just forget about the usual thing: the marshall crenshaw MARSHALL CRENSHAW poll

hard to exaggerate my affection for this album. i don't think there's a weak track on it. even semi-filler stuff like "girls" is still pretty perfect. my first inclination is to say "cynical girl," but there are so many that i love.

I'm gonna be boring and vote There She Goes Again. I liked Crenshaw more later on in the 80s, tho, like around the Mary Jean & 9 Others and Good Evening times.

i like plenty of his subsequent stuff (including the new album, which is pleasant), but i guess i'm in the dull canonical crew who think he never really improved on this one.

he definitely never improved on the cover photo. it's so exactly 1982.

"Cynical Girl," although classic for the intro to "Girls" alone.

he's never had an album poll, no? I'd be very curious to hear the late eighties stuff that Johnny Fever (and Christgau, etc) are so high on.

"Mary Anne." And I think Field Day is even better.

my main hangup with field day is lillywhite. and i'm sort of a lillywhite fan, i just think he kinda drowned crenshaw. i should get it again, tho -- i haven't heard it in years. (and i know there are people who don't like the production on the first one either. but i like its reverby brightness.)

I like the debut and Field Day both a hell of a lot, but FD's big sound just seems perfect to me: ridiculous overblown drums and guitars making post-teen love plaints sound adolescently end-of-the-world. It was my favorite album in high school.

"whenever you're on my mind" is definitely my favorite crenshaw single. (stupidly, the video doesn't seem to be available anywhere.) and that's one where lillywhite's production really makes the guitar line shimmer.

Another vote for "There She Goes Again." The turnaround at the end of the bridges, the "Go have fun, little girl, I can live without you," is just so beautiful and plaintive.

If there were a Field Day poll I'd be voting for "Monday Morning Rock," just to register my preference in advance.

Great live Crenshaw show from 1992 available here: http://bigozine2.com/roio/?p=158

on a side note, i'd never til just now heard the beatles' version of "soldier of love"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA1I97awWPM

my main hangup with field day is lillywhite. and i'm sort of a lillywhite fan, i just think he kinda drowned crenshaw. i should get it again, tho -- i haven't heard it in years. (and i know there are people who don't like the production on the first one either. but i like its reverby brightness.)

The way the chorus soars on "Our Town" until the comedown ("before he whole thing's gonna CRUMBLE to the ground!") is my favorite Crenshaw moment. The song's first few verses work as a subtle nod towards Lillywhite's production touches.

First-rate performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR7gXt9GeVM

There She Goes Again

It was kinda a bummer seeing him a couple years ago with the Figgs, since the Figgs whupped ass on their own set and then seemed to pop ludes before backing up Crenshaw—totally sucked all the life and fun out of them, and Crenshaw just couldn't give the same level of energy to his work that the Figgs did to theirs (and seemed to want to do with his).

I do enjoy telling my girlfriend that Crenshaw Blvd. in LA is named after Marshall Crenshaw.

(There She Goes Again, I think. Time to give this another listen just to see if my impulsive vote was the right one, but that means buying it or dl it some other way, since my tapedeck doesn't work anymore.)

Someday, someway

Mary Anne is one of his best songs if not his best.

i love the chorus harmonies on "mary anne": doooon't cry mary aaaaannnn etc.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

haha damn, only four songs repped for here? craziness.

love "You're My Favorite Waste of Time" more than any of these

those are probably my 4 favorites, tho i might bump one for "she can't dance." or "the usual thing."

I was so torn up at having to choose, I didn't vote for any.

The answer is "The Usual Thing," assholes!

i know it's not one of the more celebrated songs on here, but i've been loving the shit out of "girls" lately.

there is something really Alex Chilton/ Big Star about that track (and various others).

He wrote lots of good songs, y'know.

You don’t say!

I finally caught up to Crenshaw like four years ago. Absolutely love this album, and the Rhino best of compilation feels rock solid, though I've only heard one other album (his second - track down the recent reissue by Intervention Records, Crenshaw was involved and it's the definitive edition).

I don't know if Better Back Off is his best but on first listen it's damn good.

He wrote lots of good songs, y'know.

Nice pick of covers. "2541" (not on the Rhino best of) is easily my favorite Grant Hart song outside of Hüsker Dü. (He actually pitched it to the band in 1985 and Mould VETOED it.) After the Go-Betweens first split, Robert Forster recorded a good cover for one of his solo albums as well.

I don't think John Hiatt ever released "Someplace Where Love Can’t Find Me" on any of his own records, but it's definitely one of the best ones he gave away. Maybe even the best one period (along with "She Don't Love Nobody," best heard by Nick Lowe)...anything better, he probably recorded himself.

Trying to remember the George Jones song that has a similar idea to “2541,” which I see is “4033” or “Four-O-Thirty Three.”

I love that Crenshaw botched the lyrics of "2541" - ("big windows to LAY in the sun") but decided to keep it in, rather than re-record, because it still kind of made sense.

(Not Just) Knee Deep: The Spring 2012 Gay Thread

Maybe even the best one period (along with "She Don't Love Nobody," best heard by Nick Lowe).

Agree. I don't care for Bonnie Raitt's "The Thing Called Love."

*bump*

the best

His albums have been missing from Spotify, but apparently for good reason - he is beginning to reclaim the copyrights, and he already has a deal in place with Yep Roc to reissue the first two in expanded editions. First one's out in late November, second one's next year:

https://amplifymusicmag.com/%E2%AD%90%EF%B8%8F-interview-%E2%AD%90%EF%B8%8F-marshall-crenshaw-looks-back-on-his-impressive-catalog/

Cool. Was just looking for some of that stuff.

Now want to hear his cover of “Couldn’t I Just Tell You.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTI0tSjGUZg

Just realized I haven't heard anything he's recorded in the past 20+ years until finding that track!

He's playing on Monday in NYC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6mwLcv1fCM

^totally dig this one

There are so many great Rhino sets and compilations and deluxe editions that don't exist in Spotify.

He's playing in NYC today tonight at City Winery as I guess the back end of a 40th anniversary tour that started last year. Setlist sounds good - here's one from a few nights ago:

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/marshall-crenshaw/2023/the-center-for-arts-in-natick-natick-ma-5ba243a0.html

Wow. Don’t think I can go, assuming there are even tickets available.

There seem to be plenty of tickets (the cheaper ones too) - if I can make it, I may go

Start time 8:30 but he's got an opener, so I imagine he'll go on at 9:15ish?

I saw him toward the beginning of this tour, it was a good time. Setlist was perfect (esp. having not seen him before), the band was nice and loud, only downside was how much that overpowered his voice. Made me kinda long for a solo acoustic set, though I also appreciate his disinterest in doing that.