Jonathan Cain Band's Windy City Breakdown CD Review by Tito

[Michigan Girl]

Saint John heard part of Windy City Breakdown speciifically the song, Moonchild and his reaction WITHOUT knowing who it was "This is real f-ckin' good!"

Lets start buying it people. It's a winner.

I'm glad you brought this up. I bought this, (Amazon.com) don't worry folks there are PLENTY
to go around....new and used!!! I'm going to load this in my IPOD and listen to it Thursday. You'll be
hearing from me!!!

[Tito]

Saint John heard part of Windy City Breakdown speciifically the song, Moonchild and his reaction WITHOUT knowing who it was "This is real f-ckin' good!"

Lets start buying it people. It's a winner.

I'm glad you brought this up. I bought this, (Amazon.com) don't worry folks there are PLENTY
to go around....new and used!!! I'm going to load this in my IPOD and listen to it Thursday. You'll be
hearing from me!!!

GOOD GIRL!!! You're a team player. Thank you.

[Deb]

Lets start buying it people. It's a winner.

As soon as you buy Beautiful Mess.

[Tito]

Lets start buying it people. It's a winner.

As soon as you buy Beautiful Mess.[/quote]

I will get it. I swear and review it with an open mind.

[Deb]

Lets start buying it people. It's a winner.

As soon as you buy Beautiful Mess.

I will get it. I swear and review it with an open mind.

Ok, burn me a copy of Cain's and I'll do the same.

[Tito]

Lets start buying it people. It's a winner.

As soon as you buy Beautiful Mess.

I will get it. I swear and review it with an open mind.

Ok, burn me a copy of Cain's and I'll do the same.

That would be stealing! Plus, I'm retarded and don't know how to burn CDs or more accurately too lazy to learn.

[Deb]

Lets start buying it people. It's a winner.

As soon as you buy Beautiful Mess.

I will get it. I swear and review it with an open mind.

Ok, burn me a copy of Cain's and I'll do the same.

That would be stealing! Plus, I'm retarded and don't know how to burn CDs or more accurately too lazy to learn.

I was kidding.....but I'll listen to somebody's and get back to ya. I won't put money out for it though, sorry but I've heard him sing. Great songwriter, but vocally does absolutely nothing for me.

[Tito]

Lets start buying it people. It's a winner.

As soon as you buy Beautiful Mess.

I will get it. I swear and review it with an open mind.

Ok, burn me a copy of Cain's and I'll do the same.

That would be stealing! Plus, I'm retarded and don't know how to burn CDs or more accurately too lazy to learn.

I was kidding.....but I'll listen to somebody's and get back to ya. I won't put money out for it though, sorry but I've heard him sing. Great songwriter, but vocally does absolutely nothing for me.

On the contrary. He brings it on this CD. This one is worth it. I was pleasantly surprised by the vocals.

[Saint John]

sorry but I've heard him sing. Great songwriter, but vocally does absolutely nothing for me.

This is a much younger Jonathan Cain. He's actually very good on this CD...very good.

[stevew2]

Lets start buying it people. It's a winner.

As soon as you buy Beautiful Mess.

I will get it. I swear and review it with an open mind.

Ok, burn me a copy of Cain's and I'll do the same.

I will burn Cains cd then keep an open mind

[Michigan Girl]

Last night after work, I stopped at one of the last remaining local record stores, Remember When Records in Westmont, and no shit, they had Jonathan Cain’s debut CD (album) Windy City Breakdown. After almost purchasing this reissued CD by Wounded Bird Records over the past couple years, I finally pulled the trigger and bought it.

I just saved myself a lot of time, money and gas by clicking on Amazon.com..... :wink:

Besides just listening to the disc, I was paying attention if I could hear anything that would foreshadow what would become of the great career of Jon Cain.

I did the same. I’m pretty sure most of us agree that the man is a very gifted musician. I was curious and wanted to hear some of his earliest recorded work!!

First a quick overall analysis, this is definitely a mid - 70’s album (with the kind of songs you hear on one of those Time Life infomercials). Remember this was recorded in 1976. If you were just to put this on, not knowing anything or who or what this album was, you would know right away this came from the 70’s. So, if you liked that genre, you would probably like this CD. Another thing, you need a magnify glass to read the linear notes (lyrics).

