giant sand / albums

Giant Sand's second album finds the group taking a small step backward from their debut, but, in the process, getting closer to mastering the sounds and methods that would produce their best work. Leader Howe Gelb is joined on Ballad of a Thin Line Man by guitarist Paula Jean Brown, who would soon become his wife, and by a host of guests, including Falling James Moreland, of the Leaving Trains. Recorded in several scattershot sessions, the record reflects Giant Sand's live set, which may explain why rather ordinary covers of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" and Johnny Thunders' "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" are included. The recording lacks distinction and the performances are occasionally clunky. Even with average Giant Sand records, however, there are always a few corkers, and here it is "Graveyard," "Who Am I," and the growling "A Hard Man to Get to Know" that truly shine. Perhaps Giant Sand's least interesting record, but considering the consistency of the catalog in which it sits, that's not necessarily a putdown. ~ Patrick Foster, All Music Guide