5x5s

Anniversaries from 1980 to 2000

I’ve focused mostly on new music here and want to get older albums into the mix on a more regular basis. In this series, I’ll talk about important albums to me that came out multiples of 5 years ago. I think you get it, so let’s go…

Elvis Costello and The Attractions/Get Happy!! (1980) - I’d been a casual fan of EC starting with 1991’s Mighty Like a Rose, but it took the Rhino reissues of the early 2000s for me to go all the way in. Get Happy!! was in the September 2003 batch, along with Trust (also really good) and Punch the Clock (which I skipped); it was a revelation. It’s proof of the versatility of not only Costello’s songwriting, but also the Attractions as a band - they nail the soul/R&B vibe of the album, while keeping the pop sensibility at its core. “Love for Tender” comes in blasting, with Bruce Thomas’s strutting bass featured prominently, Steve Nieve sprinkling organ over top, and the steady drums and tambourine of Pete Thomas. “The Imposter” takes those same elements (minus the tambourine) and pushes them even further for a careening 1:58 that threatens to go gloriously off the rails. One of my favorite melodies comes on “Possession,” which again takes full advantage of The Attractions and contains the amazing line “you lack lust/you’re so lackluster.” The 3-song run from “New Amsterdam” to “High Fidelity” to their cover of Sam & Dave’s “I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down” is a real highlight. “New Amsterdam” feels almost like a music box and “High Fidelity” is one of Costello’s best songs, where the bass counters the melody of the chorus perfectly. The cover is maybe the key to the whole album, like he started with that idea and just kept going (I haven’t read the liner notes in forever, but I don’t recall that being the case). The album ends on another great run, with the strong Motown feel of “Temptation” rolling into the manic cover of The Merseybeats’ “I Stand Accused” and finally ending with the woozy “Riot Act.” Costello has a strong catalog both with and without the Attractions; this is my favorite.

Tears For Fears/Songs from the Big Chair (1985) - First of all, this should probably be in its own separate post in my Albums I Love series, but I’m committing to this new series, so here it is. Second, I love this album more 40 years later than I did when it first came out and I was a big fan back then. I have a very distinct memory of listening to it on my Sony Walkman in the backseat as we drove through the red clay of Georgia on the way to St. Simons Island to visit my great-aunt and uncle before heading to Disney World; it was the same day as Live Aid. My dad would occasionally tune into the concert on the radio, but wouldn’t stay on it for long because he didn’t care about the same music I did. Hence, the Walkman. Luckily, the relatives had cable and my brother, cousin, and I were able to watch some of Live Aid when we reached our destination.

The album opens with “Shout,” which sounded great blasting over the radio airwaves and enveloping you in the world of the album on headphones. It’s new wave and electronic and rock all blended together, fueled by passionate vocals that highlight both Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal, an insistent drumbeat, the stuttering synthy bass, and a great guitar solo. That’s followed by the airy saxophone opening of “The Working Hour,” which leads into the piano and drums that make up the basic structure and belies the darkness of the lyrics; it’s certainly a song I appreciate much more now. “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” is an all-timer, an indelible pop song that you probably all know (and if you don’t know Ted Leo’s cover from A.V. Undercover, check it below). “Mothers Talk” is propulsive and grinding, and a perfect way to end side one. Side two starts with “I Believe,” which slows down for more of a jazz feel; I’ve always been hypnotized by the ascending piano run that ends with different instrumentation each time. “Broken” is the shortest song on the album, notable for previewing parts of the next song, while also being catchy in its own right. “Head Over Heels/Broken” comes in on that classic piano riff and offers some slinky bass to counterpoint the soaring vocals before segueing back into a live snippet of “Broken.” It’s a short song suite that works very well. The album closes with “Listen,” a moodier piece that shouldn’t work as a summation, but does.