I totally agree with everything stated above!!! Infomercial, lol!!!
Magnifying glass or telescope, those words are teeny tiny.....I still don't know what they say, haven't a clue!!!

Now, for a song by song analysis:

Windy City Breakdown – Self titled track opens the album. This sounds like a 707 (first two albums) song with a little pre-Cain Babys mixed in. A fun song to start the album - Windy City Breakdown, City slicker Shakedown.

I liked this song, and after a few listens liked it even more. OK on the vox, The Piano is FABULOSO!!!! The overall sound is pretty good.

Lay Low Joe (Holiday on Ice) – People, I ain’t bullshiting, he lets you live. I’d STFU if you’ve criticized Cain. This should’ve been the closing song to the Sopranos. Sample lyrics:

Joe was thinkin’ sweet revenge
Since a stool http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stool_Pigeon sent daddy to the pen

Joe would like to waste this dude
Who sang in the fed house court
For framin’ up his dad

This line is poignant since I just brought it up the other day, in exact form I may add:

When he least suspects, young Joe will move

There are more lyrics like that in the song. Don’t let the Steely Danesque sounding chorus fool you. SteveW, I watch my back if I were you.

Without all the DRAMA, I agree that this is another decent track.
Mainly because I want to live….lol….j/k. JC does ok vocally….the song is well
written, by whom? I have no clue, maybe Tito can fill us in..Good Sound, Soprano’s LMAO!!!

Rock It Down – Starts off with a Seals & Crofts Diamond Girl sounding intro with a little Spinners mixed in (what a diverse talent, who else could pull that off?). Honestly, a mediocre song, no real chorus. Last line of the verses (I guess) sounds like Lido Shuffle. This one didn’t really do it for me.

This was ok, doesn’t really go anywhere and not really a ROCKIN tune, but not horrible!!

Moon Child – first song just written by Cain, no co-writers. Let’s see what Cain’s got in his early years. Survey saids, “We have a winner.” He shines. J.C. Phillips who produced the album and co-wrote the first 3 tracks apparently should’ve just stayed out of the way. This is the moment I was waiting for – I finally see the future great songwriter. A Jon Bon Jovi Blaze of Glory feel to the beginning. This is where Cain also pushes it vocally at times. This song almost sounds like it could’ve fit on Dream After Dream. Very good song. The next two songs are also just written by Cain as well.

JBJ ~Blaze of Glory? I can hear
that, good comparison. This is easily my second favorite song on the disc.
I had no clue that JC wrote the song himself as I cannot read those damn
linear notes, but I agree w/ Tito, he did a great job on this song!!

Rollercoaster Baby – Another 707 sounding song. I like the little jam after the 3 minute mark. Ok song.

I can't help but giggle every time this song starts....the beginning backup vocals consist of
several peeps singing ooooooohhh, like they are on a rollercoaster!!! This isn’t a bad song once you get
past the cheesy ooooohhhhhhh. Reminds me of The Three Degrees When Will I See You Again” oooooooo, ahhhhhhh!!!
The comparison ends there. This song picks up after the oooohhhh and is not too bad!! Piano, VERY GOOD!!!!
Im not familiar with this 707 stuff you keep referring to, so I cannot comment on that!!!

Spinning My Wheels – Maybe we got rid of J.C. Phillips too soon. This song is blah. Steely Dan feel to it, not my cup of tea.

Blah!!! Filler!!!

Go Now – A Moody Blues cover. You can hear the piano that would become famous one day in this song. Decent song.

I liked Go Now, ALOT. It is a
Moody Blues cover, but MB actually covered it from R&B singer Bessie Banks.
I think JC did a fair job on vocals, but it is hard to beat the smooth,
effortless, bluesy sound of Denny Laine. Still, not a bad job overall!!

Your Lady or Your Life – Most rockin’ track on the album. A Springsteen sounding track, vocals included. Again, Cain brings it vocally in this song and is the sole writer of the song. It’s a song about a grease ball trying to steal the girl. Oh, oh sounds like Jon got his ass kick on Old Army Trail Road (hey I don’t live that far from there). Good song and story.

