Marshall Crenshaw: Field Day CD Track Listing
Marshall Crenshaw
Field Day (1983)
Originally Released 1983\nCD Edition Released March 3, 1992\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Following his critically acclaimed 1982 debut and successful single "Someday, Someway," Marshall Crenshaw returned with the following year's greatly anticipated Field Day. Crenshaw doesn't fall prey to the sophomore jinx, delivering nine more brilliantly crafted pop/rock originals and a terrific cover of the Jive Five's "What Time Is It?" Though the record meets the high standard that Crenshaw, his brother Robert Crenshaw (drums) and bassist Chris Donato, set with the first album, many had trouble warming up to producer Steve Lillywhite's dense, more muscular production, especially Robert's explosive snare and bass drum. But while it may lack its predecessor's immediate sparkle and charm, Field Day is equally infectious. It also shows a newfound depth and maturity in Crenshaw's writing, which Lillywhite's sound reinforces. Like Marshall Crenshaw, the majority of Field Day deals with time-honored themes of loves lost and found, albeit from a slightly less innocent viewpoint, much like the lyrical growth of the Beatles in late 1964, early 1965, or Buddy Holly's "True Love Ways" and "Learning the Game." Previously, he would move on and "find someone better" or "feel the need to go "Rockin' Around in N.Y.C." Now, he's willing to "try with all [his] heart every day," seeing a night on the town as a "duty" that must be done before slipping back into comfortable domesticity and responsibility. Crenshaw realizes now that even true love "makes demands" amidst the fun and summer evening walks. This album brims with deceptively simple, pure pop pleasures that continue to unfold with repeated listens. Though Field Day didn't match the commercial promise of the first album, it was the perfect second step in Marshall Crenshaw's artistic evolution. ~ Brett Hartenbach\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\n4.5 stars - Severely underrated, July 31, 2004\nReviewer: Der Kommissar (Las Vegas, NV (USA))\nMarshall Crenshaw (1983.) Marshall Crenshaw's first album. \n\nOne of the most overlooked musicians of all time is Marshall Crenshaw. This guy performed one of the most interesting experiments in pop music history - he fused elements of fifties pop with elements of eighties pop - and the end result was pure musical excellence. It's such a shame this guy's music goes by unnoticed by so many, because it really is great. In 1982, he released his self-titled debut album. It was followed up with the 1983 sophomore effort Field Day. Read on for my review of the second album. \n\nTo put it in the simplest terms possible, Field Day is more of the same stuff that you came to expect from Marshall on his debut LP - and that's a GOOD thing. Unfortunately though, this particular LP lacked the number of hits that the first LP had (if you could even call them hits - the average person probably doesn't even know the songs exist.) Still, it's a solid album. One huge hit came from this album, and it's arguably Marshall's finest hit of all - the classic pop ballad Whenever You're On My Mind. Many fans of Marshall call this little number their favorite song that he does, and I really can't blame them for it. Most of the other tracks are unknown, often even to fans of Marshall. That's sad, because every track on this album is very good. From start to finish, Field Day is an excellent LP from one of the most underrated pop stars of all time. \n\nIt seems that this album (as of July 31, 2004) is become less and less readily available, which leads me to believe that it has become out of print. Hopefully, the record company will choose to reissue and remaster it. Early in the twenty-first century, his debut LP was rereleased with a ton of bonus tracks - I sure hope they'll do the same thing here! A twofer reissue might not be a bad idea either - the debut LP and this LP will fit together on the same disc. \n\nIn the end, this is a damn fine album, although it's not necessarily the best place to start if you're new to Marshall's music. If you're just discovering him, start with either the This Is Easy hits compilation, or the remastered version of his self-titled debut LP. Field Day doesn't top the debut, but it comes very close. No fan of Marshall should be without it. \n\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nClassy and slick, this represents the best of 80's pop., March 10, 2004\nReviewer: Jim Toms (W. Frankfort, IL (USA))\nWhenever I pop this disc in I know I'm really going to be enjoying the next thirty-something minutes. This is probably MC's best album and the "big" sound can be said to have something to do with that. "Whenever You're on My Mind" is one of MC's best ever and it doesn't stop there. "Our Town" is maybe one of the album's more underappreciated tunes (since the previous song is a tough act to follow), and "Try" is one of the slower songs on the album but still one of the best, as are "For Her Love" and "One Day with You".\nThe final four songs are all MC gold. I personally love "Monday Morning Rock" which is one of the most up-tempo songs here (along with "Hold It") and has a great guitar solo. "All I Know Right Now" is another great slow "love" song that fits quite well with "Try". "What Time is It" is a somewhat unconventional song but "Hold It" may be the best song here, with great lyrics, guitar, and backing vocals. Don't delay in picking up this album. This is simply MC at his best.