Big Red Letter Day

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The first two albums by Buffalo Tom showed that the Massachusetts trio had studied its heroes (Dinosaur Jr., Husker Du), learned their guitar-rock vocabulary, and mastered the ability to put it across. But the band didn't have much original to add, and although Let Me Come Over and Birdbrain were pleasant listening, they were quickly forgotten. Big Red Letter Day is more dynamic, peeling away the layers of fuzz guitar to reveal acoustic guitar and Bill Janovitz' simple but compelling vocal melodies. The album emphasizes the lyrics, which stand up to the scrutiny, and "Soda Jerk," "Would Not Be Denied," and "Anything That Way" are the best songs the band has written. --Jim DeRogatis

Big Red Letter Day,Buffalo Tom,Beggars UK - Ada,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

Big Red Letter Day

Average customer rating:

Simply the best
Comfortable, Straight-Ahead Rock
"The moon was full your whisky sour"
Very good all around
An overlooked gem

Big Red Letter Day
Buffalo Tom
Manufacturer: Beggars UK - Ada
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

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Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music

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File Under: Easy Listening
Copper Blue
It's a Shame About Ray
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My So-Called Life (1994 Television Series)

ASIN: B0000018AT
Release Date: 1993-09-21

Tracks:

Sodajerk
I'm Allowed
Tree House
Would Not Be Denied
Latest Monkey
My Responsibility
Dry Land
Torch Singer
Late At Night
Suppose
Anything That Way

Amazon.com

The first two albums by Buffalo Tom showed that the Massachusetts trio had studied its heroes (Dinosaur Jr., Husker Du), learned their guitar-rock vocabulary, and mastered the ability to put it across. But the band didn't have much original to add, and although Let Me Come Over and Birdbrain were pleasant listening, they were quickly forgotten. Big Red Letter Day is more dynamic, peeling away the layers of fuzz guitar to reveal acoustic guitar and Bill Janovitz' simple but compelling vocal melodies. The album emphasizes the lyrics, which stand up to the scrutiny, and "Soda Jerk," "Would Not Be Denied," and "Anything That Way" are the best songs the band has written. --Jim DeRogatis

Customer Reviews:

Simply the best.......2007-06-18

I've got a few thousand albums and this is my favorite. Enuf said.

Comfortable, Straight-Ahead Rock.......2005-06-20

I found this in the used section a few days ago, and have been traveling around with it. This band has a sound kinda like Counting Crows or Gin Blossoms, with maybe a touch of John Mellencamp at times. It's not twang-y roots rock / but does feel kinda indie.

It's versatile, adult-feeling music. The lyrics speak a lot about the messiness of life, and the regrets we try to let go of. I find it likeable.

The vocals can be kinda raspy at times, and I was tempted to ding it for that and give it 3 stars... but I decided 4 is supportable.

"The moon was full your whisky sour".......2004-05-02

I bought Big Red Letter Day back in the early 1990s during my first year in college and it was one of my most played CDs at the time. Playing it now 11 years later, it still sounds great. Even though it was classified as "alternative" with "Sodajerk" getting decent play on MTV's 120 Minutes during its release, it is really just good, solid rock 'n roll with some Husker Du and Dinosaur Jr. influence and a smidgen of country sound here and there. No song jumps out on this album, but there is nothing weak here either. It is a good CD to pop in and hit "repeat all."

Buffalo Tom was a trio formed in 1986 in Massachusetts who built up a following with fuzz-laden guitars, effervescent melodies and muscle-building tours. Big Red Letter Day was the band's major label debut. The band made a little news when a magazine that had a regular "Cute Band Alert" section, changed the title to "Cute Drummer Alert" especially for BT drummer Tom Maginnis (I think the other two guys are cute, too). Guitarist Bill Janovitz does most of the vocal duties. He has a good, no nonsense rock 'n roll voice. Bassist Chris Colbourne provides vocals on "My Responsibility" and "Late at Night," seemingly about troubled fatherhood. These songs are a little less testosterone-driven. Colbourne does not have a very strong voice but the songs are catchy. I still find myself humming "Late at Night." Some songs are a little slower than others, but there are no true ballads here. Other tracks just rock like "Tree House" that ends with some gospel singing by the Water Sisters. Big Red Letter Day is a solid CD that has aged very well.

Very good all around.......2003-08-17

Even though there songs have been used on commercials, people still don't who this group is. And that is a shame. There light rock sounds are calming. I love this album.

An overlooked gem.......2002-01-26

The kiss of death for Buffalo Tom might have been getting stuck with the "alternative" label. Because to call them "alternative" was to deny them the mass audience they so richly deserved.

Buffalo Tom, not a guy but a Boston-based trio, skillfully transformed traditional song styles into idiosyncratic rockers and electric ballads, in the same way that REM transformed "New Southern Rock" into something much more. Forget the comparisons to Dinosaur Jr.: this band, and Big Red Letter Day, are successful on their own terms.

Produced by the Robb Brothers, responsible for producing hitmakers like Neil Diamond, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, the Bay City Rollers and fellow-Bostonians the Lemonheads, the CD is probably Buffalo Tom's most accessible, featuring deceptively simple melodies, dynamic guitars, and some of the band's best lyrics.

The CD opens with the confident "Sodajerk", which features the Water Sisters (Rolling Stones) and the immortal opening lines: "Watch an eyeball/take a free fall/At the mention of a name/In its socket/Like a rocket/It rises just the same."

Other standouts include "My Responsibility" (and the great lyrics, "I don't like that joke, and I don't want to smell like smoke"), "Torch Singer" and the rocking "Tree House" and "Dry Land".

Overlooked in its day, Big Red Letter Day is an easy gem that's well deserving of your hard-earned dollars.

Average customer rating:
Big Red Letter Day
Buffalo Tom
Manufacturer: Beggars Banquet Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Birdbrain

Let Me Come Over

ASIN: B00000DPHN
Release Date: 1993-09-21