John Mellencamp

The Kid Inside (1977)

 


  1. Kid Inside
  2. Take What You Want
  3. Cheap Shot
  4. Sidewalks and Streetlights
  5. R. Gang
  6. American Son
  7. Gearhead
  8. Young Genocides
  9. Too Young to Love
  10.Survive
  
  

Rumor has it that this album was so poorly received upon completion that it went unreleased for six years. I actually never heard it until about thirty years after its release. This is yet another embarrassment to an otherwise incredible performer.

To give the guy credit, he writes all the songs here. He definitely sounds like himself. You can definitely tell that it's John Mellencamp (or Cougar, or whatever) singing and this music sounds like the music should sound. The problem is the songs simply aren't any good. At this point in his career, he probably could have used a writing partner, but hindsight being 20/20, we now know he would break out in a big way in just a few short years.

The only thing on here that's remotely interesting is Too Young To Live. The problem seems to be that Mellencamp probably realized it was the only really good thing he had to offer, so the song goes on for well over seven minutes. Ouch.

Go back to the main page
Go To Next Review