Track listing
Show track credits
- A1 Stop Hurting People 3:53
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writer
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- A2 The Sea Refuses No River 5:56
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writer
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brass arrangements
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Allan Roganbrass
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Bill Harrisonbrass
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brass
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supervisor, engineer
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- A3 Prelude 1:30
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writer
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writer
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- A4 Face Dances Part Two 3:24
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writer
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- A5 Exquisitely Bored 3:41
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writer
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- A6 Communication 3:18
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writer
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- B1 Stardom in Acton 3:40
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writer
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- B2 Uniforms (Corp d'esprit) 3:41
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writer
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- B3 North Country Girl 2:27
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arranger
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writer
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- B4 Somebody Saved Me 4:53
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writer
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- B5 Slit Skirts 4:51
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writer
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- Total length: 41:14
Rate/Catalog
Catalog
Set listening
Review
To rate, slide your finger across the stars from left to right.
15 Issues
- Release view [combined information for all issues]
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All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes [p] 33 rpm, Gatefold
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All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes 33 rpm, Gatefold
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All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes 33 rpm, Gatefold
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All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes 33 rpm, Gatefold
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All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes 33 rpm, Gatefold
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All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes Bonus Tracks, Digipak, Remastered
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All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes CD Sized Album Replica
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All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes CD Sized Album Replica
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All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes Bonus Tracks, Remastered
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All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes Digipak, Remastered
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30 Reviews
No wonder All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes is one of the albums that really speaks to me. It's cold and distant, just like me, oddly foreign and obscure. But it has more exquisitely wrought, complex emotion per second than a hundred other similar albums. It's the definitive Townshend on a personal level and connects with me in a way none other of his work does.
Published
B0006857-02 CD (2006)
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5/10
While I'd take All The Best Cowboys at its weirdest and worst over the polished schlock of his previous album any day, sadly, there still isn't a lot of material here that doesn't come across as incredibly awkward to me. Pete Townshend's writing and singing lost a lot of its grip during this era, which cripples a ton of songs here. It has its moments of genius every once in awhile ("Somebody Saved Me" is a really touching tribute to his faith). But, for the most part, his limited vocal range and writing clichés tend to get in the way of this album's positive qualities. Fantastic choruses, left-field genre shifts and bright, lush production can be found all over the project. Unfortunately, the problem is Townshend.
Best Tracks:
- Stop Hurting People
- The Sea Refuses No River
- Exquisitely Bored
- North Country Girl
- Somebody Saved Me
Worst Track:
- Uniforms (Corp d'espirit)
While I'd take All The Best Cowboys at its weirdest and worst over the polished schlock of his previous album any day, sadly, there still isn't a lot of material here that doesn't come across as incredibly awkward to me. Pete Townshend's writing and singing lost a lot of its grip during this era, which cripples a ton of songs here. It has its moments of genius every once in awhile ("Somebody Saved Me" is a really touching tribute to his faith). But, for the most part, his limited vocal range and writing clichés tend to get in the way of this album's positive qualities. Fantastic choruses, left-field genre shifts and bright, lush production can be found all over the project. Unfortunately, the problem is Townshend.
Best Tracks:
- Stop Hurting People
- The Sea Refuses No River
- Exquisitely Bored
- North Country Girl
- Somebody Saved Me
Worst Track:
- Uniforms (Corp d'espirit)
Published
This certainly is a step down from Empty Glass, but it's sort of trying to be. It's a somewhat weirder cousin who still manages to be presentable and is at least consistently interesting. "The Sea Refuses No River" is really lovely. "Face Dances Part Two" is gently rocking pop. "Slit Skirts" is a compelling rocker to close things out. Sprinkled in is some mediocrity, but Townshend at least is stepping out of the box even on the two or three tracks that don't work that well.
Published
Recorded before The Who ended, ATBCHCE sees Townshend taking time away from stadium-filling rock to reflect on more intimate concerns, with a delicate palette of songs to match. He needed this because of two heart-breaking events; his romantic rejection by actress Theresa Russell whom he was hopelessly smitten by, and the sudden death of former Who manager Kit Lambert who had once been very close to Townshend before an estrangement over mysteriously vanishing funds. He also wanted a space for songs he’d written for Face Dances and It’s Hard that Entwistle/Daltrey had rejected for being “too soft”.
