Son of a Son of a Sailor is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was initially released in March 1978 as ABC Dunhill AA-1046 and later re-released on its successor label, MCA.
Two of the songs on Son of a Son of a Sailor are written by Keith Sykes and the remainder are written by Buffett. "Cheeseburger in Paradise" from the album appears on all of Buffett's major greatest hits collections and is a perennial concert favorite, one of "The Big 8" songs that he has played at almost every concert and which is the namesake of the Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant chain. Buffett had recorded a significantly different version of "Livingston Saturday Night" for the 1975 Rancho Deluxe soundtrack. The Son of a Son of a Sailor version of the song also appeared on the soundtrack to the 1978 movie FM that featured a cameo appearance by Buffett.
Record World said that "Livingston Saturday Night" is "a piece of his usual down home rock beat and good-time lyrics."[4]Record World said that "Mañana" shows Buffett's "sly way with a lyric" and that "Like 'Margaritaville', the mood is easy with a touch of Latin."[5]The New York Times noted that "it may not be desperately important music, but it's very, very pleasant."[6]
Track listing
All songs written by Jimmy Buffett, except where noted.
1978 saw Buffett begin his own tour with the Coral Reefer Band to support the album, called the Cheeseburger in Paradise Tour, spending March and April playing along the east coast and then the mid-west. June brought California dates which included a few shows opening for Jackson Browne in San Jose and Angels Camp, California. August brought a Florida stadium tour with the Little River Band and the Steve Miller Band along with three shows in Atlanta and Miami which were recorded for the live album You Had To Be There.[11]
The set list changed nightly, mainly with an acoustic set between "Margaritaville" and "Why Don't We Get Drunk"—however, You Had to Be There chronicles some unusual inclusions, such as: "Miss You So Badly" replaces "Mañana"; a new song "Perrier Blues" emerges later in the tour; a rare performance of "The Captain and the Kid" appeared during the acoustic set; and "Cheeseburger in Paradise" was missing. The shows opened with "Son of a Son of a Sailor" and closed with "Tampico Trauma" every night; and the encore typically consisted of "Morris' Nightmare", "Dixie Diner" (Larry Raspberry and the Highsteppers cover) and "Last Line" (Keith Sykes cover) respectively, with "Morris' Nightmare" closing the show only when it debuted in Boston.