Since forming in the late 70’s, New Jersey band The Feelies have always belonged to an elite club in the rock world. For better or worse, this is the club of acts that, while hugely influential to other bands and adored by critics, somehow always eluded the mainstream and the financial success that comes with being a part of it. Perhaps the group’s signature style of poppy alternative rock was simply too smart and ahead of its time for the masses, who would go crazy for the stripped down sounds of grunge right around the time The Feelies disbanded in 1992. If there is an upside to all of this, it’s the fact that the band has managed to preserve their status as a cult act deeply revered by music nerds and bands like R.E.M. and Yo La Tengo, both of which have used many of the strongest musical elements of The Feelies sound in their own work.
After reuniting in 2008 and even releasing a critically praised studio album called Here Before in 2011, the world was given another taste of The Feelies, one that was in demand from longtime fans. Now those fans are getting something else they’ve been wanting for years. On March 11th, Bar/None Records will reissue the band’s third and fourth albums, Only Life and Time For A Witness. The albums have been unavailable for over 20 years and the new editions will each include four special bonus tracks.
We’re delighted to offer an exclusive premiere of one of those bonus tracks right here on Glide Magazine. “It’s Only Life” is the very first track on 1988’s Only Life and is easily one of the standout tracks in The Feelies catalogue. To celebrate the reissue, the band got together to record a new version of the tune. It’s not surprising that the album Only Life featured a cover of The Velvet Underground’s “What Goes On”, as lead singer Glenn Mercer’s vocals bare similarities to that of Lou Reed in both tone and deliverance. Obviously, Mercer has aged in the almost thirty years since the original version of “It’s Only Life” was recorded, and his vocals these days – a little gruffer but still fully in-tact – carry an even closer resemblance to Reed. The band took a more acoustic, low-key approach to recording the song this time around, but it still carries the same energy of the more bass-driven, slightly faster original.
Reflecting on the album and the song, Glenn Mercer says, “When I wrote Only Life, I had been thinking about how hard we often struggle to navigate our lives toward our goals and that, ultimately, we have very limited control over what actually happens throughout our existence. I also thought about how that can be seen in either a positive or negative way. It can be depressing to work at something only to have it go wrong, but it can also be liberating to not be too attached and obsessed over outcomes. I think it’s about finding a balance between our desire and our destiny. When those are at odds, we feel anxiety and when they align we feel at peace. We decided to re-record the song because we had introduced a new arrangement that seemed to work in an acoustic setting. We did it here at my house, so the comfort level was high.”
Listen to The Feelies play a re-worked version of their classic tune “It’s Only Life”:
Bar/None Records will reissue Only Life and Time For A Witness on March 11th. Both albums are available for order on CD and vinyl HERE. For more on The Feelies check out thefeeliesweb.com.
2 Responses
FYI: photo by John Baumgartner
Thanks.