Archives for January 2018

Certain Songs #1116: The Mavericks – “Would You Believe”

January 31, 2018 by Jim Connelly

Album: The Mavericks
Year: 2003

As great as Trampoline was, it was clear that The Mavericks were running out of commercial steam, and they hadn’t quite yet turned into the cult act I suspect they are today, so they were either dropped by or left MCA, and Raul Malo released the first of his solo albums.

All of which meant it was five years before they came back with any new music, though when they did in 2003, it was well worth the wait, as The Mavericks (confusingly, their second self-titled album) (thank you Peter Gabriel) continued along the path set by its predecessors: some pop, some blues, some rock, some country, and the highlight, the almost dance hall “Would You Believe,” which wouldn’t have been out of place as a Kinks single.

Certain Songs #1115: The Mavericks – “I Don’t Even Know Your Name”

January 30, 2018 by Jim Connelly

Album: Trampoline
Year: 1998

After being turned on to The Mavericks via the eclectic What A Crying Shame, I was definitely looking forward to the follow-up, 1995’s Music For All Occasions. And while that record continued the eclecticness, it felt lacking in songs to me (though the lead single, “Hear Comes the Rain” won a Grammy, so what do I know?)

Apparently, The Mavericks knew that too, because it took three years for them to put out another record, and when Trampoline came out in 1998, everything came together — all of their influences mixed together into a big stew.

Certain Songs #1114: The Mavericks – “What A Crying Shame”

January 29, 2018 by Jim Connelly

Album: What A Crying Shame
Year: 1994

The Mavericks are yet another artist that Rox turned me onto.

I don’t know if she had their first two albums at the time, but at some point she got me to listen to their third record, 1994’s breakthrough, What A Crying Shame, and for the rest of their original run, their records were a staple in our household.

Certain Songs #1113: Matthew Sweet – “Millennium Blues”

January 28, 2018 by Jim Connelly

Album: In Reverse
Year: 1999

Featuring:
Greg Leisz – Electric Guitar
Bruce Fowler – Reverse Trombone
Walt Fowler – Reverse Trumpet
Greg Kurstin – Organ
Ric Menck – Drums

After killing it in the first part of the 1990s with the 1-2-3 punch of Girlfriend, Altered Beast & 100% Fun, Matthew Sweet stumbled for with 1997’s Blue Sky on Mars, which replaced Robert Quine and Richard Lloyd with loads and loads of synthesizers, which was of course a good idea in terms of stretching out, but I didn’t think the songs were quite there to make up for the loss of the fun guitars.

And while the crazy guitars were still mostly MIA from 1999’s In Reverse, Sweet was taking even more risks, ditching the synths for baroque chamber pop psychedelia, which somehow turned it into a record that I wildly overrated at the time, mostly on account of its still stellar opening track, “Millennium Blues.”

Certain Songs #1112: Matthew Sweet – “Smog Moon”

January 27, 2018 by Jim Connelly

Album: 100% Fun
Year: 1995

Featuring:
Brendan O’Brien – Piano
Greg Leisz – Electric Lap Steel Guitar
Ric Menck – Drums

There are some songs that absolutely bring me back to a specific time and place every single time I hear them. “Smog Moon” is one of those songs.

Certain Songs #1111: Matthew Sweet – “Lost My Mind”

January 26, 2018 by Jim Connelly

Album: 100% Fun
Year: 1995

Featuring:
Robert Quine – Electric Lead Guitar
Richard Lloyd – Electric Lead Guitar
Brendan O’Brien – Mellotron
Ric Menck – Drums

“But Jim,” you didn’t ask, “you’ve been writing about of these posts about Matthew Sweet songs where he had either Richard Lloyd or Robert Quine play lead guitar, but I’m wondering did they ever play on the same song??”

Certain Songs #1110: Matthew Sweet – “Sick of Myself”

January 25, 2018 by Jim Connelly

Album: 100% Fun
Year: 1995

Featuring:
Richard Lloyd – Electric Lead Guitar
Brendan O’Brien – Electric Rhythm Guitar
Ric Menck – Drums

Produced by producer d’jour Brendan O’Brien and featuring an absolutely adorable cover photo of young Matthew Sweet listening to an album via some huge headphones, 1995’s 100% Fun definitely felt like a comeback after what I then still felt was the scatteredness of Altered Beast.

Certain Songs #1109: Matthew Sweet – “Speed of Light”

January 24, 2018 by Jim Connelly

B-side, 1993

Featuring:
Robert Quine – Lead Guitar
Byron Berline – Fiddle
Greg Leisz – National Duolian
Fred Maher – Drums

I don’t recall exactly when it was that I came across the treasure trove of Matthew Sweet outtakes and b-sides from the 1990s. Probably at the record swaps at USF in the late 1990s, when I came across a great live recording from 1993 called Shape Shifter and later on a disc of somewhat muddy Girlfriend outtakes called Supervixen.

Certain Songs #1108: Matthew Sweet – “What Do You Know?”

January 23, 2018 by Jim Connelly

Album: Altered Beast
Year: 1993

Featuring:
Robert Quine – Lead Guitar
Greg Leisz – National Duolian, Acoustic Guitar
Pete Thomas – Drums

For all of my initial disappointment in Altered Beast not being Girlfriend Pt. II, it turned out that my favorite songs on it were the ones that sounded the furthest from what I thought I wanted him to sound.

Certain Songs #1107: Matthew Sweet – “The Ugly Truth”

January 22, 2018 by Jim Connelly

Album: Altered Beast
Year: 1993

Featuring:
Robert Quine – Lead Guitar
Byron Berline – Fiddle
Ric Menck – Drums

After the utterly fresh blast of Girlfriend, it was inevitable that Altered Beast was going to be a letdown. So, like its contemporary follow-ups to classic power-pop records, Teenage Fanclub’s Thirteen and The Posies’s Frosting on the Beater, I severely underrated Altered Beast when it came out in 1993.