Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads

AMG Review of Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

Most listeners will be satisfied with the excellent Jimmy Buffett summary Songs You Know By Heart, but anyone that wants to dig deeper should bypass the albums (there are several that are first-rate, yet many are spotty) and pick up the four-disc, 72-track box set, Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads. Assembled thematically, with each disc devoted to one of the words in the title, this rounds up not just every Buffett hit, but pretty much every one of his noteworthy album tracks, plus a couple of rarities and unreleased cuts. For some, this much Buffett may cause sunstroke, yet this proves that he had some fine moments that weren't singles, and even those that aren't Parrotheads will be impressed by the consistency of his music -- if you like Jimmy, he usually delivers what you like.