Brian Gladstone : A Time for New Beginnings June 2006
A Cynical Review by Gerald Van Waes – Brian Gladstone for me over his career has some elements which I consider a bit of wrong, but not in a (too) negative sense. First of all he has all qualities of being a hippie (like believing in peace and in peace songs : he even published a compilation under this subject, a collection from various wishing-(all)-well characters), but at the same time he most often doesn’t sound like a real hippie.
His first song is “a song for everyone”… I would prefer someone who had made a song like “this is not a song for you” instead, which would be a cynical philosophy that would fit me better. I had a thought that nobody would feel special with a song for everyone. It makes it a still warm-hearted crippled-minded hippie song for the sick and the poor and the lonely, and a friend of his.
There’s even more happy bluegrass-country song with lyrics like “the sun is in the sky, with a rainbow in my pocket..” there’s no doubt for the twinkle in the eye-energy even when Brian’s voice sounds here like from a tired man wining, all the opposite is there. No wonder the guy’s called Glad-stone, or is it gladstoned ?. Something similar happens on “For a Day in the park”, also a great song I see already (seriously) covered for the Muppet show ; I quote: “I sing for you a ballad, as you eat potato salad, for a day in the park” which I imagine covered favorably with a potato salad and some Tupperwares singing as a background chorus. Here some kazoos on the background confirm the enjoyment. “I’ll try” is a really nice harmony song with background chorus, in remembrance of some fine ‘60’s days. Also “The Flags of freedom” (-another title that could be so incredibly wrong-), which is a song questioning the basics of American democracy model in the eyes of a hippie, has a surprisingly really nice sound.
By this time I must admit that the album surprised me really. With “Estrogen”, a nice guitar duet, after this nothing much more can go wrong for me. “The Office Tower Blues” is a song that could easily kill each blue Monday. A few quotes: “I walk the walk and talk the talk when everyone’s around, but from nine to five I count the seconds and the bucks” and “I leave anyone on hold so my coffee won’t get cold”.. “I don’t want to get promoted but with bad work there’s a chance”. For me that’s great (recognizable for the descriptive human conditions) songwriting in a bluegrass fun-making-with-life style.
