Volcano (Jimmy Buffett album)

Songs

All of the songs are written or co-written by Buffett; a Keith Sykes-penned tune, "I'm Not Strange, I'm Just Like You," did not make the final album. Buffett performed "Volcano" with Don Henley at a 1993 Walden Woods Project benefit concert that is available on Henley's 2002 One of These Nights.

Chart performance

Volcano reached #14 on the Billboard 200 album chart and #13 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Three singles from the album charted including "Fins" (#35 on the Billboard Hot 100; #42 Adult Contemporary), "Volcano" (#66 Hot 100; #43 Adult Contemporary), and "Survive" (#77 Hot 100).

In the United Kingdom, "Chanson pour les petits enfants" was released as a single for Christmas 1979. It did not chart officially, but peaked at number 86 in the Record Business magazine chart in Christmas week and became an enduringly popular song on BBC Radio 2 in a country where Buffett has had very little success.

Critical reception

Although the album generated two songs, "Fins" and "Volcano," that have become Buffett concert standards, part of 'The Big 8" that he has played at almost all of his concerts, critical reception was less positive. Allmusic reviewer Vik Iyengar posits that "this album marks a low point for Jimmy Buffett in a decade in which he delivered one solid album after another."

Track listing

Side 1:

1. "Fins" (Jimmy Buffett, Deborah McColl, Barry Chance, Tom Corcoran) – 3:27
2. "Volcano" (Jimmy Buffett, Keith Sykes, Harry Dailey) – 3:37
3. "Treat Her Like a Lady" (Jimmy Buffett, David Loggins) – 4:18
4. "Stranded on a Sandbar" (Jimmy Buffett) – 3:08
5. "Chanson Pour Les Petits Enfants" (Jimmy Buffett) – 4:01

Side 2:

1. "Survive" (Jimmy Buffett, Mike Utley) – 4:50
2. "Lady I Can't Explain" (Jimmy Buffett) – 2:42
3. "Boat Drinks" (Jimmy Buffett) – 2:37
4. "Dreamsicle" (Jimmy Buffett) – 2:18
5. "Sending the Old Man Home" (Jimmy Buffett) – 3:23

Cassette pressings of the album have "Volcano" and "Dreamsicle" swapped in track order.

The running times listed for "Treat Her Like a Lady" and "Survive" on LP and CD pressings are incorrect. They are listed at 3:55 and 4:29, respectively.

Personnel

The Coral Reefer Band:

Singles

Tour

Buffett set out on a You Had to Be There Tour from February through April 1979. The remainder of the year was dedicated to promoting his 1979 album Volcano. Jimmy headed back to the west coast, then to the east coast. September brought Jimmy to Hawaii for the first time opening for the Eagles in Aloha Stadium.

1979 Coral Reefer Band

Set list

The only set list from the tour that's been confirmed is that of the opening night at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California. While the structure of Buffett's set lists generally remain the same in a given tour, the song selection varies from night to night; so it's more than likely that there were many changes to the set list as the tour progressed.

Greek Theatre
Sunday, July 29, 1979
Set:

1. "It's Too Late" (Fingers on vocals)
2. "Mañana
3. "Pencil Thin Mustache"
4. "Trying to Reason With Hurrican Season"
5. "Volcano"
6. "Come Monday"
7. "Why Don't We Get Drunk"
8. "Fins"
9. "Margaritaville"
10. "Banana Republics" (Steve Goodman cover) (acoustic)
11. "God's Own Drunk" (Richard Buckley cover) (acoustic)
12. "Sending the Old Man Home"
13. "Chanson Pour Les Petits Enfants"
14. "Coast of Marseilles" (Keith Sykes cover)
15. "Cheeseburger in Paradise"
16. "A Pirate Looks at Forty"
17. "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes"
18. "Treat Her Like a Lady"
    Encore:
19. "Son of a Son of a Sailor"
20. "Dixie Diner" (Larry Raspberry And The Highsteppers cover)
    Encore 2:
21. "Survive"