Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Sweet Home Hoboken

Wow, here's a video I didn't know existed, and boy I am glad I found it.



That is, of course, the utterly gorgeous "The Lucky One," by Freedy Johnston, from the 1991 album Can You Fly. In case you don't know it, along with Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend it's pretty much the best jangly pop singer/songwriter record of the decade. Come to think of it, I mislaid my CD copy of this a while back -- I'm really going to have a spring for a new one.

Oh, and for those keeping score, that's the great Graham Maby, of Joe Jackson Band fame, on bass. I'm a BIG fan of his...for my money, he's the only musician beside Andy Summers to have emerged from the entire New Wave 80s hoo-hah with an instantly identifiable instrumental sound and style.

6 comments:

TMink said...

Graham was intergral to the Joe Jackson sound on those first two albums. They are my favorite of Joe's.

Trey

steve simels said...

Mine too...
:-)

MBowen said...

Andy Summers but not Stewart Copeland?

Anonymous said...

or Andy Partridge? (Just to stick with the Andys...)

steve simels said...

agitpropre said...
or Andy Partridge? (Just to stick with the Andys...)

I love him, but if he's got an instantly recognizable instrumental style, I haven't discerned it. He's a chameleon...

shrimplate said...

Not to get all "list-y" or anything, but I might want to add Adrian Belew to that know-it-when-you-hear-it roster of stylists.

Though not from the '80's wave, other immediately-identifiable players might include Robert Fripp, Sly & Robbie, and Brian May.

To create an identifiable personal instrumental style, without relying on formulas and cliches, is no easy thing..