\n\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nMarshall Crenshaw has a Field Day. Drum majors rejoice., February 4, 2004\nReviewer: Timothy Brough "author and music buff" (Springfield, PA United States)\n \nYou can put me on the list of people that thought Steve Lillywhite took a five star record and then EQ'd it half to death. My temperament having mellowed over the years, I still find this to be classic songwriting at its very best (and possibly Crenshaw at his peak), but too much compression, echo and an overbearing drum sound following the crisp sound of his stellar debut put me off when the original "Field Day" came out.\nBe that as it may, "Field Day" has aged surprisingly well, with perfect songs like "Whenever You're On My Mind" and "Monday Morning Rock" being brilliant examples of power pop at its shimmering finest. And the elongated ending to "Hold It" shows Crenshaw pushing his rocking roots for a dazzling climax to the album, it's one of the all time great endings to any album...ever. \n\nProbably the best reason to cast the songwriter spotlight on Marshall Crenshaw is the deceptive "Our Town." As benign sounding as it seems on the surface, the song is every bit as paranoid as The Police's "Every Breath You Take." Trapped in a city with maddening crowds, sirens, etc., all he can think about is his girl and how all he has are "pictures running round in my mind." Is he jealous? Lonely? Scared of being in Los Angeles during an earthquake? Who knows? He just has to "board the next thing back to our town" before he loses the girl. Or an 8.5 buries him. Whichever, it's still great. And since this one actually hasn't been deleted from print yet, get it while you can.\n\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nField Day Stands the Test of Time, October 16, 2003\nReviewer: "roadpirate" (Charlotte, NC)\nThis album to me, is a great one. I originally got it on cassette back in 1983 when it came out. Then a few years later, I bought it used on vinyl because my tape wore out. Now, just recently, I purchased it on cd. If that isn't a testament to how good it is, I don't know what is. \nI really prefer this recording to the debut cd put out by Crenshaw. The thing that strikes me about this cd is how well the songs flow together. Especially, the first four songs which are just unbelievable. \n\n"Whenever You're on My Mind" was the one big single from this cd, but there really could have been a lot more. The first song seamlessly flows into the second song, "Our Town", which keeps your attention and rocks well. Then that flows into "One More Reason" very well. "One More Reason" has a cool background guitar sound to it. That song flows very well into "Try" which could have been released in the 60's if not for its exceptional sound quality. I like every one of the songs on this cd a lot.\n\nThis recording has been accused of being overproduced in the past. 80's studio master Steve Lillywhite produced it. But, being a Lillywhite fan, I always thought it had a great sound to it. Plus, it brings back a flood of memories about the Summer of 1983 and more. I always associated a kind of pure, naive, maybe slightly melancholy but melodic feel to this cd. \n\nAll and all this is a great cd that holds up well no matter how long it has been since it was released.\n\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\n4 1/2 Stars: Never Tire Of This One, May 7, 2003\nReviewer: A music fan\nAs much as I loved his debut, I've always been drawn back to this one. It seems to get better with each listen. I could never understand the critics' (and many fans') cold response to this, nor the commercial failure of the should-have-been hit. But that can be said about many great songs. It doesn't diminish their greatness, and probably makes them more endearing to fans. There's a cohesiveness here that's missing from some of MC's other albums, probably due to the production. A few of the songs (e.g. "What Time Is It?" and "Hold It") have an other-worldly quality you sometimes hear in fifties doo-wop ("I Only Have Eyes For You" comes to mind). I particularly enjoy listening to the guttural tick-tocks on "What Time Is It?" and imagining MC (or whoever it was) sitting there in the studio repeating that sound over and over for an entire song. Now that's dedication to your pop-song art. And the mix at the end of the album, on "Hold It", is truly awesome, one of the best endings to any song.\n\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nField Day bashers -- Hold It!, October 2, 2002\nReviewer: Michael D. Wald (Seattle WA USA)\nI am among the many Marshall Crenshaw fans who love this album. Its Steve Lillywhite production was never much of an issue to me, because the songs are so strong. And this is a case where they saved the best for last. For some reason, the song "Hold It" evokes one of the most ebullient responses I've ever had to Crenshaw's music. It's one of those songs I could listen to 10 times in a row and still never get enough of it. The rest of the album has a lot to recommend as well. "Our Town" also captures the feeling of freedom and electricity I used to feel about driving through Manhattan when I was a teenager. "For Her Love" and "All I Know Right Now" are vintage wistful Crenshaw love songs, simultaneously tinged with longing and hope. This album is a surefire score for anybody who appreciates intelligent guitar pop.