Apocalypso Now

Artist: Walter Egan
Label: Gaff Music
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 821767112825
EAN: 0821767112825
ASIN: B000066HI9

Release Date: 2002-07-02

Apocalypso Now

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Singer-Songwriters

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Tracks:

Far And Away
Love Is In Your Veins
Ten Years Ago
Stubborn Girl
Time And The Rain
Only Love Is Left Alive
Better Days
The Reason Why
Wanting You
Rain In Tennessee
You Pay For Love
You're Gonna Miss Me
Lullaby

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The Lost Album
Hi-Fi/The Last Stroll
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Customer Reviews:

these already fine rock and country songs could be even better.......2006-01-30

Walter Egan
Apocalypso Now
Gaff Music GAFF12902
He kicks things off with the Bo Diddley beat, that chunk, chunka-chunk, a-chunk chunk bit that's brought us some of the greatest hits of rock, R & B and country for half a century now. He also plays most of the instruments on the record himself. There's a lot of Tom Petty in his voice and delivery, though, of course, no one can really whine as well as Tom Petty. Maybe that's why the persona Egan develops throughout this CD is so much more capable and competent than one imagines the scrawny Petty to be.
Liner notes are actually liner anecdotes, brief stories penned by Egan, so what you get is a CD and a collection of short stories for one price. One of the stories, New England Hurricane begins: "In Minot, Massachusetts, where I have recently chosen to live, the Ocean, who lives just across the street, had quite a party the other day . . . " That's the way Walter Egan expresses himself, both in song and in prose. He is concise, yet at the same time masterfully expressive.
"Rain in Tennessee," the tenth of 13 cuts on this release, may be the best cut. It matches message and music as well as Smoky Robinson ever did, and that's saying a lot. While the songs are all quite well crafted, some could be done better. Key selections are a little out of Egan's reach on a couple of cuts. Track layering, especially harmony vocal tracks, could take a few tweaks so far as levels and effects go. It sounds as if studio time, which is, of course, an expensive commodity, ran out a little too early.
This is not to say that "Apocalypso Now" is not a fine release, especially with the bonus short stores included, simply that we can look forward to hearing even more not only from the highly gifted Walter Egan, but from these very songs. Slept on for a while, delivered live and learning from audience reaction and readdressed in the studio a few years hence, these already fine rock and country songs could be even better.

Another Fantastic Album from Mr. Magnet and Steel.......2005-07-05

This is the most recent Walter Egan solo studio album, released the same year as The Malibooz's Beach Access and The Brooklyn Cowboys' Dodging Bullets.

Stylistically, this album is not as eclectic as its predecessor, 1999's Walternative. However, while I believe that Walternative is Egan's magnum opus, this is a worthy follow up. The sound of many of the songs are heavily influenced by the country and folk scene in the Nashville area, where Walter Egan makes his home. Also prevelant on many songs, as the title suggests, is the influence of calypso music. Other songs display a harder, more rocking sound than even much of Egan's solo work from the 1980's. Altogether, these sounds make for an excellent listening experience. Favorites include "Wanting You," "Rain in Tennessee," "You Pay for Love," and "Love is in Your Veins."

All this being said, I do have one complaint about the album - the song "Only Love is Left Alive." We previously heard an early version of the track on Mad Dog and, in that form, it is one of my favorite Egan tunes. Here, however, it's been slowed down and its electric edge tamed. The result is that much of what made the other version great is lost and what is left just isn't up to par.

On a more positive note, there is a hidden song (the title is not provided but Walter calls it "Rockababy Mama") at the end of track 13 that's a little unusual in that we don't normally hear Egan doing rockabilly music. He does it well, though, so if you're listening to this disc you'd be well advised not to hit the stop button after "Lullaby."

Another thing of interest is that the full title of this album is Apocalypso Now: Songs & Stories by Walter Egan. The liner notes to this album do not make any mention of the music at all. Instead, Egan has taken the opportunity to use it to publish a collection of his short stories (though I'm not sure if they are fiction, non-fiction, or a combination of both). At any rate, these too are enjoyable - if a little unusual.

For more information on this and ALL OTHER Walter Egan releases, check out my website at Walternative.com!

Magnetic Album.......2002-09-13

I have always been a fan of Walter Egan since the early days of Magnet and Steel. A friend of mine turned me on to this new and exciting album Apacalypso Now. GREAT STUFF!
I would encourage people to play this album in the car, at home anywhere! It makes you feels great to be alive and brings back great memories.
It's funny how an artist that we heard in the past and associate "good times" can immediately transcend you back to a happy moment by just hearing their voice again.
That's what Apocalypso Now does for me.
I have seen many changes in this world as time goes by...
but Walter's style of music and unforgettable vocals can make anybody proud to be an American and have the freedom to enjoy life.
My personal favorite is "My Love Is In Your Veins", great energy in the song!
A review to me is like an a**hole everyone has one and (some are bigger than others) so I normally don't like to run off like this but....what the heck, if you have something good to say might as well share it.
Thanks Walter! Keep the music coming and we will keep listening!

Awesome feel good record........2002-09-13

First, let me say that it's great to hear that Walter's Back. Walter's true fans will always be here. Don't pay any attention to Jef's review. Some of us cannot appreciate the finer elements of music. Some of us don't realize that it's very easy to become a critic when one is not creative himself. This record is great. (Every song on it!) Keep it up Walter.

Experts (as opposed to the review below) agree.......2002-08-31

First off, let me preface this by saying I was involved in the making of Walter Egan's Apocalypso Now, so obviously I'm a bit biased. That being said, don't go strictly by Jef Fazekas review if you're wondering about Apocalypso Now. Here's what James Casara from Rapid River Monthly had to say:

A quarter century after the radio perfect "Magnet and Steel" catapulted him to stardom Egan is back with a disc that oozes with charm, sparkle, and an effervescent wit that makes one long for the days when FM ruled the airways, not with an iron hand, but with a tender heart.

The now Nashville-based Egan continues to be one of music's rare renaissance men, releasing a steady stream of solo albums, fronting an impressive array of band configurations, while continuing his acclaimed work as a graphic artist and writer. Apocalypso Now is streamlined pure pop passion, gliding easily from romantic magnetism to introspective self-examination, all with an utter lack of predicament and without the slightest hint of overstating its own importance.

It is, in short, precisely the type of album these media manufactured times need much more of. Egan's talents, buoyed by a nearly perfect voice, have not diminished one iota in the intervening years. It's just too bad radio has deteriorated to the point that Apocalypso Now may have to struggle to find an audience.- James Casara

then there's AllMusic Guide:

...anyone who feels that pop music took a wrong turn in the early '80s and longs for the glory days of '70s Southern California rock should feel right at home. - William Ruhlmann

and The Nashville Tennessean:

...The album is a dense, stylistically divergent pop effort, marked by virtuosic guitar work and Egan's atypical style.

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