John Cougar Mellencamp-Uh-huh

Okay, I'll admit it. I like John Cougar-WhateverHeGoesBy. Not the entire catalog, mind you, but a lot of it. I never intended to, but you know how it works. One song catches your ear, you begrudgingly admit that it's pretty good, then the same thing happens again and suddenly you're a fan.

Now, I was just barely a fan until I saw him perform at Live Aid a few years back. It was a great set and I liked every song he did, the live setting making some songs I previously thought were only okay live and breathe and turn into bona-fide classics. So that's where I'm coming from listening to this record.

Incredibly lame artwork aside, this is a pretty good offering. The first three songs are radio hits ( "Crumblin' Down", "Pink Houses", and "Authority Song"),and arguably some of his best.  The rest is not without its charm. I am particularly fond of the attitude filled "Play Guitar" and "Lovin' Mother Fo Ya" makes me happy, slight hokeyness aside. And to back track just a tad to "Authority Song",has a more honest song about the necessity and futility of a young man's rebellion been written?

Mellencamp claims to have been a major influence on the alt-country movement but never got his due. Most alt-country acts would dispute that and accuse him of being part of the problem with pop/rock country music in the first place. While those artists may have a point, Mellencamp opened up the ears of the MTV generation to a slightly more rural rock/pop sound. That made it possible for bands like The Georgia Satellites, Timbuck 3 and the early REM stuff to find a way onto our radios which was cool. But it also paved the way for what Country music is now, so that's kind of a wash.

Still, combine this record with "Scarecrow" and add in some of his more recent work and you've got more than enough reason to not begrudge the man's success but be happy for it. "Uh-huh" is not a perfect  record by any means. But it is a fun listen, and a key piece of a solid career. The linear notes claim the record was written, arranged and recorded in sixteen days. Perhaps a little more time would have strengthened some songs, but there is an energy and immediacy here that is undeniable.

4 out of 5 Daves.

The Cars-Heartbeat`City

Okay, so I can't get the photo to work but you should know what this one looks like anyway. If not, google it. There's a girl and a car and a whole retro 50's meets the 80's vibe.  But that's not important anyway.  What's important is the music.

And good music it is, too.  The Cars have always been a little misunderstood.  They had lots of hit records, of this there is no doubt.  But they also were boundary pushers in that they were one of the first and arguably the most successful bands to combine 70's guitar rock with New Wave synth pop.
 Because of their massive success as a pop act The Cars have been sold a little short as far as their musicianship goes, and have been slightly overlooked as  the innovators they were to the 80's music landscape.  Their first album came out in 1977, and by 1983 the formula had been copied by many lesser talents, too many to list here.

1984's "Heartbeat City" was the last great Cars album.  Another followed a few years later, and a surprisingly good reunion album came out a few years back, but this one represents The Cars at their commercial and cultural peak.  The video for "You Might Think" was in constant rotation on MTV back when they still played videos, and was almost entirely computer animated- a new exciting thing back in those days.  Sure, that would have been enough to get the song noticed on its own, but the fact that it's a pop gem made the whole thing work.

But that was only the first single.  Summertime classic "Magic" also appears here as does the synth driven ballad "Drive" which was a slow dance staple for a good many years after.  There are more goodies worth listening to here as well.  The opener "Hello Again" sets the mood off right, while songs like "It's Not The Night" and the ambitious title track make this an essential piece of 80's pop.

Up until this point, I had only heard The Cars on cassette back in the day, and recently on CD.  The first thing I noticed about the sound of this record is how expansive it is. The sound just really opens up to the lows and mids in a way that CDs just can't. Instead of the tinny mix that I've been used to hearing, my ears got a much wider sonic landscape that was not only a pleasant surprise but gave a lot of weight to what has been written off as just pop music for too long. Quite enjoyable.

4 out of 5 Daves.

 

Oh, there's that  picture! Why is it all crooked?

 

Johnny Cash At San Quentin

Apologies for the lack of entries but I'm back up and running. Just because I haven't been posting doesn't mean I haven't been listening. So let's get back into it!

Okay, so pretty much everybody knows and loves "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison" but for my money this is the one. The band sounds better, there is a better intensity from the crowd and I think it's a more honest and direct recording than its more famous predecessor. If nothing else, including two versions of the song "San Quentin" right in a row earns this record extra points for sheer audacity. There are some standard hits, the required hymns, and probably the definitive version of "A Boy Named Sue" all here in their ragged, perfectly imperfect glory.

5 out of 5 Daves