Search - John Mellencamp :: Biography (Rpkg)

Finally! US Gets A Mellencamp Classic

Joanne Chisholm | Florida | 04/12/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After many years of being a Mellencamp fan (since 1980), I had always heard of A Biography and expected it to be either as horrible as the first album (Chestnut Street) or hap-hazard as the follow-up (Kid Inside).



To my surprise I was pleasantly astonished at how great of an album A Biography really is. The music is slightly timeless and some of the hardest rocking numbers ever released in the ever growing John Mellencamp library.



"Born Reckless" is a great rocking tune that actually does live up to it's title.



"Factory" seems dated but has a wonderful quality about it's melody and nature.



"Night Slumming" is sloppy but possibly purposely so - hence it's title.



"Taxi Dancer" is meek and shallow compared to it's second version from the John Cougar album, 1979.



"I Need A Lover" is - well, "I Need A Lover". Only this version sounds fresh and more audible than any previous release of the song.



"Alley Of The Angels" is more of the "Weakest Moments" speed with more of rock flair to it. It's a simplistic tune but superior to any ballad John's done to date (1978).



"High C Cherrie" is "I Need A Lover" to a point but presents itself with more simplicity and is reminiscant of "Sugar Marie" at some point.



"Where The Sidewalk Ends" is definately the stand-out track here with a driving rock beat and Larry Crane's best Joe Perry riff.



"Let Them Run Your Life" is mild with no special quality and is more of a copy of 1977's "Sidewalks & Streetlights".



"Goodnight" is certainly the low point of the album with it's piano ridden mess. It's not a necessary track, but to any long-standing fan all remasters are a welcome edition to the collection.



And on a final note - this album was certainly a view of things to come. Uh-Huh's tracks seems to have been cultivated fom this album more than American Fool. It shows John Mellencamp was an up-and-coming rock artist who at the time didn't know much on how to dispell his talents. John was certainly going for the maximum rock sound on this album and at most points acheives this goal.



This album is more deserving of it's history and should be recognized as one of the finer moments in his early career."

A sketchy, yet promising, album

DanD | 07/17/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"John Mellencamp has disowned his younger days--the days when his record company was in control, and he had to use the pseudonym "Cougar". Yet, Mellencamp fans feel compelled to take a listen to his early stuff...and some of it is surprisingly enjoyable.



The opener, "Born Reckless", is a rock anthem. The Australian/UK hit "I Need A Lover" is infectious (if you think the album version--with its 2-minute instrumental intro--is too long, then the UK single edit is included as a bonus track). "Taxi Dancer" (which, along with "Lover", appeared on his mainstream debut, JOHN COUGAR), is surprisingly poetic...as is the album closer, "Goodnight". The last line of this song is a badboy (and early John Mellencamp) catch-phrase: "A crowd of people, aw sh*t".



There are, of course, flaws (which is one reason why Mellencamp today probably won't play any of these tunes in his shows, even if you beg him). "Let Them Run Your Lives" showcases the political side of Mellencamp that would appear in the eighties, and run rampant in the nineties, but is not nearly mature as his later statements. "High C Cherrie" could've been a beautiful, if stilted, ode to a "working girl"...if not for the vulgarity and cheap screams. And throughout, the production is garrish, overdone...even the "Johnny Cougar" that recorded this record seems disgusted at times.



Still, A BIOGRAPHY (don't let the title fool you; Mellencamp wrote all 10 songs) shows glimpses of the artist that was to come. Not Mellencamp's best, not by a long shot, it is still one for die-hard Mellencamp fans, and fans of 70's rock and roll."

Not good, kinda funny though...

M J Heilbron Jr. | Long Beach, CA United States | 06/07/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"As you probably know by now, "A Biography" was never released in the U.S., and on first listen, it's easy to see why.

This is not the Mellencamp you know. This isn't even the Johnny Cougar you know.

This sounds like a collection of all the bad late 70's cliches you can recall, and in that manner, it's funnier than hell.

The songs are weak, the production thin, and he sounds like a kid.

Which he probably was.

However, if you are as big a Mellencamp fan as I am, you'll need to get this record. It's like seeing his high school yearbook...a glimpse into the person you are more familiar with."