Hello buffaBLOG readers. This is
Adam Putzer, guitar player for The Tins, and your very excited new contributor
to this awesome site. This is the
initial edition of “For Your Reconsideration,” a look back at albums that have
been perhaps unfairly maligned, unjustly forgotten, or just plain unusual, but
all of which are ripe for rediscovery.
This includes artists both well-known and absolutely obscure as
well. I hope you enjoy going down this
road as much as I will.
Marshall Crenshaw is perhaps
best-known today for two reasons: co-writing the Gin Blossoms hit “’Til I Hear
It From You,” and portraying Buddy Holly in the Richie Valens biopic La
Bamba. Interestingly, comparisons to
Buddy Holly have dogged Crenshaw throughout the majority of his career, from
his thick black rimmed glasses and close cropped hair, to his love of classic
guitar pop. Crenshaw has always professed a deep love for Holly and doesn’t
shy away from the comparison. In fact,
his self-titled debut album takes instrumental and lyrical cues from Holly, but
it is no mere rip-off. Coming out at a
time when synthesizers and hairspray were fogging up the atmosphere of popular
music, Crenshaw’s debut sounds like it could have been recorded at any time,
including today, and is still a fantastic show of tight song craft and
musicianship.
Crenshaw’s lyrics don’t tend
to deviate from the love tropes consistent with classic pop material (girls are
great, girls will break your heart, I don’t understand girls, etc.), but all
are clever and sung with conviction. The
big hit here was "Someday Someway,” a song about misunderstanding in a
relationship, based around a circular guitar riff and drum pattern that implies
that these problems could continue foreve, However, it doesn’t matter, because our
narrator is so convinced of his love, he will stick it out and continue the
pattern. And Crenshaw’s vocal
performance is flawless, sounding hopeful, yet naïve, in the face of what seems
to be an impossible situation. Clever songwriting, indeed.
Other highlights include “Girls,”
which expertly conveys his frustration with the opposite sex with its weary
refrain of “girls, girls, girls,” and “Cynical Girl,” which adopts the use of a
toy piano straight out of Buddy Holly’s “Everyday” to great effect. Elsewhere, “The Usual Thing” transports
rockabilly into the age of New Wave, and “Mary Anne” musically foreshadows many
of Bruce Springsteen’s modern day rock anthems (take a listen to “We Take Care
Of Our Own“ or “The Rising“ to see what I mean). In addition, if you pick up the deluxe
edition of the record, which is reviewed here, there are a couple of essential
bonus tracks. In fact, “You’re My
Favorite Waste Of Time,” an early B-side, might be Crenshaw’s greatest song, a
four-track recording based around drum machines and a circus organ that is
absolutely brilliant, from the vocal melodies right down to the cheapness of
the sound itself. It certainly can be
seen as a precursor to indie pop.
Bringing it all back home is
a cover of Buddy Holly’s “Rave On.” It’s
nothing groundbreaking, but it is a loving and heartfelt performance by someone
who is clearly a fan. In fact, nothing
on this album could necessarily be seen as breaking new ground. But it is an undeniably enjoyable and
meaningful work from an artist who should be highly regarded by people who like
their guitar pop straight up, no bullshit.
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