I agree with this.....good story, good song. If you were scared after listening to Lay Low Joe, this is your revenge!!! lol!!

Final analysis, overall a nice debut outing for Mr. Cain. Nothing that sounds like Journey as a matter of fact it does amaze how in less than 5 years he made the leap from this album to writing rock n’ roll staples like Don’t Stop Believen’, Open Arms, and other songs off of Escape. There really isn’t anything that sounds like his stint in the Babys as well. So, he did grow after this album. The only thing I see that resembles Journey is the album cover which shows a lot of “street light people.” I also like the album cover because it does reference the songs. You can tell this was a rough part of town – old West Side.

It isn't hard for me to believe he made this leap in less than five years.
He really shone when the missing
links were added. Street Light People
are what SP saw out of his window at a hotel in Detroit after a concert at
COBO. Perry and Cain drew from their experiences with the Sunset Strip Street Scene….I don’t remember ever reading about The Windy City being included, but who knows?

I was pleasantly surprised what Cain brought to the table vocally when he pushed it. It was pretty strong at times. There was also some good piano work during some of the songs. That’s probably the best you could do to hear the future “sound”. Young Tommy “Mugs” Cain did a good job on the drums as well. This CD isn’t going to be for everybody but if you want to see where it all started – this is a nice addition then. I definitely see the raw talent after listening to this album. Sign him up!

Best songs:
Moon Child
Lady or Your Life
Windy City Breakdown
Lay Low Joe[/quote]



In conclusion….
If you are strictly a Vox kind of person, this CD is not for you!!!
While it is no secret that JC is not one of the better vocalist around, this is the best I’ve ever heard from him.
The piano playing on this CD is fabulous and the songwriting
Is pretty good too. Although, I do not view this music as timeless, it was very
interesting to hear some of the earliest recorded work of what will become
one of the most gifted songwriter, musicians of his era!!
I do not regret having bought the darn thing.
I am a Vox kind of girl, so I had to alter my tastebuds
to be fair. It also didn't help that
I am really pissed about the Illinois, Michigan game and I wanted to take it
out on this review, but I couldn't do it.

Vocals-C-, Songwriting-B-, Sound~B

The current time is 8:40 PM CST......

[DSHinMICH]

I love Jon's playing but don't care for his singing at all! So
I will pass on this! As far as the Michigan game today I am
very disappointed and will get drunk because of it!
Not that I need an excuse to get drunk!

[Michigan Girl]

I love Jon's playing but don't care for his singing at all! So
I will pass on this! As far as the Michigan game today I am
very disappointed and will get drunk because of it!
Not that I need an excuse to get drunk!

LMAO!!!
Are you basing your opinion on the game? Because I wanted to do that too!!!


BTW...it is still Saturday.....just for the record!!!

[DSHinMICH]

Yes I am MG!

[Michigan Girl]

Yes I am MG!

OK, you're honest!!! Now when I'm in Michigan
I'm going to pick you up and on our way to get Moonie, this
is all that will be playing ALLLL THE WAAAY TO CANADA!!
I'll expect an honest review after that!!!

[DSHinMICH]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[Michigan Girl]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

You can be drunk!!!

[DSHinMICH]

OH! Ok I will try to tolerate it then!

[stevew2]

Lets start buying it people. It's a winner.

As soon as you buy Beautiful Mess.

I will get it. I swear and review it with an open mind.

Ok, burn me a copy of Cain's and I'll do the same.

That would be stealing! Plus, I'm retarded and don't know how to burn CDs or more accurately too lazy to learn.

Some how I missed this post. At least you admit it

[Jana]

Okay, Tito and Saint John, you've convinced me. I'm going to buy Windy City Breakdown. I will let you know how I like it. I liked Piano With A View.

You know how every couple has "their" song. I think yours should be Sonny and Cher, I Got You Babe.



"ARNEL MAKES ME A BETTER GUY JUST KNOWING HIM" - JONATHAN CAIN

[finalfight]

Okay, Tito and Saint John, you've convinced me. I'm going to buy Windy City Breakdown. I will let you know how I like it. I liked Piano With A View.