The Black Crowes/Shake Your Money Maker (1990) - This came out in February of that year, but the singles didn’t start hitting the airwaves until that summer, which is where I first heard of it like almost everyone else. In fact, I have great memories of listening to this on Thanksgiving break from Penn State with my brother and cousins and our aunt-and-uncle’s house (my brother bought this and Cinderella’s Heartbreak Station when we made our annual mall trip - this was his senior year of high school). We were all rock music fans and this was right up our alley, especially with the opening punch of the bluesy riff on “Twice As Hard” and Chris Robinson’s preening vocals. “Jealous Again” sounds pretty Stonesy, but at the time I wouldn’t have noticed that as much; still, it’s another appealing blues rock tune. In order for an album to really good, you need to have deep cuts behind those hit singles (the two songs already mentioned, plus their cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle” and “She Talks to Angels”), and “Sister Luck” fits that bill. It take its time (pushing past 5 minutes), allowing for plenty of guitar, organ, and those gritty vocals. ‘Seeing Things” is another winner, a ballad with background vocals in the chorus that sound like they’re ported in from a Joe Cocker tune from the late 60s/early 70s. The album ends with “Stare It Cold,” which is a stomping rocker with room for flirty organ fills and barroom piano before turning into a rave-up. The band would go on to make better albums (the next two immediately spring to mind), but giving this one a listen is never a waste of time.

The Jayhawks/Tomorrow the Green Grass (1995) - The Jayhawks broke through with 1992’s Hollywood Town Hall, which I played constantly. So, I was very excited when this follow-up was due and, as it turns out, I played it constantly as well. It opens with their best-known song, “Blue,” where the opening acoustic guitar riff gives way to the harmonies of Mark Olson (low) and Gary Louris (high) and the chorus is magical, soaring into the sky. “I’d Run Away” opens with an instrumental swell before settling into a catchy country rock tune abetted by violin, new member Karen Grotberg’s piano, and Louris’s lead vocals and excellent soloing. After Olson takes a lead vocal turn on the ode to his wife Victoria on “Miss Williams’ Guitar” (featuring more great Louris guitar), they downshift to the heartbreaking tenderness of “Two Hearts” (“I’m lonely too” they harmonize, drawing out the “I”s). “Real Light” is a highlight, once again deploying harmony in both the verses and chorus and unleashing Louris on his guitar solos. They even cover Grand Funk Railroad’s “Bad Time” and you can’t listen to it without bopping your head to the beat. The second half of the album has plenty of gems too, such as “Nothing Left to Borrow” (which is delightfully loping and shifts into another gear at the end) and “Pray For Me” (with rock steady bass, more harmony singing, and Gary’s guitar fills). This album was the end of an era for the band, though Olson did come back for one more album, Mockingbird Time, in 2011. Of course, I am on record that the 1997 follow-up to this, Sound of Lies, is their best album, but you can check the archives of the Rockin’ the Suburbs podcast for that story. As for Tomorrow the Green Grass, it’s still absolutely fantastic so many spins later.

Michael Penn/MP4 (Days Since a Lost Time Accident) (2000) - I bought Penn’s debut, March, on cassette when it came out in 1989 and the follow-up, Free-For All, on CD when it came out in 1992. I lost track of him and missed both 1997’s Resigned and this one in real time. I rectified those mistakes during my eMusic era in the mid-2000s, so while I came to this album late, it wasn’t that late in the grand scheme. Opener “Lucky One” should have been a hit, but the airwaves had long since passed by an expert pop-songwriter like Penn; it starts with ringing guitars and piano over a syncopated beat before settling into something more straight-forward, continues with a great chorus, and ends in a half-time section that will remind you of “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).” Next comes “Whole Truth,” which is more subtle (though that insistent bass is not) before ratcheting up the guitars on the chorus. “High Time” is bouncier, employing “shoo-be-bops” for the second verse and bringing them back in the outro…to me, that’s perfect pop construction. “Don’t Let Me Go” starts with a drum machine, a little acoustic riff, and Penn singing at the low end of his register, then turns up the intensity as real drums and electric guitar come in and Penn takes his voice up. It’s a great song and starts a strong run that finishes the album. If you don’t know MP4, I would encourage you to give it a listen. It may be 25 years old, but it’s never too late to find music that you will love.