There are already half a dozen live Marshall Crenshaw albums out there, and the fact that he still tours regularly – both as a solo artist and singer for The Smithereens – means there are still plenty of opportunities to hear these classic songs performed live. But The Wild, Exciting Sounds of perfectly captures a snapshot in time for this stellar and still wildly underappreciated artist. Actually several snap shots in time as this double disc set was recorded in 1982, 1983, 1991 and 2014 in venues across the states.
As Crenshaw states in the linear notes, in the 1980s – when radio stations were still the primary way fans got their music fix – syndicated radio stations would regularly record live shows and send them out across the country for music fans. Crenshaw took advantage of most of these opportunities. The first disc on this new set houses all of Crenshaw’s hits but more importantly to the singer, it also includes a number of songs from his sophomore effort Field Day, many of which have long been taken out of his live sets. In the linear notes, Crenshaw refers to this as an “ill-fated” record (thanks in part to the label rushing for a follow up to his moderately successful debut, despite the singer not having many songs ready yet). He cops to Field Day being his favorite album recorded for a major label and you can hear why in these live versions. The album opens with a stellar version of “Monday Morning Rock,” as well as other Field Day tracks like “Whenever You’re On My Mind,” (the album’s sole hit) “Our Town,” “Try” and a killer moment with “What Time Is It”. The rest of the first album is filled out with hits like “Cynical Girl” and “Someday Someway”. All of the tracks on the first disc were recorded in Boston, New York and Passaic, NJ in the early ‘80s.
The second disc is much more streamlined, pulled from Crenshaw’s personal archives, with several tracks being recorded in the 1990s, some he admits to not knowing when they were recorded and the second half the album recorded in 2014 with The Bottle Rockets serving as Crenshaw’s backing band. In a bit of unintentional foreshadowing, he even covers The Bottle Rockets’ “Kit Kat Clock” years before he would play with the band. The record ends on a solid cover of Richard Thompson’s “Valerie”.
This two-disc collection manages to be reliably good, as are most of his live albums so far, while also surprisingly eclectic in places, especially on the second disc. Though the album is a fantastic keepsake for fans as well as a great intro of his music for the uninitiated, it’s still no substitute for being in the audience for his live shows. Speaking of which, he is currently touring the U.S.
