Like other reviews I have read, I an going to say that there is some filler material, partly explained by the label (Fiction) rushing out the album five weeks early because of the single's success. I'm going to make a conscious effort not to mention another singer's name that always seems to be mentioned in the same breath. I resisted temptation (I'm very wary of buying an album without hearing anything on it) but eventually bought it on eBay after just a couple of listens. One of the new releases that week was Made of Bricks by Kate Nash, which caught my eye because (a) it was at number one in the charts and had that cool jewel case becoming more common in europe, (b) I had just seen a brief mention in Q Magazine and apparently she had recently been successful in the singles chart with " Foundations" and (c) she was likeable in that down-to-earth, girl of the street way that an expat Brit like me might enjoy when stateside and in need of some cockney-speak. I was in the UK back in July visiting family. You can find this to download here courtesy of my friend Big-D at Musica Obscura, along with several other rare albums by Jules.Ī Good Summary of links to various Jules Shear related articles His Audience Has Gone To Sleep (Bonus Track)Ī few copies of the album were packaged with a bonus disc Unplug This, featuring acoustic versions of several tracks from this and previous albums.All three are fine efforts and I have no hesitation in appending them to the set. Nowadays, most second-hand CD stores have a copy for a couple of dollars - that's where I found the autographed one shown in the picture.Īfter the rise of the eBay era, I discovered that three additional "puzzle pieces" from the sessions had been added to a promotional single, but had never been commercially released. When Jules wonders aloud, the question marks hang in the air like suspended chords.Ĭarefully produced by Stewart Lerman and also featuring his wife Pal Shazar, The Great Puzzle is a witty, melodic gem that has never lost its appeal to me. Other songs touch on loss, the perils of the world, and - in the sublime title track - its profound mysteries. "The Sad Sound of the Wind" and "Dreams Dissolve In Tears" take standard romantic break-up material and put an elegant spin on the proceedings such as "Not to deceive or with plans to leave/It was pure without intent". "Jewel In A Cobweb" is about a dangerous relationship with some interesting spider allusions. For example "Bark", naturally enough, is about a dog. Jules takes a slightly off-kilter approach to songwriting conventions. Fortunately, every track on The Great Puzzle is a mini-masterpiece, a masterclass in songwriting where the melodies flutter and the stories weave their way into your head. He has a very nasal, noo-yawk timbre, and in truth this can be a little wearing unless the material is compelling. When the latest edition of Q Magazine came out, I noticed that they reviewed the album and gave it four stars out of five, an assessment I thoroughly agreed with.Īnyone who has not heard Jules' work before will find his voice takes a little getting used to. It was unusual in those days for me to buy an album without reading a review, but without listening booths and the internet (can you imagine that?) sometimes you just had to take a chance. In describing his craft, he seemed to identify exactly the elements that can make a song special.Īlthough the interview was about five years old, by a quirk of coincidence I found a new release called The Great Puzzle nestling in the CD rack in our local store. I was impressed to know that he had not only written "If She Knew What She Wants", my favorite song by the Bangles, but also "All Through The Night", amongst others. Back in 1992 I was reading a book in my local library by Paul Zollo ( Songwriters on Songwriting) and out of all the interviewees, I was most interested by Jules. A good example is this album by Jules Shear, to my mind the best in an absurdly idiosyncratic catalog dating back to the mid seventies. Sometimes musical discoveries seem to come about through true serendipity - an alignment of cosmic forces, if you will.
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