That's pretty much flawless, doncha think? Although I do confess to a certain surprise that the Dirt Band apparently saw no need to countrify the thing at all. Good for them, I guess, although it might have been interesting to hear it with steel guitars and such.
Anyway, I bring the whole thing up because a) I had never heard that version prior to being hipped to it on Tuesday by reader Bob in IL (thanks, Bob!) and b) because somebody also just reminded me that in my amusing and perceptive June 1982 Stereo Review take on Crenshaw's epochal debut album...
...I had predicted that "what is clearly one of the great rock records of the Eighties might have its initial success on country radio -- the crossover potential is there."
Good call, Simels!
Oh, and I should add, for no other reason that it's a dumb joke I've been saving for years, that The Crenshaw Melon would be the best title for a John Grisham novel ever.
You're welcome.
10 comments:
The NGDB also covered Marshall's "Run With Me" on the follow up to "Let's Go", "Plain Dirt Fashion". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzAcJjmDcLc
While The Who, Raspberries and Big Star have all been tagged Power Pop, the definitive record in the style is Crenshaw's debut. He made over great records, but the debut could not be improved upon.
You know I meant "Other great records"
We forgive you, CJ.😎
We saw the trio live soon after this record came out, and they were fabulous live!
What ever happened to Robert Donato? He was an INCREDIBLE bass player, both live and on the record. Graham Maybe - level stuff. Mesmerizing.
That was Chris Donato on bass, not Robert (Robert was Marshall's drummer brother).
But yes, Chris was a fabulous bass player; I actually did a session or two with him for a friend's band Diamond Dupree (me on keyboards, if you can believe it -- I'll post those tracks one of these days).
He was a very nice guy, too -- dunno know if he's still active.
I saw an interview with Robert Crenshaw recently where he was asked about Chris Donato. He said, Chris has some health issues and has been focusing on that, so he has not been playing.
Re:The NGDB cover of MaryAnn. I'll take Marshall's original any day over this.
Met Marshall while slubbing at the college radio station whilst im grad school. Was in town (Champaign IL) to play a show at a local club. Nice, low key guy. Agree, his first LP is still one of my top10 favorite records.
Have to give the NGDB credit for digging up great songs to cover. Jerry Jeff Walker may have never been a household name of not for John McEuen the NGDB.
In the days when "music like Marshall's" was light on female fans (or it seemed to me), a girl I met in college was an MC fan, our initial bond. We've been married 35 years now, 5 kids. For years, an MC record was a birthday gift to her from me.
Bob in IL
Just check the date on the NGDB record. This was during a time that they had transitioned to a pop phase. A couple of years earlier they dropped the NG, and were just the dirt band. Was pretty much an inoffensive phase of their existence, but nothing to get excited about either.
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