A fabulous instrumental, a lousy song with lyrics

dermahrk

A fabulous instrumental, a lousy song with lyrics

Posted about 1 year ago

Artist:

Marshall Crenshaw
Album:

The 9 Volt Years - Battery Powered Demos & Curious (1979-198?)
Track:
- PLAY
- QUEUE
Bruce Is King

This is a tale with a happy ending. When Marshall Crenshaw released his third LP ??Downtown?? in 1985, it was a huge disappointment to me, one of his most loyal fans. I tried to like it, I really did. It was even produced by T-Bone Burnett. No go. It remains IMHO his worst release ever. One of the songs on it was the tepid ??Blues Is King?? (which you can find in comments). There are a couple of good songs on this LP, but this was +not+ one of them.

Fast-forward now thirteen years to '98, when Marshall released a compilation of demos, unreleased tracks and miscellany entitled ??The 9 Volt Years??. Included on that release was an *instrumental* version of the same song, which he re-christened ??Bruce Is King??. I thought that I would hear it and immediately dismiss it, but I found that I absolutely *LOVED* the instrumental version (and still do). Go figger.Marshall has talked a bit about writing lyrics to be one of his most challenging parts of songwriting and here is ample proof. I also have to state for the record that, in general, the human voice is my favorite instrument and songs without it more often than not go straight to the slag-heap. The instrumental that is pleasing enough to remain on the iPod is a rare bird. Well, Marshall is one of the few artists that can produce these rarities without even working up a sweat, due to his stellar skills as (possibly) my favorite guitarist. So, listen to both and tell me if you agree.

Comments (15)

Add To My Trusted Moggers

zarpex says I wholeheartedly endorse your remarks about the importance of vocals in rock music. My iPod contains only one rock instrumental I can think of offhand - "Penguin Cafe Single" by The Penguin Cafe Orchestra. And now that I reflect on it, it's not very rock. But it takes ??so?? little by way of actual vocals to save a rock instrumental. In "Here Come the Warm Jets," Brian Eno's voice appears only at the very end of the song - practically as it begins fading out - and scarcely a word he sings is intelligible, yet it saves the song completely. Shouting the word "tequila" once every 16 measures has been proven safe and effective. I must reluctantly add (on the basis of only one listen, mind you) that "Bruce Is King," in my opinion, testifies to, rather than violates, that point...

Permalink posted 01/19/2008
Add To My Trusted Moggers

dachmo says Liking the instrumental version, still waiting for the "Blues is King" version though. I can't say I know much about Mr. Crenshaw but the song that's up sounds very familiar, looking forward to the vocal version.

Permalink posted 01/19/2008
Add To My Trusted Moggers

deadmandeadman says This genre of _rara avis_ of which you speak, the 'instrumental', are you **serious?**

Permalink posted 01/19/2008
Add To My Trusted Moggers
dermahrk says
- PLAY
- QUEUE
Here is the vocal version of ??Blues Is King?? from *Downtown*
Permalink posted 01/19/2008
Add To My Trusted Moggers

dermahrk says And, now that it's up it's time for a *RANT*. To make the above comment happen, I had to: Pull out the CD Load it into iTunes Convert it into an MP3 Load it into a comment Then, when I tested it, it would not play. So, I wrote ANOTHER comment, loaded the track on that one. It played ok, so I deleted that first comment and walked away. Now I come back a couple of hours later and BOTH comments have disappeared, thus eliminating the main point of the post for those who stopped by. So I did all of this AGAIN! h1. FUCKING MOG! FUCKING MOG! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHH!!!!!

Permalink posted 01/19/2008
Add To My Trusted Moggers

dermahrk says And yes, I'm serious about instrumentals. I would estimate that, on average, 90% of instrumentals do not make the cut in my listening habits. "Napoleon Crossing The Rhine" which you sent to me is a big exception. *OBVIOUSLY*, DMDM, vocals are not important to you because so many of the artistes that float your boat CANNOT SING - croak, rasp, belch or make SOME noise with their mouth, yes, but sing? And with the judge's permission, allow me to call to the stand..SONIC YOUTH.

