Music Review - A Couple of Albums by a Man Called E

Back in the early 1990s, a couple of albums came out that ended up having a pretty huge effect on me. At the time, I was in a 3-piece band and the other members and I would turn each other on to new musical discoveries. This one came from the guitarist of said band, and since there was some inner-group tension and his time in the band was to end within the year, I wasn't really open to anything he brought along. In this case, having closed ears was a mistake, but one that was rectified when the second album came along, at which point I fully embraced the first one.

I am referring, of course, to E. Later to become the leader of Eels (which was really just E and whatever musicians he felt like using at any given time), and even later finally giving in to his own real name, Mark Oliver Everett, his first two albums were simply credited to E. The albums stirred up very little dust in the music world, and the dust settled almost immediately. And that was that. His label backing gone, those were to be his only two albums. It was only by watching some late-night TV show that I discovered Eels, when, as they took the stage and started playing, it struck me that the guy looked a lot like the guy pictured on E's albums, and he had a similar voice. Unfortunately, I didn't care at all for what I was hearing, but I went out and bought the album anyway and sure enough it was him. Some of the album grew on me, but even the songs I liked only made me miss what could have been had he stayed with the approach of his previous solo stuff.

A Man Called E (1992)

There is so much to love about this record. It's one of very few I've heard in my lifetime that I can say is almost THE perfect album. It's everything it needs to be, without trying too hard. Borrowing from some 1970s musical influences occasionally but totally unique. Great musicianship without any flashiness. Crystal clear production. A singing voice that's gravelly and unique yet warm and inviting, with amazing vocal harmonies everywhere. And every song is quirky in its way, and almost insanely catchy. This is an album I've just let play repeatedly because every time a song plays I want to hear it again, but I want to hear the next song too, and so I just let it go to the end and then start over.

There was a tiny bit of buzz generated by the debut single, "Hello Cruel World". It's a great song that sets the tone for the album nicely:

 

One of the quirks of the whole album is that the songs are generally happy-go-lucky in their musical style, but the lyrics often aren't. You get the impression that this guy has been dealt some shitty blows in life, but there's a cautious hopefulness that is sadly (if understandably) lacking in the later Eels music. "I've Been Kicked Around" would be a prime example:

 

Parthenon Huxley co-produced A Man Called E, and he also co-wrote a couple of the songs. The two of them play most of the instruments, with E playing the bulk of them. There are a few other musicians that guest here and there, but this is very much an E effort with Parthenon adding a lot of support. The songs were written by E soon after he had left his home (not long after the death of a father he barely knew, despite living with him) to move across the country to California. Stuck in a crappy little apartment he began writing and searching desperately for someone in the music biz to listen.

He was extremely depressed. Leaving what was then unknown-to-the-public personal life tragedy behind, and becoming isolated in a new world, trying to form relationships that didn't work... it wouldn't be surprising if his songs were dark enough to make you want to kill yourself listening to them. But somehow they weren't. He ultimately managed to grab the attention and support of an exec at Polydor Records and set about recording his debut. "Nowheresville" I think perfectly shows his unending hopefulness at this stage of his life:

 

The thing that impresses me the most about this album is how incredibly well-crafted it is. Even having major label backing the budget had to be fairly small. Yet the songs are filled with interesting creative touches at every turn. The entire album is worlds beyond the typical guitars-bass-drums music of the time. I wish I could share every song here, but you'll have to seek them out for yourself. It's well worth the effort. Before I leave this record and move on to the next I'll add this last example, "Mockingbird Franklin". Kind of sad, it expresses similar things I've felt about similar women I've known:

 

Broken Toy Shop (1993)

Broken Toy Shop had more of an initial impact for me, as explained in the introductory paragraph. Overall I think the first album is better, though this is a really good album as well.  I think that Parthenon Huxley's more limited role and the bringing in of outside musicians and co-writers hurts things a bit.  There are still many great songs that are well produced and well performed.  A little of the quirkiness is gone though, and some of the sadness is invading the music too.  So, it's an enjoyable listen, but you may well find yourself wanting to listen to the first album again when this one ends.

It begins in much the same way as the first, with the Huxley co-penned "Shine It All On".  Though darker, it has its similarities with "Hello Cruel World":



There are a couple very upbeat songs (for E anyway) on this collection, proportionately in contrast with their lyrics. "The Only Thing I Cared About Got Away" would be one, and the title pretty much gives the theme away.  The other is "Tomorrow I'll Be Nine" - a happy song about being an unwanted child:



I think the constant need to express his sadness gets to be a bit much at times on this album.  Yet there's still some hope in everything that saves it.  These songs are very autobiographical, if not always in exact detail, and E had obviously spiraled a little more with a recently ended relationship and further isolation from his family and the world around him.  If memory serves correct, I believe this was also the period when Parthenon's wife was sick (and ultimately passed away).  E had grown quite close to the couple and surely it's reflected in the songs as well as Huxley's limited contributions.

