Search - Ian Tyson :: Eighteen Inches of Rain

"Heartaches Are Stealin'" - Best Song Ever Written?

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 08/15/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Quite a claim, I know. If you're not on to Ian Tyson, such an assertion will sound preposterous. If you know his music, it might seem at least plausible. But it's the truth, at least to this man's ears. What makes it so great? First of all, the pathos. There's a whole world of sorrow summed up in three-plus minutes of musical mastery. Besides being the greatest, this is probably the saddest song ever written. You can feel these poor women's sorrow as they've once again been done in by a heartless and faithless man. Second, the musical setting perfectly matches the mood of the song. Tyson is a genius at getting just the right instrumentation and arrangement to complement his lyric. Third, there's a matter of tone. No one has an ear for the North American West like Tyson's. The California mid-coast setting is absolutely perfect for the sentiments conveyed. If you've ever been to Cayuma, you know what I mean. "Big Horns" is almost as great. The sense of loss here is as profound as in "Heartaches." A choice between them probably comes down to what one is most familiar with."Rodeo Road" gives me chills every time I hear it. I'm not a cowboy, but I've had my obsessions about things to the detriment of those near to me. Tyson manages to perfectly capture this sad state of affairs, but even more amazingly wraps things up with a genuine redemptive move. Quite an accomplishment."M. C. Horses" evokes the changing West as well as anything out there. "Old House" is a bit of exotica Tyson likes to include in most of his outings. "Alcohol in the Bloodstream" has its own kind of sadness, despite the cheerful veneer. "Horsethief Moon" intriguingly foreshadows "Big Horns" in a lighthearted way, making the latter all the more ominous. The title cut, although not among Tyson's absolute top-drawer tunes, does effectively bring out the joy a hard rain can bring to the parched western plains.I could go on and on. There's not a weak cut in the bunch. I've just hit on the high points. A must-have for any Tyson fan, and a great introduction to the man and his music for anyone not yet under the spell of this true American troubadour."

Ian at his absolute best

James B. Averill | Battle Ground, Washington | 03/07/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have a pretty complete collection of Ian Tyson; and, while I would not rate this as his very best, I still give it five stars. Why? Because when he is good on this album, Ian is at his absolute best. And, at other times, he is still better than 99% of your other choices. To my mind, there are four songs on this one that are must-haves: Heartaches Are Stealing, MC Horses, Bighorns and Old Corrals and Sagebrush. And, of these, Bighorns is my very favorite. It is a ballad about horsethieves hiding out in the Bighorn Mountains of NE Wyoming. The music is beautiful. The story is so real and compelling it begs a music video. Ian's voice is absolutely perfect. And the harmonies are so subtle yet so absolutely right that it gives me thrills to hear it. One thing I love about Ian's work is how he evokes the country he writes about. His imagery makes you see it and feel it. And in Bighorns, he does this as well has he ever has. Don't miss this CD if you are an Ian fan, a country fan, a Western music fan or if you just like good music, no matter what the genre."

Typical Tyson

Jeff Jones | Decatur, TX United States | 06/14/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ian Tyson delivers another dead-on western cowboy musical piece. Each song makes you believe the songwriter (Tyson) has lived every word of it and even may have written it as it was happening. Tyson is completely credible, using his rustic cowboy voice and blending it with rustic tales and times to paint the picture of an authentic cowboy life. Most songs have a rhythm that is similar to be saddleback a horse. Add this to your Tyson collection or begin it right here."