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nNo sophomore slump here!, July 25, 2002\nReviewer: "edg16" (Arlington, VA USA)\nForget the debut - this is Marshall Crenshaw's best album. Critics like to dump on Steve Lillywhite's big, booming production. That's a shame, because these songs deserve to be heard loud and clear. Crenshaw's writing has become much more sophisticated. Songs always manage to hook you, usually in less-than-obvious ways. Best examples are the soaring harmonies in "Our Town" and the circular chord progression in "Monday Morning Rock." Of course, 'best' is a relative term. There isn't a single dud among these ten tracks.\nOn second thought, don't forget the debut. Just make sure you get "Field Day" first.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nMarshall Crenshaw Meets 80s Wall of Sound, June 14, 2002\nReviewer: C. Jannuzi (Fukui, Japan)\nIt's funny how the production sound of Steve Lillywhite, which worked so well for so many UK bands (most notably Big Country's The Crossing, the best l.p. of the 80s IMO), caused some people some problems in accepting it for this consumate US pop artist.\nWell, the conversion to CD cleans up the sound a bit so all is not lost in the bass end of the echo chamber. The songwriting here is superb, often wistful. This should have sold millions (there are two or three songs here I'd put up against any of the great songwriters of melodic pop rock--Joel, Newman, etc.) , but , alas, not to be. Anyway, even if there are some songs on the whole l.p. you don't like (I don't have any), none of them are very long. The way Marshall takes you from one short pop song to another with an entirely different set of hooks is addictive. This is why I've never needed things like drugs I guess!\n\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nA Great Album Poorly Produced., June 9, 2002\nReviewer: A music fan\nField Day ranks alongside Crenshaw's classic debut album for sheer pop virtuosity. If this album suffer from anything it's poor production. Even an amauter producer will notice that the drums are turned up far too high. They wash out Crebshaw's delightful vocals and make the album altogether much more diffiult to listen to than it should be. If Rhino Records ever decides to reissue this album, they could do us all a great favor by correcting this problem.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nDesperation, October 12, 2001\nReviewer: "leeleedee" (Lexington, Kentucky - Cincinnati)\nThis is the best Marshall Crenshaw album. It's desperate. The production, wittingly or not, drives home this desperation. There's a certain frantic, heroic, compulsive aspect to this that people seem to miss. "Our Town" is the key song, I think, with its lines about tall buildings, people rushing madly all around, sirens, gotta grab the next thing back to our town. He's got to get back to New York or someone's gonna steal his girl. "Field Day" is one of those rare pop albums that are totally seductive and airy on one level but relentlessly and obsessively thought out on another. And desperate for success, I suppose. This and Big Star's "Radio City," a similar album ("Radio City" is about being trapped in a room with a red ceiling in Memphis, I think) are, in my opinion, the best power pop albums.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nThe production is crazy, but the songs are great!, May 2, 2001\nReviewer: Somewhere in Texas (Planet Texas)\nA lot of critics and fans bashed "Field Day" for the over-the-top production and the LOUD drum mix. My instructor at my college radio station told me the production made Marshall sound like the Dave Clark 5! That didnt stop us from playing the heck out of it - and its been a fave LP of mine for almost 20 years and the one that made me a fan for life.\nI didnt know what exactly Marshall and Lillywhite were shooting for sound-wise until I heard Marshall's early demos on "The Nine Volt Years" CD and noticed they sounded very familar with tons of echo and compression. No other album from the 1980's sounds like this one. \n\nIf you get around the wild production this is one of Marshall's best albums. The songs are excellent and the band plays with lots of enthusiasm. It sounds like they were having a lot of fun in the studio recording it while messing around with effects. "Whenever You're On My Mind" is one of the greatest Power Pop songs ever. It manages to be loose, melodic and thunderous at the same time. The follow-up 45 "Our Town" is a sonic knockout - Motown R&B meets Phil Spector with Brian Wilson hanging out on background vox. If you're a new fan (or old) buy this CD now!\n\nPS: I hope Rhino will remaster this great album soon, along with Downtown!\n\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nA Different Place In Time, April 7, 2001\nReviewer: Patrick F Clifford (Columbust, OH)\nOk. I feel like an oldster, but how can anyone not love this?\n"Whenever You're on My Mind" is pretty and nice and sentimental and perfect. That song just opens up the second best power-pop record of the '80's.\n\nMarshall Crenshaw writes pop the way that it should be: familiar, hummable, and timeless. This record took some heat for the way it was produced (Steve Lillywhite of U2 fame) with the drums at the front and a sort of sterile production. How can anyone arue with "One Day with You" or "All I Know Right Now"? If nothing else, the record sounds 'live'. It sounds like it was recorded in some high school gymnasium. Huh, that's what the cover points to.\n\nMarshall Crenshaw, with Bill Lloyd, is a national treasure. Pick this up and you'll know why.