmy Buffett "Far Side Of The World" (Mailboat Records, 2002)
Jimmy Buffett "Live In Auburn, Washington" (Mailboat Records, 2003)
At some point, Buffett started releasing live albums on his own Mailboat label, sort of like how the Grateful Dead decided to cut into the bootleg market and put out a bunch of official live concert albums of their own. This is one of many. Too many for me to keep up with. But if you're into it, let this one be your guidepost: there are several others just like it.
Jimmy Buffett "License To Chill" (RCA Records, 2004)
(Produced by Michael Utley & Mac McAnally)
Man, Jimmy Buffett's just like the Energizer Bunny of beach-bum stoner country... he just keeps going, and going, and going... Musically, this disc is a lot like everything he's put out for the last 25 years -- okay in its own way, but not as compelling as his classic hits in the '70s. What's striking about this disc is the preponderance of high-power guest stars, with top country Nashville heavyweights like Clint Black, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Martina McBride and George Strait pitching in on various cover tunes, including a reggaefied version of Hank Williams' Hey Good Lookin'," (the hit single) and a sluggish remake of Don Gibson's normally-bouncy "Sea Of Heartbreak." A lot of these songs have a made-in-the-studio feel to them, where there seems to be very little face-to-face interaction between the participants, and an awful lot of cut'n'paste editing. Despite the prefab feel, many of these songs are quite well constructed and effective in a workmanlike way; in fact, I'd say many of Buffet's solo songs outshine the collaborative tracks (which are obviously phoned in from opposite ends of the planet.) High marks go to his "Window On The World" and the willowy duet with Nanci Griffith, on a soft version of Bruce Cockburn's "Someone I Used To Love." All in all, it's a creditable effort for this pink, crusty old-timer.
Jimmy Buffett "Hoot" (Soundtrack) (Mailboat Records, 2006)
Jimmy Buffett "Take The Weather With You" (RCA/Mailboat Records, 2006)
(Produced by Michael Utley & Mac McAnally)
Still up to his old tricks. Jimmy kicks this album off with "Bama Breeze," a slightly rompy-stompy ode to a funky watering hole down South, sort of a followup to his successful pop-honkytonker, "Five O'Clock Somewhere." The rest of the record is more laid back, and gets into familiar, tropical-breezed territory... What's really interesting about this disc is the wealth of outside talent: Mark Knopfler contributes a song and plays along, Buffett also cherry-picks tunes from Guy Clark, Merle Haggard, Jesse Winchester and Gillian Welch(!) and, most strikingly, Mary Gautier's "Wheel Inside The Wheel," which is also worth tracking down in the original version. The whole production's a little slick for my tastes, but I'm sure it'll make fans happy... especially fans with a pina colada or margarita in their hands, and a couple more under their belt. Keep on rockin', Jimmy!
Jimmy Buffett "Buffett Hotel" (Mailboat Records, 2009)
Jimmy Buffett "Songs From St. Somewhere" (RCA/Mailboat Records, 2013)
Jimmy Buffett " 'Tis The SeaSon" (Mailboat Records, 2016)
Jimmy Buffett "Life On The Flipside" (Mailboat Records, 2020)
Jimmy Buffett "Songs You Don't Know By Heart" (Mailboat Records, 2020)
Jimmy Buffett "Before The Beach" (MCA Records, 1993)
Stuff from his first two albums...
Jimmy Buffett "A Pirate's Treasure" (MCA Records, 1998)
Jimmy Buffett "Biloxi" (Premium Music, 1998)
Jimmy Buffett "There's Nothing Soft About Hard Times" (Madacy Records, 1999)
A single-disc set of early stuff from the pre-Parrothead days...
Jimmy Buffett "Now Yer Squawkin' " (Recall, 2005)
A 2-CD reissue of Buffett's first two albums, Down To Earth and High Cumberland Jubilee.
Jimmy Buffett "Boats, Beaches, Bars And Ballads" (MCA Records, 1992)
This 4-CD box set is actually divided by themes: one disc about boats, another about beaches... No foolin'! And he's got more than enough songs in each category to keep the hits coming... Bong hits? Acid? Hey, man, I'm only here to talk about the music... You'll have to ask Jimmy about all that other stuff.
Jimmy Buffett "Meet Me In Margaritaville: The Ultimate Collection" (MCA/UTV Records, 2003)
OK, look -- I know that this is major "guilty pleasure" territory, and that Jimmy Buffett is one of those love-him-or-hate-him litmus tests for a lot of people, but I still kinda get a kick out of stuff. Did I ever tell you the story of how I had to go buy a copy of Living & Dying in 3/4 Time to donate to my radio station, 'cause I just had to hear "Come Monday" again? Well, it turns out that when I played it on my show, I realized how bad the bridge is, but I still really like the chorus. And don't even try to tell me that you don't know all the words to "Margaritaville" by heart... We all do; there's no shame to it. Honest. Anyway, this cringeworthy 2-CD set is a little bit odd as a best-of, since it's about halfway packed with live versions of popular old songs, although the most of the biggies are included in their original studio versions. For Parrothead true believers who already have all the old albums, the new recordings are probably a welcome change of pace, although I have my quibbles with the song selection. They seem to be playing it safe by excluding potentially offensive songs such as "My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink, And I Don't Love Jesus," "God's Own Drunk" and "Livingston Saturday Night," but I suppose Western civilization will survive the loss... Not my personal ideal for an "ultimate" Buffett set, but it does seem representative of his work.
Jimmy Buffett... The king of the parrotheads, the crown prince of guilty pleasures, a firm dividing line between those with no sense of humor and those with, well, maybe a little too much good humor in them... After a long apprenticeship in the world of anonymous, cheapo-label country-pop groups, Buffett slowly worked his way into an amazing solo career, becoming one of the most-played artists in the 1970s radio landscape (or seascape, perhaps?) while building an immensely loyal fan base that has buoyed him through the decades. Best of all, he wrote some really great songs, irresistible pop tunes that stick to your ribs and can still fire those old neurons up each time they drift into the harbor of your mind. Here's a quick look at his work...
