This, to me, is one of the best albums of 1993. It was not the status quo from John Mellencamp. He put his heart and soul into this one. This would be in the top 3, for me, of all John Mellencamp albums.

This album was my first known introduction to John Mellencamp -- bizarrely from Top 40 radio. I admit that it's odd for a twelve-year-old (my age at the album's release) to have John Mellencamp as the angsty-music of choice, but it's still a helluva lot better -- deeper, more emotional, better written and so forth -- than what a lot of kids that age and even *my* age are listening to these day.

The style seems timeless -- it's unlike that of the other popular home-grown-sounding white rock-stars of the day -- which makes it a fine album both then and now. While _American Fool_ can sound dated, _Human Wheels_ still seems classic over ten years later.

After the disappointment of Whenever We Wanted I was concerned Mellencamp was all burned out, but I saw this follow-up album going cheap on cassette in '94 so I bought it. Hooray! The good tunes were back, along with meaningful lyrics. JM had threatened back then that this was to be his last album, but he's threatened that several times since then. And thankfully, he stills puts out albums.
The title track is the standout song for me, a sad but beautifully worded poem on the state of the nation. JM also uses vox effects in the last verse. "Beige to Beige" is also a good song, the melody reminding me of earlier Mellencamp. "Case 795 (The Family)" is another sad song, on family abuse and murder. On side two, "Suzanne and the Jewels" stands out. The closing song, "To the River" has an interesting Eastern sound in its intro and the song is a blend of blues and rock.
Mellencamp has written about serious topics before but this whole album seems darker than his other work. Still, it's a good album. It's unfortunate that Human Wheels was not really appreciated by radio and was quickly forgotten when the next big single ("Wild Night") was released from its follow-up, Dance Naked.

As his career progressed,many of his fans became accustomed to referring to him as John Cougar Mellencamp. When WHENEVER WE WANTED was released in 1991,he became simply known as John Mellencamp. This album,released two years later,is his ninth,overall. One of JM's band members,John Cascella,performed a few songs on this album before his untimely death in November 1992. The title track really kicks ass. JUNIOR is about a kid "living on the street,I earn $200 a week". SWEET EVENING BREEZE is another story told by JM. FUNNY FRENCH SHOES is somewhat comical. Take notice of the brief laughter a few times in the song. All the other songs are good.

I notice a number of reviewers gave this album 5 stars and said "When Jesus Left Birmingham" was a standout. I would have given this album 5 stars if that track was not on it. I never play it and always skip to track 2.

It is not that I don't like the lyric content, it is the "sound" of the track that turns me off it. It is so unlike other songs on the album.

That said, every other track are standouts. The title track is a repeat button job for me and others like "Sweet Evening Breeze" and "What If I Came Knocking" are the same.

Overall, an underated and overlooked gem in the Mellencamp catelogue and it should be given serious consideration when delving into his expansive and interesting collection of work.