Permalink posted 01/19/2008
Add To My Trusted Moggers

mousetrap says Waitaminnit, holdit - can we pass on calling Sonic Youth to the stand? This courtroom isn't rated for inarticulate caterwauling and intermittent feedback squalls. [ahem] Back on topic, though...I'm a big Crenshaw fan, but I have to admit that I'd pretty much forgotten about the Downtown album. I'm sure we have it around the house somewhere, but clearly I was about as underwhelmed by it as dermahrk was, or I'd know exactly where to find it. Listening to the original "Blues Is King" serves as a pretty quick reminder of why this record never went into heavy rotation for me. While I think a lot of T-Bone Burnett, it appears he didn't do Marshall any favors on this outing. The song itself is in an uncomfortably high key for Marshall so that his intonation suffers noticeably, the drums are glaringly heavy-handed (thank you, Mickey Curry and/or Jerry Marotta - both veterans of many Hall & Oates sessions), and the overall arrangement of the tune is just a muddle to my ears. It even seems to me that the tempo wanders unforgivably in places, but I'm not always the best judge of that. With all those demerits, I feel unable to judge the quality of the lyrics - much of the time they're difficult to make out, and the rest of the time I don't care enough to bother. For all that, the central melody of the song is quite pretty; it's obviously something that Marshall felt enough attachment to that it merited fleshing out in a full song format. We see here that the chosen treatment simply didn't turn out well....but it stands to reason that the earlier, instrumental version holds up much better. By highlighting just the melody, the underlying chord progression and the interlocking guitar sound that is Marshall's signature, the result is nearly an entirely different composition. I don't know if it would make it onto my iPod - in fact it didn't, because I do have The 9-Volt Years and I don't think any of it resides in my digital library - but it's clearly the stronger recording. I'm certainly not breaking any new ground here, but maybe less really is more?

Permalink posted 01/19/2008
Add To My Trusted Moggers

Mike the Knife says The vocal version ain't bad, but I'd agree with the assertion that M.C.'s lyrics are not his strong suit. No such distractions on the instrumental version.

Permalink posted 01/19/2008
Add To My Trusted Moggers

tweepop4u says OK! I think dermahrk has stumbled upon a theme here, but I'm not sure what it is. Is it best instrumental or worst vocal? Someone take the baton and run with it!

Permalink posted 01/19/2008
Add To My Trusted Moggers

mousetrap says dermahrk? ideas? Marshall's cover of "The 'In' Crowd," so often heard as an instrumental by Ramsey Lewis? Or perhaps his exquisite instrumental "Theme From 'Flaregun'", which has no vocal-based counterpart (to my knowledge)? And both of those tracks from the sadly overlooked Miracle Of Science - such a great record. [sigh...] So many ways this could go. One way it isn't likely to go, however, is the "worst vocal" route. To me, the vocal shortcomings of "Blues Is King" are worth pointing out primarily because it's so unusual for Marshall's singing to fall anywhere below top-notch. His lead vocal performances, not to mention his overall vocal harmony arrangements, are really the cream of the crop in power pop. Or anywhere. One listen to "Whenever You're On My Mind," "You're My Favorite Waste Of Time" or "Our Town" (or your personal favorite, of course) pretty much seals the deal.

Permalink posted 01/20/2008
Add To My Trusted Moggers

Bartleby says The instrumental is so alluring it's hard to resist the completed song even with the vocals (which sound a bit contrived and over-produced).

