Sold Date:
November 17, 2015
Start Date:
November 1, 2015
Final Price:
£25.00
(GBP)
Seller Feedback:
3192
Buyer Feedback:
11
– Volume One Label: – 925 796-1, – WX 224 Format: , LP, Album
There never was a supergroup more super than . They had , the leader of ; they had , the best pop singer of the '60s; they had , the best roots rocker this side of ; they had a and , for crying out loud! It's impossible to picture a supergroup with a stronger pedigree than that (all that's missing is a ), but in another sense it's hard to call a true supergroup, since they arrived nearly two decades after the all-star craze of the '70s peaked, and they never had the self-important air of nearly all the other supergroups. That, of course, was the key to their charm: they were a group of friends that fell together easily, almost effortlessly, to record a B-side for a single for , then had such a good time they stuck around to record a full album, which became a hit upon its 1988 release. Looking back, the group's success seems all the more remarkable because the first album is surely, even proudly, not a major statement. Even under the direction of , who seems incapable of not polishing a record till it gleams, it's loose and funny, even goofy. It's clearly a lark, which makes the offhanded, casual virtuosity of some of the songs all the more affecting, particularly the two big hits, which are sunny and warm, partially because they wryly acknowledge the mileage on these rock & roll veterans. "Handle with Care" and "End of the Line" are the two masterworks here, although 's showcase, "Not Alone Anymore" -- more grand and moving than anything on the -produced -- comes close in the stature, but its stylized melodrama is a ringer here: it, along with 's offhand heartbreak tune "Congratulations," is the only slow thing here, and the rest of the album just overspills with good vibes, whether it's 's lite reggae of "Last Night," 's excellent update "Rattled," or 's very funny "Dirty World," which is only slightly overshadowed by his very, very funny swipe "Tweeter and the Monkey Man." These high times keep fresh and fun years later, after 's production becomes an emblem of the time instead of transcending it.