You know how every couple has "their" song. I think yours should be Sonny and Cher, I Got You Babe.



"ARNEL MAKES ME A BETTER GUY JUST KNOWING HIM" - JONATHAN CAIN

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=twQlpFrm5iM

[Saint John]

Okay, Tito and Saint John, you've convinced me.

Tito's the one running around like a 9 year old with a hard on over this album, not me!!! I listened to the fucking thing ONCE and did like it, but have no plans whatsoever of buying it!!! But that could change.

[Saint John]

Michigan Girl-Thanks for the awesome review. It's nice to finally have an unbiased review of the album. Tiger Beat Tito's review was about as impartial as Richard Simmons reviewing The Village People.

[Tito]

Michigan Girl-Thanks for the awesome review. It's nice to finally have an unbiased review of the album. Tiger Beat Tito's review was about as impartial as Richard Simmons reviewing The Village People.

My review was fair.

[Saint John]

Michigan Girl-Thanks for the awesome review. It's nice to finally have an unbiased review of the album. Tiger Beat Tito's review was about as impartial as Richard Simmons reviewing The Village People.

My review was fair.

Ok, mini-frig.

[Michigan Girl]

Michigan Girl-Thanks for the awesome review. It's nice to finally have an unbiased review of the album. Tiger Beat Tito's review was about as impartial as Richard Simmons reviewing The Village People.

My review was fair.

Tiger Beat Tito (LMAO), better comment on MY review pretty soon!!!
That little sh!t stayed on my a$$ like he was the editor in chief of Rolling Stone.
I had an effing deadline....s'up coach?.........

[Tito]

Michigan Girl-Thanks for the awesome review. It's nice to finally have an unbiased review of the album. Tiger Beat Tito's review was about as impartial as Richard Simmons reviewing The Village People.

My review was fair.

Ok, mini-frig.

mini-cain.

[Saint John]

Michigan Girl-Thanks for the awesome review. It's nice to finally have an unbiased review of the album. Tiger Beat Tito's review was about as impartial as Richard Simmons reviewing The Village People.

My review was fair.

Ok, mini-frig.

mini-cain.

lol...I knew that would be your response.

[Tito]

Michigan Girl-Thanks for the awesome review. It's nice to finally have an unbiased review of the album. Tiger Beat Tito's review was about as impartial as Richard Simmons reviewing The Village People.

My review was fair.

Tiger Beat Tito (LMAO), better comment on MY review pretty soon!!!
That little sh!t stayed on my a$$ like he was the editor in chief of Rolling Stone.
I had an effing deadline....s'up coach?.........

Very good review MG. You did well. I've upgraded Roller Coaster Baby to a very good song. I would give his singin higher than a C- though. B is more accurate. I agree the piano playing is great and there is some good songwriting on this disc. I think it's accurate that you did not regret buying this. I think everyone on this board should buy it. No one will regret buying it. It won't be your best CD in your collection but it definitely will not be your worst.

In regards to Don't Stop Believin':

I'm just looking at the album and I see a lot of street light people.

Cain should've been the one wearing the coattails because Perry sure held on to Cain's.

[Michigan Girl]

Michigan Girl-Thanks for the awesome review. It's nice to finally have an unbiased review of the album. Tiger Beat Tito's review was about as impartial as Richard Simmons reviewing The Village People.

My review was fair.

Tiger Beat Tito (LMAO), better comment on MY review pretty soon!!!
That little sh!t stayed on my a$$ like he was the editor in chief of Rolling Stone.
I had an effing deadline....s'up coach?.........

Very good review MG. You did well. I've upgraded Roller Coaster Baby to a very good song. I would give his singin higher than a C- though. B is more accurate.

Good for you, not me......

I agree the piano playing is great and there is some good songwriting on this disc. I think it's accurate that you did not regret buying this. I think everyone on this board should buy it. No one will regret buying it. It won't be your best CD in your collection but it definitely will not be your worse.

Accurate? It's a matter of opinion.......

[I'm just looking at the album and I see a lot of street light people.

Huge difference between Streetlight People and Windy City Thugs...lol!!!

[Cain should've been the one wearing the coattails because Perry sure held on to Cain's.

You've gone too far with this comment.....I quit!!!