Search - Ed's Redeeming Qualities :: It's All Good News

Family

Leigh | Kent, Oh USA | 11/17/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Those of you who are Ed's fans, I am Dom Leone's niece. (Dan's Cousin) Dom wrote many of the origonal Ed's songs, and most of the art work. I have been a HUGE Ed's fan since I was a little kid. I grew up listening to them, though my uncle Dom died when I was very young, the songs still have a HUGE importance in my life. They are cheesy and uplifting and I still listen to a song atleast once a week. My favorite is the Song for Elise. More bad times is very good cd, so is this one. They really are all good, but if you can get your hands on some old stuff I would strongly recommend it."

Amazing! Quite an eye opener.

D. Jackson | Cookeville, TN | 07/08/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ed's Redeeming Qualties fans typically fall into three camps; Those who think Carrie Bradley's (also a former bassist for the Breeders, interesting enough.) songs are better, those who think Dan Leone's songs are better, and those who like them equally. I fall into the first camp; Carrie's songs are typically deeper, more introspective, while Dan's are more bouncy and upbeat. A perfect example is King of Calypso: classic Dan - funny, witty, and also a song that makes you "want to move." I prefer The Letter, though, a Carrie creation, which I view to be the album's strongest moment. Something that makes you want to listen to it in the dark and softly whisper the lyrics as you think of past lovers, past times, and what the future holds.Funny, folky, and different.. some of the tracks will make you really think. If you are one of those "as long as it has a good beat" people, you'll probably hate this album. If you are one of those "Hmm.. I like things that make me really think." then you'll be amazed at the depth, profundity, and escape from formulaic pop conventions on this album."

Ed's Next Groove

Kick A. Hole Soup | 07/29/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If your reaction to the Ed's Redeeming Qualities canon is anything like mine, it will unfold in stages. You begin with an appreciation of the music's whimsy and lyrical wit (akin to They Might Be Giants, but with a much different sound - most songs are rife with violin, uke, guitar, bongos, and occasionally [on this album, anyway], clarinet). Stage 2 comes quick - you will dismiss the band as a whole and suspect the simplicity of the music to be evidence of a talent deficit. Stage 3 sneaks up on you when you find yourself singing those infectious grooves after not even listening to the music itself for months and as a result, you ultimately give in to the infection and settle with Stage 4 - acceptance.



And maybe you'll even find yourself in Stage 5 - indulgent sadness. There are always at least two or three songs on any given Ed album that make me cry now and again. They have, in their own way (though in a similar fashion to the aforementioned Giants), managed to communicate a great deal of sadness amidst all their whimsy. It is a trap for so many artists of any media to communicate sadness with bathos. Isn't it so much more interesting, if sometimes clumsy, to do just the opposite? Whereas the Giants deliver a tragic ('They'll Need a Crane') and sometimes grisly ('When It Rains, It Snows') sadness, Ed's approach is on the whole much more about loneliness.



I think fans of the Giants will really appreciate this quality in the work of this lesser-known (and now defunct) trio, where onliness pervades even some of the most joyful tunes. 'King of Calypso' captures the isolation of self-censored failure. 'Blood Bank Man' identifies the delerium of falling in love akin to that of losing blood, yet sticks said delerium with the blame of love that is unrequited. 'The Curse' roots out the loneliness of falling in love, whereas 'Forget' exploits the loneliness of being in love. You might find a theme of loneliness even in their very silly a cappella 'Caucasian Spiritual,' arguably about the fear of isolation amidst an assumedly self-professed liberal rhetoric. So it's not all about love. But I'm pretty sure it's all about loneliness.



I omit a star here only because this particular installment is not the strongest. One of their best, 'More Bad Times,' is curiously absent from Amazon's radar as of this writing, and I urge anyone new to Ed's Redeeming Qualities to hunt that one down (several songs from that release were in the film 'Ed's Next Move' - a forgettable piece of cinema which, despite the title, has little to do with this band). But 'It's All Good News' is certainly deserving of its accolades, and contains some of their best songs, even if the release as a whole doesn't quite measure up."