Published on Jan 28, 2000
The title of pop-rock singer/songwriter Marshall Crenshaw’s
latest CD,
#447, is a tongue and cheek exaggeration on the number of
recordings he has released. However, far from being the generic CD
that the title suggests, I think
#447 is one of Crenshaw’s best efforts.
When his debut album,
Marshall Crenshaw, came out in 1982, its back to basics rock
and roll was a breath of fresh air in a polluted world of
overproduced pop. His sound reminded me of a cross between rock
pioneer Buddy Holly and an early John Lennon. (I guess I’m not the
only one who thought so because he ended up playing both artists:
Holly in the movie
La Bamba and Lennon on stage in
Beatlemania).
Crenshaw scored a minor hit with the song “Someday, Someway,”
but has since failed to make any impact in the music business,
despite writing some wonderful songs along the way for himself as
well as other artists. (For example, he co-wrote the Gin Blossoms
hit “Till I Hear From You”).
What makes his latest CD,
#447, so good is how he combines the charms of his early
work with a maturity only hinted at in previous releases. A good
example of this maturity is on the song “Dime A Dozen Guy”, a
lightly bluesy number co-written by David Cantor of the lounge-pop
group, Dave’s True Story. The lyrics are sharp, and there is a nice
guitar solo by Pat Buchanan (NOT the politician, but the leader of
a rock group called The Idle Jets).
Crenshaw continues in a rootsy vein on what I think is the best
song on the CD, “Television Light”. His plaintive vocal and urgent
lyrics combine with his usual great sense of melody to give this
song some weight. And the guitar, fiddle and mandolin
instrumentation helps move the song along nicely.
Another highlight is “T.M.D.” (which stands for truly madly
deeply). This would be my choice for the single because of its
strong melody and unusually romantic (for Crenshaw) lyrics. I hear
co-writer Bill Demaine’s hand in this song as its romanticism
reminds me of the songs he has written for his band, Swan Dive.
There are a number of trademark Crenshaw pop-rock ditties
scattered throughout
#447 such as “Glad Goodbye” and “Tell Me All About It”, but
there are some surprises as well. For example, “Ready Right Now”,
co-written by power-pop wunderkind Bill Lloyd, is a rhythm heavy
rocker that is a bit of a departure for either of them. Crenshaw,
who handles the drumming here and throughout
#447, combines with bassist Brad Jones, to create an
intoxicating rhythm that recalls the Beatles song “Come
Together”.
The other surprises on
#447 are the inclusion of three instrumentals: “West Of Bald
Knob” not only gets to show Crenshaw’s chops on guitar, but has an
irresistible melody. The other two songs, which include former
E-Street Band keyboardist David Sancious, are in a more jazzier
vein. “Eydie’s Tune” works as a jazz ballad with some soulful
guitar licks from Crenshaw. “You Said What??” really cooks with a
nice Sancious organ solo.
If you fondly remember Crenshaw’s early work but have lost touch
with him,
#447 is a must listen. Even if you have never heard his work
before, one listen to
#447 will make you realize what you’ve been missing.