Even Mike Knott's most ardent supporters will usually admit that his work is uneven. And that's the case with Knott's new LSU project, Dogfish Jones. When given the opportunity to do this record, he could have taken the money and delivered an armload of unused Aunt Bettys demos. Instead, he delivered a Homeric tale told through Irish sailing songs filtered through psychedelic rock. Dogfish Jones is the story of a sailor who hits the high seas to seek adventure and fortune. Musically, the record is an eclectic grab bag of sounds. Some of the ideas work and some are less effective. Knott's father contributes a pair of Irish sailing/drinking songs ("Storm at Sea" and "The Bayos") to the record to establish the setting. They're good (maybe even great) songs for the genre. But they're a little out of place, perhaps intentionally so, on a rock record. Lounge jockey Gene Eugene plays Hammond B3 on several cuts, and it's a new twist on the raging guitar sound that is LSU's signature. But as the hook to over half the record, it gets monotonous as well. Knott tries to cover a lot of territory, musically and thematically, on Dogfish Jones. It's a good record, considering he only spent a couple of weeks on it from conception to finished master. But given more time to simmer, Dogfish Jones could've been a great record.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2005Reviewed by Greg AdamsAt the end of his acoustic version of "Seashell Sally" on the CD Live in Nash-Vegas, alterna-pioneer Michael Knott proclaims, "That's off Dogfish Jones--you can't buy that anywhere!" Well, Homeric rock opera fans, now you can, thanks to a painstakingly faithful reissue by Retroactive Records. Knott's timeless maritime characters Dogfish Jones, Barnacle Bob, Mercy Maid, and, yes, Seashell Sally…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Steven S. BaldwinMichael Knott: mayhem magnet or mostly misunderstood? Maybe to some extent both, but the former by circumstance not choice. He does seem to crave both attention and acceptance. Wild rumors abound, most of which are historically unfounded, especially if careful attention is paid to his honest albums full of ironic wit, faith-filled encouragements, and stark observations of life at once joyous and…Similar sounding releases
2004The FramesSet List
1994RadioheadMy Iron Lung
2003CursiveThe Ugly Organ
2004They Sang As They SlewGet Well
1998Pearl JamYield
2001PushcarApartment D