Permalink posted 01/20/2008
Add To My Trusted Moggers

dermahrk says You know, I'm too lazy sometimes. I hadn't listened to the vocal version in years and didn't do so before I posted it. Having done so, I have to appreciate the cogent comments already made. What is wrong with this track": 1) Marshall's excellent guitar work is buried in the mix, which for some reason gives greater prominence to the cymbals and drums. Why? 2) This is a pretty weak vocal performance from Marshall. He sounds out of tune and uninvolved. His voice can sometimes be a thin and reedy instrument, and is especially so on this track. 3) The lyrics mean something, but I don't know and don't care what it is. Mousetrap, that "Theme from Flaregun" is another gem. He seems to be releasing at least one instrumental on every recent CD, and I'm grateful for it. But I really think you have given the short shrift to ??9 Volt??. It contains my hands-down favorite version of "Someday Someway". Plus the excellent unreleased tracks "That's It, I Quit, I'm Moving" and "Run Back To You". Give it another chance.

Permalink posted 01/20/2008
Add To My Trusted Moggers

Spike says The only track on _Downtown_ for me is "I'm Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee)," but barely. "Bruce Is King" is way cool to discover now. Crenshaw reminds me of Buddy Holly. Your button for "Blues Is King" chooses not to play for me. This is becoming a design flaw MOG needs to solve. Lively post.

Permalink posted 01/23/2008
Add To My Trusted Moggers

JD66 says A few random thoughts from someone who literally discovered MOG because of this post: I'm a huge Crenshaw fan and not a week goes by without listening to something he's done. I got on-board as a fan after reading a crazily positive review of his first record in Rolling Stone (before it turned into People). I only say all of this to add to my credibility when I say that "Blues Is King" is my favorite Crenshaw song. Far from being disappointed when Downtown came out, I thought it was Crenshaw's Rubber Soul -- more acoustic instruments and wood smoke. I remember walking three miles each way to buy it and listening to it constantly that fall. So what's it about? Not sure specifically. The title in particular is pretty enigmatic, although I assume it can be roughly translated as "Sadness Rules." I can say generally that to me the musical mood of the track is really upbeat in spite of the lyrical sadness . There's more than resignation here ("You'll never displace it/ So face it/ Blues is king"); it's almost a celebration in the face of the sadness ("The joke's on you/ If you don't know it's true" and "Blues is king/ So let it ring/ Surrender, do, to the sound so real and true"). Influenced by the album's cover, I imagine this guy in a suit walking around New York in the rain, in a funk. A little bit McInerney's "Bright Lights, Big City." To the point that his vocal is uninvolved, I disagree; I think that part of the attraction of his vocal is a subdued yearning sadness that fits perfectly with the song's theme (as I see it). The guitars are buried a little too much, but that, combined with the lyrical vagueness, leads to the enduring mystery of the song. Dave Eggers has been quoted as saying something like "We listen to songs until we can figure them out" and I still haven't figured this one out 20-something years later. A little history: Crenshaw came out of his second album tired, disillusioned, and pissed off at the music industry (maybe this is what the song is about?). He tried to record an album with Mitch Easter before Downtown which didn't work out; "Blues Is King" is the only result of those sessions released to date. Crenshaw doesn't play the song anymore although anecdotally I can tell you that it's frequently requested. Anyway, cool discussion. Just wanted to add my two pennies.

Permalink posted 02/02/2008
Add To My Trusted Moggers

dermahrk says JD66, a warm welcome to MOG. I am thrilled to see another Crenshaw fan on here, and hope you stick around to check out the joint. While this song may produce reactions from us which are polar opposites, we are both Crenshaw fanatics. I too was first alerted to Crenshaw through that Rolling Stone review, and bought the album never having heard him play a note (the bad old days, eh? How many times have I been burned buying albums based on reviews alone?). Oddly enough, I read recently somewhere (it may've been the soon-to-die Audities powerpop e-mail list) that someone else considers "Blues Is King" their favorite Crenshaw song. Either that's a coincidence or you're the same guy! It's a thrill when someone is brought to MOG (and of course to one of my posts) from doing a search on the 'net. And the commenting on a post usually dies off within 24 hours, so it's always a pleasant surprise when someone is late to the party. Thanks for your interesting comment.

Permalink posted 02/02/2008