I will say that he relies maybe too heavily on cheap rhymes here and there.  I suspect it's to try to keep things at least a little lighthearted.  Some more happy sadness, without Huxley, in "L.A. River":



And on to a song where he finally stops pretending and lets the music reflect the feeling of the lyrics. "Permanent Broken Heart" works well and it's something of a relief to hear a sad song that's... sad.



There are other really good songs in both the happy/sad and sad/sad veins on the rest of the album.  Again, I'd put them all up here if I could but it's up to you to seek them out.  And it's still well worth the effort.  This album may lack some of the quirkiness of the first, but it has an added maturity without losing the creative crafting that made the first one so good.  And it ends with the wonderful "Eight Lives Left", a sweet song that's possibly the most hopeful lyrically of all his songs so far:



So, two great albums that hinted at more great things to come.  But...  At this point, the label exec behind his success so far was booted from the label and the new management had no use for E.  So there would be no more E albums.  E himself didn't give up, but he reinvented himself for Eels as a dark, bitter artist willing to beat you over the head with his personal tragedies.  And there were tragedies aplenty, as his sister committed suicide and his mother died, and he got married and divorced.  All very sad, yes, but the transition into the "my life sucks, let me tell you all about it, over and over" thing made it all the more sad to me that what made his first two albums so great would never happen again.  Every so often, in live settings, he'll dig up one of these early songs to perform in his new style.  And they're just not the same.  Sigh.

Review: The B-52's - Bouncing Off the Satellites (1985)

For my first non-introductory post, here is a review of an odd little album: Bouncing Off the Satellites.  I'm not a huge fan of the B-52s (using the grammatically corrected name of the band, which they finally figured out in 2008).  Sure, I love "Rock Lobster" but I hated "Love Shack" even before I heard it a zillion times.  I do like them though, beyond just the hits they're known for.

I really don't care for any of their releases after this one.  While Cosmic Thing (which brought us "Love Shack") was their big breakout album, it was a very changed band following the death of their original guitarist.  The rest of the band was there but it became quickly apparent that Ricky Wilson played a pretty large part in the group's writing and sound.  They went on to massive success with their goofy party songs, but the depth was missing.  Kudos to them for keeping it together but there was no real substance anymore.  Of course, I haven't heard everything,  so later albums might contain a few gems I don't know about.

Bouncing Off the Satellites was Ricky's last album.  He died almost immediately after it was finished, and before it was released.  Since he was already quite sick by the time of the recording, I don't know how much of a presence he actually has.  I think in some places his influence is obvious.  In others... hard to say.  

This is a part-group, part-solo collection.  Songs by Kate Pierson and Fred Schneider use outside co-writers and musicians, and are thankfully limited to one each.  Well, Kate's "Housework" isn't really that bad, but Fred's "Juicy Jungle" is just awful, despite its good-intention message: basically, don't go into the jungle and kill all the animals.  Other than Fred's talk-singing, it bears no resemblance to a B-52s song at all, and it's really a shame it was included.  Just leaving this one song off would have improved the album greatly.

The happy party/goofy group songs seem to be just going through the motions at times, though "Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland" is pretty decent and has a great video:

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The other group songs ("Communicate", "Wig", and "Detour Thru Your Mind") are ok, if not particularly inspired.  "Wig," especially, seems to be trying too hard to be quirky.  If not for some stellar vocal parts by Cindy and Kate, all three of these songs would be rather boring and easy to skip past.  Pretty sad for what are supposed to be the "fun" songs on the album.

Where the album really shines is strangely in the more melancholy songs, either by the group or as Cindy's semi-solo contributions - which were written with Keith Strickland and Ricky Wilson but don't feature the others.

For the group efforts, "Summer of Love" and "Theme for a Nude Beach" fit right in with some of the songs from their previous album, Whammy!  They're nice, pleasant little songs that leave you feeling content.  What more could you ask a song to do?  "Summer of Love" is mainly sung by Cindy, and it received some attention as a single but sadly not much. 

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"Theme for a Nude Beach" features everybody in the band, and it works nicely.  It's quirky in a good way, with a surprisingly subdued performance considering the subject matter.

The real surprise here is what Cindy brought to her solo part of the album.  Two songs - one sad and one happy -  that, even with the cheesy keyboards on one of them, are really, really good.  I could listen to just these two songs over and over.  The first is "Ain't it a Shame," about a relationship that's gone on too long and has slipped into the neglect stage.  It's really well-done, both musically and lyrically.  And Cindy's singing conveys the mood perfectly.