\n\nRecommended for those who miss the Gin Blossoms (I do) or what Elvis Costello promised so long ago.\n\nBuy. Buy. Buy.\n\nThis record sounds like high school (1984). Please don't ignore!\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nFollow up to first album equally as good but different..., August 28, 2000\nReviewer: Wayne Klein "Wayne Klein" (Fairfield, CA United States)\nSteve Lilywhite has taken a lot of lumps over the years from Crenshaw fans for his production of Marshall's second album. They're wrong for the most part. Both Lilywhite and Crenshaw wanted to expand on the sound of the first album and capture a unique sythesis of these two talented artists. While the bulk of the material here is equal to his first album there are a few clunkers thrown in the mix.\nStill, what works best about Field Day is the experimental edge and maturity Crenshaw attempts and achieves. Clearly he was trying to expand his musical vocabulary. Both Crenshaw and Lilywhite achieve their goal and more. The return to a more conventional sound on the follow up albums produced mixed results. I'd highly recommend this album (although the remastering on the best of anthology This Is Easy is better than on this disc). Write Rhino Records and let them know you'd like to see this great album reissued with bonus tracks tacked on from the limited edition Lp that came with the original album.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nBuddy Holly reincarnate....., August 6, 2000\nReviewer: A music fan\nAmazing to read 4 reviews on this CD and not one mentions Crenshaw's similarities to Buddy Holly. Let's face it; almost all pop music is a derivative product of riffs, beats and melodies which came before. Some songs are just more cleverly disguised than others. Crenshaw has made no secret about modeling his particular brand of short, simple, catchy rock-n-roll tunes after the great BH. And something tells me that if Holly were alive today, he would have enjoyed Crenshaw's tribute to his style. Perhaps Don McLean's song should have been entitled, "The Day the Music Lived On" -- courtesy of Marshall Crenshaw.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nClassic Guitar Pop in Cinerama, December 21, 1999\nReviewer: Mike Frazer (Sydney, NSW Australia)\nThis album reminds me of a red-hot prom band recording its' repertoire in the empty gym after all the kids have gone. It has the sort of atmosphere that conjures up visions of the 'TV' sixties eg no Vietnam, race riots etc, just happy times cruisin' in the GTO. And why 'Whenever You're On My Mind' wasn't no. 1 for several months I'll never know...still, we love it !\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\noverlooked pop-rock masterpiece, November 8, 1999\nReviewer: Holt Evans (Wilmington, NC United States)\nAfter touting Crenshaw as "the next big thing" following his self-titled debut, Rolling Stone and most other rock rags abandoned him with his 2nd release, "Field Day". This was a curious move, since this sophomore album is not only his best, but is one of the all-time great pop-rock records. Somehow, Crenshaw must have been perceived as no longer cool by critics. The album is one of those not truly appreciated on first listen, but given proper attention, reveals itself as not only a COLLECTION of great songs, but wonderful as a whole: powerpop with DEPTH. I've read that one of the reasons the album was dismissed by critics upon its release was the marked change in production over the first album. The debut had stripped-down guitar/bass/drums/ vocals up front, but "Field Day" has the Steve Lillywhite trademark huge snare, odd percussive sounds in the background, and a general drenching in reverb. And it works. If you enjoy guitar-based songwriting, good melodies, and inventive arrangements, buy this album and listen to it at least 3 times before forming an opinion; you'll be rewarded.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nA classic 6 star album marred by wrong-headed remastering., October 13, 1998\nReviewer: Paul J Howe (Maple Shade, NJ United States)\nField Day is the masterwork of one of the greatest singer/songwriter/guitarists of the past 20 years. Crenshaw reached his compositional peak on this record and his yearning pop-style vocals are double-tracked and futzed with by producer Steve Lillwhite to give an edgy twist to Phil Spector's wall of sound. Everybody who likes pop music should own a copy. Trouble is, the boomy original production, which played Crenshaw's chiming guitar riffs off of the over-echoed drum mix has been digi-fied in this reissue. The drums now sound crisp and over-present, and just about bury every other bit of sound. If you can find this in vinyl and still own a turntable, get it. Otherwise, I guess you gotta settle. Oh, yeah, and the label who did this to Crensh also let two of his albums go out of print, one of which, "Downtown", is almost as essential.
This misc cd contains 10 tracks and runs 36min 26sec.
Freedb: 8e08880a
Buy: from Amazon.com
Category
: Music
Tags
: music songs tracks misc Rock
- Marshall Crenshaw - Whenever You're On My Mind (03:18)
- Marshall Crenshaw - Our Town (04:13)
- Marshall Crenshaw - One More Reason (03:35)
- Marshall Crenshaw - Try (03:09)
- Marshall Crenshaw - One Day With You (05:01)
- Marshall Crenshaw - For Her Love (03:02)
- Marshall Crenshaw - Monday Morning Rock (03:33)
- Marshall Crenshaw - All I Know Right Now (03:52)
- Marshall Crenshaw - What Time Is It? (02:52)
- Marshall Crenshaw - Hold It (03:44)
