John Mellencamp - Human Wheels (10 tracks) +Album Reviews +Used CD available for Swap

Mellencamp Rolls On

Thomas Magnum | NJ, USA | 02/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After the hard edge of Whenever We Wanted, Human Wheels find John Mellencamp again quieting things down. Though you could draw a comparison to Big Daddy, it would be through the softer nature of the album, not the lyrical content. The theme that runs through Human Wheels is about relationship and their growth. The title track is an instant classic. "what If I Came Knocking", "When Jesus Left Birmingham", "Junior" and "Suzanne & The Jewels" are all first rate John Mellencamp songs. Human Wheels finds John Mellencamp realizing that he is no longer a kid, but an adult and the songs are the most mature of his career."

Mellencamp rediscovered!

Aaron Blight | Westminster, Maryland United States | 01/11/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For me Human Wheels represents a rediscovery of John Mellencamp. Back in the 1980's, when I was a teenager, John (Cougar) Mellencamp was one of my favorite artists. Two of his albums back then, Scarecrow and The Lonesome Jubilee, were among the most frequent plays in my cassette player. For some reason, since the late 80's I haven't paid much attention to Mellencamp, and I lost track of his music. I recently bought Human Wheels out of curiosity, remembering how much I liked Mellecamp back in the 80's. This album reminds me why I enjoy John Mellencamp's music so much: the man is unequivocally an excellent songwriter. As demonstrated on this album, Mellencamp writes melodic, infectious hooks with compelling vocal and instrumental arrangements. His songs range from the silly to the serious, from the cynical to the celebratory. I thoroughly enjoy EVERY song on this disc! This album was a great discovery, and now I'm really looking forward to getting updated on all the music Mellencamp made between 1987 and today. If you've liked Mellencamp's music in the past, or if you like rootsy rock and roll with some groove and pizzazz, then I would recommend this album. It's great!"

This is the best album you've never heard.

Eric Koldinger | Portland, OR USA | 12/14/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Personally, I've always found this, The Lonesome Jubilee, and Mr. Happy Go Lucky, to be Mellencamp's finest albums. A small album, without the big commercial impact of some of his others, yet a musical tour de force that I never tire of listening. A wonderful album of straightforward american rock-n-roll."

Excellent!

Ruadhan J McElroy | Ann Arbor, MI | 03/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album was my first known introduction to John Mellencamp -- bizarrely from Top 40 radio. I admit that it's odd for a twelve-year-old (my age at the album's release) to have John Mellencamp as the angsty-music of choice, but it's still a helluva lot better -- deeper, more emotional, better written and so forth -- than what a lot of kids that age and even *my* age are listening to these day.The style seems timeless -- it's unlike that of the other popular home-grown-sounding white rock-stars of the day -- which makes it a fine album both then and now. While _American Fool_ can sound dated, _Human Wheels_ still seems classic over ten years later."

Mellencamp returned to form with this one

J. Houzet | Chicago, IL | 03/04/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After the disappointment of Whenever We Wanted I was concerned Mellencamp was all burned out, but I saw this follow-up album going cheap on cassette in '94 so I bought it. Hooray! The good tunes were back, along with meaningful lyrics. JM had threatened back then that this was to be his last album, but he's threatened that several times since then. And thankfully, he stills puts out albums.
The title track is the standout song for me, a sad but beautifully worded poem on the state of the nation. JM also uses vox effects in the last verse. "Beige to Beige" is also a good song, the melody reminding me of earlier Mellencamp. "Case 795 (The Family)" is another sad song, on family abuse and murder. On side two, "Suzanne and the Jewels" stands out. The closing song, "To the River" has an interesting Eastern sound in its intro and the song is a blend of blues and rock.
Mellencamp has written about serious topics before but this whole album seems darker than his other work. Still, it's a good album. It's unfortunate that Human Wheels was not really appreciated by radio and was quickly forgotten when the next big single ("Wild Night") was released from its follow-up, Dance Naked."

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	John Mellencamp Human Wheels Genres: Pop, Rock, Classic Rock Track Listings (10) - Disc #1 When Jesus Left Birmingham Junior Human Wheels Beige To Beige Case 795 (The Family) Suzanne & The Jewels Sweet Evening Breeze What If I Came Knocking French Shoes To The River
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