Red Pajamas
1989
The Best Of The Asylum Years, Volume Two
About This Album
Steve Goodman recorded five albums for Asylum Records between 1975 and 1980, and they were all out of print by 1988 when his own label, Red Pajamas Records, licensed some of the tracks for The Best of the Asylum Years, Vol. 1. (Subsequently, Red Pajamas licensed the albums themselves.) A second volume was always in the plans, and between the two discs, more than 40 percent of Goodman's Asylum output is covered. It is important to note that the best of the Asylum years is not the same thing as the best of Steve Goodman, who recorded some of his best-known songs, including "City of New Orleans" and "You Never Even Call Me by My Name," for Buddah Records before joining Asylum. The resources of the larger label gave him the ability to indulge his eclectic tastes, but the affiliation also implied greater commercial demands, and Goodman's Asylum recordings are full of attempts to meet the marketplace, along with his characteristic musical playfulness. Thus, the New Orleans jazz arrangement of "This Hotel Room," which leads off the disc, gives way to the adult contemporary soul-pop of "Bobby Don't Stop," followed by a typical Goodman novelty lyric, "Men Who Love Women Who Love Men," which is set to a near-disco track. That's one song that was missed on the first volume, as were the heartfelt "My Old Man" and a co-songwriting effort with Jimmy Buffett, "Door Number Three," which manages to combine the TV game show Let's Make a Deal with a quote from "Like a Rolling Stone." Taken together, the two discs of The Best of the Asylum Years fulfill their title, even if the Asylum years are only a part of Steve Goodman's recorded legacy. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
Track List (try tracks 1,4,5,6,9,10,11 and 12)

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