Crazy Rhythms

by The Feelies

Overview

Even the cover is a winner, with a washed-out look that screams new wave via horn-rimmed glasses, even more so than contemporaneous pictures of either Elvis Costello or the Embarrassment. But if it was all look and no brain, Crazy Rhythms would long ago have been dismissed as an early-'80s relic. That's exactly what this album is not, right from the soft, haunting hints of percussion that preface the suddenly energetic jump of the appropriately titled "The Boy With the Perpetual Nervousness." From there the band delivers seven more originals plus a striking cover of the Beatles' "Everybody's Got Something to Hide" that rips along even more quickly than the original. The guitar team of Mercer and Million smokes throughout, whether it's soft, rhythmic chiming with a mysterious, distanced air or blasting, angular solos. But Fier is the band's secret weapon, able to play straight-up beats but aiming at a rumbling, strange punch that updates Velvet Underground/Krautrock trance into giddier realms. Mercer's obvious Lou Reed vocal inflections make the VU roots even clearer, but even at this stage of the game there's something fresh about the work the quartet does, even 20 years on -- a good blend of past and present, rave-up and reflection. When the group's later label, A&M, finally got around to reissuing the album for the first time stateside, a curious bonus was included: a version of the Rolling Stones' "Paint It, Black," recorded by the later lineup of the band in 1990. Mercer's voice is noticeably different from his decade-old self, but it's an enthusiastic rendition not too far out of place. ~ Ned Raggett

Product Details

Release Date:	09/22/2009
Label:	Bar/None Records
UPC:	0032862019616
Rank:	21474

Tracks

1. The Boy With the Perpetual Nervousness
2. Fa Ce-La
3. Loveless Love
4. Forces at Work
5. Original Love
6. Everybody¿¿¿s Got Something to Hide (Except Me and My Monkey)
7. Moscow Nights
8. Raised Eyebrows
9. Crazy Rhythms
10. Fa Ce-La
11. The Boy With the Perpetual Nervousness
12. Moscow Nights
13. Crazy Rhythms
14. I Wanna Sleep In Your Arms

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Feelies   Primary Artist
Bill Million   Box,Bells,E-Bow,Noise,Claves,Guitar,Shaker,Vocals,Cowbell,Tom-Tom,Clavinet,Timbales,Percussion,Tambourine,Drums (Snare),Sound Effects,Temple Blocks,Guitar (Rhythm),Guitar (Acoustic),Multi Instruments,Vocals (Background)
Anton Fier   Pipe,Drums,Cowbell,Tom-Tom,Percussion,Tambourine,Drums (Bass),Drums (Snare)
Glenn Mercer   Drums,Claves,Guitar,Shaker,Vocals,Maracas,Soloist,Clavinet,Castanets,Percussion,Lead Vocals,Sleigh Bells,Sound Effects,Temple Blocks,Guitar (Electric),Guitar (12 String)
Keith DeNunzio   Bass,Pipe,Drums,Vocals,Tom-Tom,Percussion,Tambourine,Wood Block,Drums (Snare),Guitar (Bass),Vocals (Background)
Keith Clayton   Bass,Pipe,Drums,Vocals,Tom-Tom,Percussion,Wood Block,Drums (Snare),Guitar (Bass),Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Paul McCartney   Composer
Bill Million   Composer,Producer,Tap Dancing
Jim Bonnefond   Engineer,Mixing Engineer
John Lennon   Composer
Jonathan Richman   Composer
Tom Lazarus   Engineer
Glenn Mercer   Composer,Producer,Performer,Tap Dancing,Cover Design
The Feelies   Performer
Keith Richards   Composer
Don Sternecker   Engineer
Mick Jagger   Composer
Iggy Pop   Composer
Mark Abel   Producer
Brooke Delarco   Engineer
Julian Robertson   Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer