EC #2 - Spike
I wish I could say I was doing this in some kind of order, but that's not the case. Basically, I am just listening to them the whole way through as I find them.
That makes the next one 1989's Spike.
Spike is notable for 2 major reasons.
1. "Veronica" was one of (if not THE) highest charting hit singles in his career and though many people think it's about some lover of his, it's really about his grandma.
2. EC and Paul McCartney got together and wrote some songs, among them "Veronica" and "Pads, Paws, and Claws" from this album.
As a whole, I quite like this one. "Baby Plays Around", co-written with then-wife Cait O'Riordan of the Pogues is pretty forboding when you consider that the song is essentially about cheating and...well, the marriage didn't last. It's a pretty strange album in that it's poppy, but at the same time, just a bit off-kilter. "...This Town..." has a chorus "You're nobody in this town til everyone thinks you're a bastard." And that is immediately followed by a really creepy death penalty song, "Let Him Dangle."
"Tramp the Dirt Down." is the best "pissed off at the man" song since Bob Dylan's "Masters of War." And it has a bit of an Irish flair. It's a beautiful song and so unbelievably angry at Thatcher's England.
As I said, I like this album a lot. It's poppy and fun, but at the same time, it has lots of mystery and strange nooks and crannies to explore. This is a much easier listen than Mighty Like a Rose.
Rating: 7
That makes the next one 1989's Spike.
Spike is notable for 2 major reasons.
1. "Veronica" was one of (if not THE) highest charting hit singles in his career and though many people think it's about some lover of his, it's really about his grandma.
2. EC and Paul McCartney got together and wrote some songs, among them "Veronica" and "Pads, Paws, and Claws" from this album.
As a whole, I quite like this one. "Baby Plays Around", co-written with then-wife Cait O'Riordan of the Pogues is pretty forboding when you consider that the song is essentially about cheating and...well, the marriage didn't last. It's a pretty strange album in that it's poppy, but at the same time, just a bit off-kilter. "...This Town..." has a chorus "You're nobody in this town til everyone thinks you're a bastard." And that is immediately followed by a really creepy death penalty song, "Let Him Dangle."
"Tramp the Dirt Down." is the best "pissed off at the man" song since Bob Dylan's "Masters of War." And it has a bit of an Irish flair. It's a beautiful song and so unbelievably angry at Thatcher's England.
As I said, I like this album a lot. It's poppy and fun, but at the same time, it has lots of mystery and strange nooks and crannies to explore. This is a much easier listen than Mighty Like a Rose.
Rating: 7
posted by Grant Alter at 1:48 AM
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