Search - John Stewart :: Bombs Away Dream Babies

A great album by an underappreciated artist

Martin W. Ward | Littleton, CO USA | 06/15/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bombs Away Dream Babies an album that has been somewhat forgotten, but is a classic album by one of the great songwriters of the era. A former member of the Kingston Trio, Stewart focused on folk and folk-rock songs during the late 60's and early 70's. The label that released this album in 1979, RSO, wanted pop hits that could generate radio airplay, so John produced a whole album of songs that are the musical equivalent of a grand slam. BADB had three top 30 hits, (Gold, Lost Her In The Sun, and Midnight Wind) with Gold reaching #5. This whole album is a breath of fresh air, with strong melodies, terrific guitar playing, and John's always moving lyrics. The entire album could have been released, one song after another, as singles, and all would have been fabulous coming out of a car radio on a summer's day. Background vocals by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac add to the overall mix, but John Stewart is a classic American artist that deserves to be heard. And this CD is a highpoint in a career filled with them."

John's Rockers

Andy Agree | Omaha, NE | 07/12/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the album on which John Stewart became a rocker, and he is a darn good one. His unabashedly masculine baritone is rare in rock, and welcome to the ears. "Midnight Wind" alone makes this CD worth owning. It is gorgeous, heart-pumping, haunting rock. The title captures the feel of the song: dark, fresh, and full of possibility. "Gold" is a close second. This was John's big hit, also a solid rocker, about the dreams and obsessions from which great music are made. Both these songs feature Stevie Nicks on backing vocal. Her haunting feminine touches are the perfect counterpoint to John's rough, manly vocals. The third tier of winners on this album includes four songs: the pretty pop of "Lost Her in the Sun", the quiet, subtle "Somewhere Down the Line, the thumping and humorous "Runaway Fool of Love" and the raucous "Heart of the Dream". A few more songs like these and this would have been an album for the ages, but unfortunately none of the other four songs are noteworthy or even much fun to listen to. The six good songs total only 19 minutes - just not enough for 5 stars. "Midnight Wind", "Gold" and "Lost Her in the Sun" are available on the career retrospective double CD entitled "Gold", so if you are not collecting John Stewart albums one by one (worth doing, by the way), "Gold" is well worth the extra few bucks to get the best songs from this album, plus many other great ones from John's accomplished and under-recognized career. I also suggest that if you like John in his rocking mode, check out the CD "Wires From the Bunker", which includes 18 tracks of mostly very high quality. Although released fairly recently, it was recorded just a few years after "Bombs Away"."

John Stewart: The Best Artist of the 80's!

Robin MacDonald | MA | 01/18/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well now. I can remember listening to "Bombs Away Dream Babies" one late Spring night on the 8-Track (yeah, I'm THAT old), while driving down the Eastern Shore of Virginia and let me tell you: IT WAS COOL! I can still remember the song Midnight Wind while cruising at 90 mph in my Bo Young's new Plymouth Sapporo that she pruchased that day. And when you hear that haunting track, with the top down, you know it's the best John Stewart ever put out in many moons. And if you purchase the CD, it's STILL timeless and still sounds fresh as it did then!"