Search - Rick Roberts :: Windmills

RR's finest hour (well, his finest 40 minutes or so)

Music fan in the Midwest | USA | 01/12/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I echo the sentiments expressed by my fellow Rick Roberts fans in Georgia and Texas (I'm from Iowa). "Windmills" is a fine, fine album, but the import's price tag is out of my league. Tracks on this, Roberts' first solo album, include the stirring "Deliver Me," the cautionary "Davy McVie," a nifty cry-in-your-beer number titled "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down" (I believe Emmylou Harris was on harmony vocals), "In A Dream" (David Crosby on harmony), and "Drunk And Dirty" (with Jackson Browne). Roberts was (and surely must still be) highly regarded by many top-flight musicians, so "Windmills" featured Al Perkins, Chris Hillman, Dallas Taylor, and several members of the Eagles. Its follow-up, "She Is A Song," featured Joe Walsh and Barnstorm plus Hillman and other luminaries.Of the two Rick Roberts solo albums, "Windmills" is by far the stronger and more reflective. Still, "She Is A Song" has some excellent tracks on it ("Lights," the rocker "Sweet Maria," the steel-happy "She Made Me Lose My Blues" and the beautifully rendered break-up song, "Glad To Be Goin'"). I also liked Roberts' work on the 1971 Flying Burrito Brothers "blue" album ("Colorado" is a beaut) and the first Firefall album (1976) -- "Mexico" and "Livin' Ain't Livin" hint at the style he'd perfected on his two solo albums -- but "Windmills" is a singer-songwriter gem from 1972. His seafaring lament, "Sail Away," is a stone classic of the genre.So c'mon, A&M, remaster the man's two solo albums on your domestic label and issue them at an affordable price. You'll be our new best (corporate) friend."

Good and rare

bloodhoundlover | colleyville, tx USA | 10/30/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If ... can actually get this CD for you more power to 'em. I got my copy many years ago through an importer in Goldmine. Had the vinyl but it was plenty beat up. This is great stuff - not quite as schmaltzy as Firefall but same genre. Pretty good little vocalist singing terrific tunes. A must.Now if we can just find Michael Dinner..."

One of my favorite albums of all time

Gary Hosmer | Marietta, GA USA | 12/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I want this album on CD so bad I can taste it. Unfortunately I don't want to pay (the money) for the import. I remember buying "Windmills" the same day in September 1972 that I bought Poco's "Good Feelin' to Know", and Lou Reed's album with "Walk on the Wild Side" Pretty good day huh? Anyway I played the grooves out of all of them, but this is probably my favorite. I don't remember all of the songs, but I do remember "Two Lovely Women" - the opener which described every young man's dream, and "Sail Away" - the closer which is one of most beautiful, serene, winsome, ethereal and any other adjective you can think of which means wonderful, songs of all time. Rick Roberts was in the Burritos for a while - he wrote "Colorado" which was covered by Manassas and was the primary lead singer for Firefall and wrote many of their hits such as "Someday Soon, "Just Remember I Love You" and "You Are the Woman". I guess I'll just have to hope I find somebody with it someday so I can copy it."