The latter is why you’ll find the song Face Dances here, which got kicked off the tracklist of the 1981 Who album yet remained the title. And it’s probably a good thing Roger said no because this sensitive piece of pop with a really catchy chorus is more suited to Pete’s gentle approach. It’s a very synth heavy album with little in the way of rock, yet it remains fairly tasteful without the garish/dated tones some associate with 80s synth-pop. Those synths are performed by Pete himself with assistance from Clapton/Cocker sideman Chris Stainton as a second keyboardist over light, well-judged drumming from Simon Phillips, later of Toto. Stardom In Action is a good one, building from a twilight, atmospheric open to a joyous pop tune and even though the likes of Somebody Saved Me are undeniably firmly in “adult contemporary” territory, there’s a sincerity to Townshend’s vocals and a pleasant crispness to the instrumental that keeps it listenable.
It opens poorly with the insufferably soft Stop Hurting People inclusive of a comically self-important spoken word performance and Uniforms is total garbage, sounding like a clumsy Peter Gabriel era Genesis outtake. But on balance ATBCHCE is a decent enough album - nothing life-changing but alright if you don’t mind the easy-listening overtones.
The latter is why you’ll find the song Face Dances here, which got kicked off the tracklist of the 1981 Who album yet remained the title. And it’s probably a good thing Roger said no because this sensitive piece of pop with a really catchy chorus is more suited to Pete’s gentle approach. It’s a very synth heavy album with little in the way of rock, yet it remains fairly tasteful without the garish/dated tones some associate with 80s synth-pop. Those synths are performed by Pete himself with assistance from Clapton/Cocker sideman Chris Stainton as a second keyboardist over light, well-judged drumming from Simon Phillips, later of Toto. Stardom In Action is a good one, building from a twilight, atmospheric open to a joyous pop tune and even though the likes of Somebody Saved Me are undeniably firmly in “adult contemporary” territory, there’s a sincerity to Townshend’s vocals and a pleasant crispness to the instrumental that keeps it listenable.
It opens poorly with the insufferably soft Stop Hurting People inclusive of a comically self-important spoken word performance and Uniforms is total garbage, sounding like a clumsy Peter Gabriel era Genesis outtake. But on balance ATBCHCE is a decent enough album - nothing life-changing but alright if you don’t mind the easy-listening overtones.
Published
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Townshend writes material that tries to be more interesting than it actually is here. Most of the songs here aren't good and it feels like Townsend's compensating for it by making them as complicated as the standards of '80s pop allowed. At least this album has Slit Skirts, one of the greatest power pop songs ever made. Who knew a failing marriage would sound so fun?
Published
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A1
Stop Hurting People
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A2
The Sea Refuses No River
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A3 Prelude
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A4
Face Dances Part Two
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A5 Exquisitely Bored
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A6 Communication
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B1 Stardom in Acton
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B2 Uniforms (Corp d'esprit)
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B3 North Country Girl
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B4 Somebody Saved Me
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B5
Slit Skirts
An album containing two absolute gems like 'The Sea Refuses No River' and 'Slit Skirts' cannot receive less than four stars.
Published
This has big country's rhythm section backing pete but it certainly doesn't sound like it. Its a record heavy on synthesisers and keyboards but the song writing is better than most of what ended up on the who's last 2 records.
The lyrical honesty is at times harsh (Townshend was battling addiction and mental health issues at the time) but the tunes hit the spot mainly. Especially "slit skirts" "the sea refuses no river" and "somebody saved me".
The lyrical honesty is at times harsh (Townshend was battling addiction and mental health issues at the time) but the tunes hit the spot mainly. Especially "slit skirts" "the sea refuses no river" and "somebody saved me".
Published
An improvement over Pete's previous long play. In general this recording rocks and has a little Who vibe goin on. Solid musicianship throughout make this a good listen. Although for sure I prefer Mr. Townshend's work with The Who over his 80's solo work.
Published
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