Zephyr National

Written by Collins Crapo. Feel free to send him your comments!

Time - 24:43

This album, released in 1974 and probably named after Zephyrus, the Greek god of the west wind, is rather short. Most songs last 2 minutes plus or minus several seconds. One song is almost 3 minutes long, while two others last 3-minutes-plus. Most of the time I hear Tom's Sidekicks voice; the only time he sounds like J.F. is on the longest song, "Joyful Resurrection."

It's Been a Good Day (2:14) - The tempo is moderately slow, with the 2nd and 4th beats accented. During the instrumentals, a saxophone plays and women sing "ooohs."

Can You Feel It Ras (1:54) - The guitar licks and piano-playing are good. I wondered at first what "Ras" meant; after looking up that word in the dictionary, I surmised that the narrator of this song was talking to an Arabian prince.

Mystic Isle Avalon (2:25) - The island of Avalon, according to legend, was King Arthur's final resting place. The narrator is inviting someone to come with him across the sea to the island. Periodically the word "Avalon" is repeated several times.

Reggie (2:03) - The instruments sound interesting, but most of the lyrics except the title are hard to discern.

Money (Root the Root) (2:29) - This song is about various ways in which people spend money. The guitar licks in the instrumentals remind me of the licks in the Creedence song "Walk on the Water."

Hot Buttered Rum (1:51) - This song is a recipe for Jamaican rum, although the only ingredients mentioned are sugar and butter. I like the parts that contain only drums and vocals.

Joyful Resurrection (3:33) - This is the one song from the whole album in which Tom does throaty, J.F.-like vocals. Since Stu, Doug, and J.F. all participated with Tom in this song, Creedence was briefly resurrected, so the title is a fitting one.

Heartbeat (2:10) - All I've found to say about this song is that the guitar- and organ-playing are good.

Fate (2:55) - The narrator says Fate left him high in the morning; apparently his luck was good. The rhythm is slow, in 6/8 time.

Goin' Back to Okefenokee (3:09) - This song has the catchiest rhythm of all the songs on this album. Not only is Okefenokee, Georgia, the narrator's native land; he also has a girlfriend waiting there. At the end, the song briefly fades back in with a somewhat faster piano solo.

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