DWD's Reviews

Published in October of 2020 by Random House Audio. Read by the author, Matthew McConaughey. Duration: 6 hours, 42 minutes. Unabridged, Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey's memoirs are a unique blend of life lessons, reminiscing and bumper stickers that he admired. The title, Greenlights , refers to life giving you opportunities to move forward that you need to take. The life lessons and bumper stickers are laid out as he tells his life story. He decided to acknowledge his 50th birthday by going through his diaries and notebooks full of observations that he has kept for decades. It is not a true biography, but it is not a true philosophical discussion. What he ends up with is a rambling, yet endearing story. Some observations: -His childhood was more than a little concerning. -I loved his decision to go on the road for a year.  -John Mellencamp. He's a fan - he quotes his songs several times. I get it.  I rate this audiobook 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com...

Does it work? Yes, oddly enough it does! Released in 2003 by Vitamin Records I am a dyed-in-the-wool Mellencamp fan and I have been since American Fool came out in 1982. Fans like me could either love projects like this, or absolutely hate them and view them like a desecration. The attitude taken towards the project has a lot to do with it and this album has taken a respectful attitude towards Mellencamp's work. John Mellencamp The songs have been adapted for String Quartet but have not been radically altered - you can sing right along with them if you'd like. Most have been thoughtfully chosen - for example, if it featured a strong fiddle component, such as "Paper in Fire" than it was worked in to the album. "Peaceful World" is achingly beautiful in this adaptation. "Small Town" has a more melancholy tone than the original song, but it is not at all inappropriate. It is also quite beautiful and it is respectful reinterp...

A review from a Mellencamp fan from way back Released by Island in 2007 I was kind of torn about giving this collection a 5 star rating - not because it is not a quality sampling of his work, because they are all good choices. But, there's so much that has been left out. But, reality has to set in and the CD publisher just has to leave stuff out - there is only room for ten songs in this collection series. I always check out the "20th Century Masters" series when I am browsing in the CD section because they usually get a strong cross-section of an artist's work. This is fairly easy if the artist is a flash-in-the-pan type, but Mellencamp has been cranking out hits for more than 25 years. Sure, his best days as a top seller are long gone, but he continues to put out quality work and scores an occasional top 40 song. The wealth of hits to choose from must have made the choices a bit tricky. This album is arranged in reverse chronological order, ...

A much-needed biography for Mellencamp fans John Mellencamp It is hard to believe that this is the only biography of John "Cougar" Mellencamp written in the last 20 years. This book makes use of a previous biography, American Fool: The Roots and Improbable Rise of John Cougar Mellencamp by Martin Torgoff, but that was published in 1986, before John's most successful era with the Scarecrow and Lonesome Jubilee and Big Daddy . Heather Johnson's unauthorized, but nonetheless well-researched biography is based on the Torgoff book, interviews with 25 people over an eight-month period in 2006. These include band members, producers and even Elaine Mellencamp, but not John. There are 4 pages of sources, including magazine, newspaper and TV interview and even a letter Mellencamp wrote to Seymour Daily Tribune when he was in high school. But, the book lacks some credibility without having John's explicit involvement. Positives: Well-researche...

A cover band version that makes me wonder why not buy the real thing? When someone remakes a band's song I have to ask myself, "Why?" If the remake is a true remake (by that I mean that they re-interpreted the song, used different types of instruments, etc.) than I'm fine with a re-make. If it is just a cover of the same song - same instruments, same style of everything than I have to wonder why you'd bother to put it on a CD? This Tribute to John Mellencamp is basically a bar band's nicely done set of covers of most of Mellencamp's better-known hits. If this band was playing at my local bar I'd be happy with the quality of the singing and performing and be happy to spend the evening listening to some good covers and thinking about the real songs and singer. But, this is not an evening at a bar. Others have done re-makes of Mellencamp's work over the years. I happily own String Quartet Tribute to John Cougar Mellencamp a...

  One of the best albums I have ever heard for driving, listening and singing along.  I bought this album on the recommendation of a friend and boy am I glad I did! The lyrics are poignant and yet work. You can tell that he inherited his dad's ( Lonesome Dove author Larry McMurtry) ability to mold and use the English language. But the great thing is that the music is just as good as the lyrics - you'd be singing along even if the words were meaningless. This album was made with John Mellencamp's band - sort of on loan. The music is very solid, but the stories told by the lyrics steal the show. I gave my only copy to a friend (and fellow fan who had worn his cassette out) that was called up to active duty after 9/11 - I knew that he could use the boost more than me. Every McMurtry album has great songs but this one is strong all of the way through! I rate this album 5 stars out of 5. Reviewed on August 14, 2004. This album can be found on Amazon.com here: Too Long...

    Awesome album - the first 5 songs are ... ...as great together as any combination that I've ever run across on an album. They remind me of my rural Indiana roots - "Rain on the Scarecrow' starts us out at the farm, 'Grandma's Theme' reminds me of my own grandmother's voice, 'Small Town' and 'Minutes to Memories' link the urban and rural Indiana experience and 'Lonely Ol' Night' captures that restless, lonely spirit that we've all had. Perfectly put together. This is not Mellencamp's best album overall ( Uh-Huh is his best overall album, in my opinion) but it does have many of his absolute best, including 'Lonely ol' Night' and 'Small Town'.  Truly a great album.  Wonderful. I rate this album 5 stars out of 5. It ...