John Hiatt - Hangin Around The Observatory-Overcoats (1974-75) (2006 BGO)

Artist: John Hiatt
Title: Hangin' Around The Observatory & Overcoats
Year Of Release: 1974-75/2006
Label: BGO Records
Genre: Southern Rock, Blues Rock, Country Blues, Americana, Singer Songwriter
Quality: Flac (tracks, .cue, log)
Total Time: 01:18:18

Tracklist:
Hangin' Around The Observatory (1974):
01. Maybe Baby, Say You Do
02. Whistles in My Ears
03. Sure as I'm Sittin' Here
04. Rose
05. Hangin' Around the Observatory
06. Full Moon
07. Wild-Eyed Gypsies
08. It's All Right with Me
09. Little Blue Song for You
10. Ocean

Overcoats (1975):
11. One More Time
12. Smiling in the Rain
13. I'm Tired of Your Stuff
14. Distance
15. Down Home
16. Overcoats
17. I Want Your Love Inside of Me
18. I Killed an Ant with My Guitar
19. Motorboat to Heaven
20. The Lady of the Night

England's Beat Goes On repackages John Hiatt's first two offerings from 1974 and 1975 respectively. There are clues in these albums as to what Hiatt would become at his peak with A&M: the excess in his verbiage and exaggeration of his singing dynamic that would make him a caricature of himself on later records (as on the truly awful Randy Newman rip-off album Living a Little, Laughing a Little in 1996, where it seemed like he was caricaturing Newman but he only really made fun of himself. These records waiver between trying a Van Morrison workout on the former and a James Taylor saccharine on the latter. Only Hiatt diehards will even contemplate this, the rest of his more casual fans should be forewarned