Comments on: Popdose Flashback: John Cougar Mellencamp, “Big Daddy” http://popdose.com/popdose-flashback-john-cougar-mellencamp-big-daddy/ your daily dose of pop culture Fri, 25 May 2012 23:57:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: mojohttp://popdose.com/popdose-flashback-john-cougar-mellencamp-big-daddy/comment-page-1/#comment-51560 mojo Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:38:32 +0000 http://popdose.com/?p=23900#comment-51560 I go through phases with JM. This record I was PO'd at when it came out. Now, I am twice as old and appreciate it much more. I go through phases with JM. This record I was PO'd at when it came out. Now, I am twice as old and appreciate it much more.

]]> By: mojohttp://popdose.com/popdose-flashback-john-cougar-mellencamp-big-daddy/comment-page-1/#comment-40711 mojo Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:38:32 +0000 http://popdose.com/?p=23900#comment-40711 I go through phases with JM. This record I was PO'd at when it came out. Now, I am twice as old and appreciate it much more. I go through phases with JM. This record I was PO'd at when it came out. Now, I am twice as old and appreciate it much more.

]]> By: mojohttp://popdose.com/popdose-flashback-john-cougar-mellencamp-big-daddy/comment-page-1/#comment-34070 mojo Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:38:32 +0000 http://popdose.com/?p=23900#comment-34070 I go through phases with JM. This record I was PO'd at when it came out. Now, I am twice as old and appreciate it much more. I go through phases with JM. This record I was PO'd at when it came out. Now, I am twice as old and appreciate it much more.

]]> By: JonCummingshttp://popdose.com/popdose-flashback-john-cougar-mellencamp-big-daddy/comment-page-1/#comment-33988 JonCummings Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:30:38 +0000 http://popdose.com/?p=23900#comment-33988 For me, the big disappointment of "Big Daddy" was the silencing of Lisa Germano's fiddle and the other bluegrass instrumentation that had been livening up Mellencamp's music for a few years. He had followed The Lonesome Jubilee with a couple of awesome compilation contributions that expanded upon that album's sound -- "Do Re Mi," from the Folkways: A Vision Shared comp, and the best version ever of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" from A Very Special Christmas.<br><br>So I cracked open Big Daddy (yes, on the first day) expecting a leap forward into a perfect amalgam of rock 'n' roll and old-timey music ... only to discover a massive downer on the disc. Sure, it's got interesting messages, but the best lesson learned from Big Daddy is that populist lyrics go down a whole lot easier when paired with music that has a little life to it.<br><br>I'm still a big fan of Mellencamp's mid-80s music, but for me he didn't redeem himself until the amazing Trouble No More album six years ago. For me, the big disappointment of “Big Daddy” was the silencing of Lisa Germano's fiddle and the other bluegrass instrumentation that had been livening up Mellencamp's music for a few years. He had followed The Lonesome Jubilee with a couple of awesome compilation contributions that expanded upon that album's sound — “Do Re Mi,” from the Folkways: A Vision Shared comp, and the best version ever of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” from A Very Special Christmas.

So I cracked open Big Daddy (yes, on the first day) expecting a leap forward into a perfect amalgam of rock 'n' roll and old-timey music … only to discover a massive downer on the disc. Sure, it's got interesting messages, but the best lesson learned from Big Daddy is that populist lyrics go down a whole lot easier when paired with music that has a little life to it.

I'm still a big fan of Mellencamp's mid-80s music, but for me he didn't redeem himself until the amazing Trouble No More album six years ago.

]]>