White Sport Coat & Pink Crustacean
When Jimmy Buffett recorded this, his major-label debut, he was neither a country artist nor a Los Angeles-style folk rocker, and he hadn't yet happened upon the beach-bum persona that has sustained him through the last quarter century of his career. YetWhite Sport Coatcontains forays in all these directions. It features some of his most enduring songs, such as the sweet, sentimental "He Went to Paris," "I Have Found Me a Home," and the outrageous "Why Don't We Get Drunk (and Screw)." There's a pleasant island breeze blowing on "Cuban Crime of Passion," while "The Great Filling Station Holdup" and "Peanut Butter Conspiracy" offer early evidence of Buffett's humorous storytelling abilities. It's a compelling, unpretentious disc and one of Buffett's best.--Daniel Durchholz