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And "She Breaks for Rainbows" is a happy song about someone who just seems to be enjoying the world around her.  It's easily the best song on the album, with Cindy once again in fine form:

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Overall, as a B-52s record, Bouncing Off the Satellites isn't fantastic, but it is underrated.  It pretty much bombed and isn't often mentioned by people who happen to be talking about the B-52s..  It didn't help that, after Ricky's passing, the band went into seclusion with no touring or promotion on their part, and the record label didn't do much to help things either.  Based on the song selection, I'd personally prefer a lot more Cindy and less Fred and Kate, but it'd hardly be a B-52s album without them.  So it is what it is. There's plenty of good stuff to find here, and two or three songs worth skipping past.  I'd give it a solid C, but for me the two songs by Cindy elevate it to a B.

An Introduction of Sorts

February 11, 2016

I'm Bob. I'm not really Bob. Bob has been my online identity for quite some time now. It's served me well, and so I stick with it.

I've always enjoyed writing. Many people have told me that I should be a Writer. I've told myself that a time or two as well. It's something that I thought I might even take a stab at as a career once upon a time. But the way I write and the things I want to write about wouldn't generally cause people to want to throw money at me. Except maybe coins, thrown very hard. So I've occasionally just found a forum here or there to post an essay, or express an opinion that found no audience because the sites weren't especially well-traveled or there was no interest in my babbling. And I've been ok with that for the most part. Sometimes though, it would be nice to have an audience. Not because I need a spotlight, but because it can be depressing to put the effort into expressing oneself and there's no one around to hear it.

So why do I expect this to be any different? I don't. But it's a starting point. Maybe it'll grow, maybe (most likely) it won't. Blogs are the kind of thing that people stumble upon, and maybe someone will stumble upon mine. If you're reading this, then you apparently are such a stumbler. So hi :)

I guess there isn't going to be a specific theme here. The only real constant will be me and my writing style. I don't know what I want to write about before I start to write, so this really won't be a blog about anything specific. I realize that most people need some sort of structure, and this won't be the place to find it. It won't be a place to look at nothing but cute cat pictures. Topics will be at my whim, and they may vary widely. You might read something here that you like, only to read my next post and decide you hate me and never want to visit again.

I generally avoid topics as polarizing as politics or religion, but they will surely pop up on occasion. There will probably be plenty of autobiographical content. I've always wanted to write an autobiography, knowing full well that absolutely no one would want to read it. So expect something of a serial autobiography, presented in bite-size pieces with other subjects breaking the monotony as they come up - but no cute cat pictures. I love cats by the way, but you have many other options for finding pictures of them already. Topics that will likely come up here may include product reviews, music (either as a review or an informative piece), observations on people and society... see, there's really no format here. I will, however, try to remember to tag my posts so it'll be relatively easy to focus in on specific subject matter.

What should you expect from me? I can be cynical, though as I get older I become more curmudgeonly but somehow less cynical. I have strong opinions. Though I try not to be, I know that I can sometimes come across as condescending. That is never my intention. I ramble. I write way too much. I can take forever to get to the point. I think the biggest reason for that is that I don't write drafts. I start writing and finish when I'm done writing. Then I hit the send button, and the only editing that happens is after the fact, to fix a typo or a problem sentence if I see one. But... I have a good grasp of the English language and how to use it. You will always see proper usage of things like your/you're and there/their/they're. I don't typically misspell words. But I also bend the rules as I see fit. I use too many dashes, and because people tend to overuse commas (which drives me nuts) I can tend to underuse them. And I won't hesitate to end a sentence with a preposition if I want to. I will use profanity. It won't be gratuitous.

I may also be inconsistent. I might post a bunch of stuff very quickly, then go too long without posting anything. I'll try to work on that, but I can't promise anything.

I am undecided on how I want to handle replies, if I get any. This isn't a debate forum. It's me writing on my blog, where I make the rules. While I welcome the opinions of others, if you feel that strongly about what you have to say maybe you should express it on your own blog. I know full well that I will write things that piss people off. You don't have to like it. I'm not here to argue with you. I won't debate you in the comments section. Since I don't yet know how this site works, I don't know how much control I have over the posting of replies. If I find something I deem inappropriate (totally at my own discretion), I will delete it if I have that option. If I don't, it will simply be ignored. In other words, feel free to respond but don't be an ass.

As I learn how this site works, posts will hopefully become more sophisticated. I'd like this to be more than just one clump of text after another. Pictures? Embedded video? We shall see.

So this is the start. We'll see where it goes from here. Welcome to my blog. I hope you find a reason to stick around.