The BoDeans "Outside Looking In" 1987

Midwestern Rock Never Sounded Finer!The BoDeans have frequently touted themselves as a Midwestern American band. The image that comes to mind when hearing that title is a band that captures the wide-open prairie feel of the Midwest in their music. None of the BoDeans' albums have done a better job of capturing this image than Outside Looking In, which is easily the high-water mark of the BoDeans' recording career.
Much of the credit for this album's success has to go to the producer, Jerry Harrison (a member of the Talking Heads). His judicious use of echo, powerful drumming, and acoustic guitar give the album the sense of "wide open spaces" that is implied in the BoDeans' roots. The band members augment this production with some of their best songwriting ever. "Only Love", "Dreams", "What It Feels Like", and "I'm In Trouble Again" are wonderfully poignant songs about heartache and hope. The mix of production and songwriting work perfectly together to invoke a strong emotional response from the listener.
It's entirely fitting that the album opens with a song whose chorus is "Ain't this what dreams are made of." Bands don't usually make such a bold statement about their recordings. Fortunately, it is backed up by the Bodeans' performance. Consequently, not only is Outside Looking In the realization of the dream of a great American Rock and Roll album, it is also the realization of the dreams that BoDeans fans had for the band's potential. - By Michael Lima (Fresno, California USA)trax:
1. Dreams 2. Pick Up the Pieces 3. Take It Tomorrow 4. Say About Love 5. Don't Be Lonely 6. Runaway Love 7. Only Love 8. What It Feels Like 9. The Ballad of Jenny Rae 10. Forever Young (The Wild Ones) 11. Someday 12. Fool 13. I'm in Trouble Again