When I first purchased Carlene Carter's "Musical Shapes" in 1980, it felt like I had just discovered the Mona Lisa behind a velvet painting of Elvis. It was a British import on Stiff's F-Beat subsidiary and it was unlike the usual fare I was consuming at the time. I was into Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds and Elvis Costello, of course, as well as most of what Stiff Records was releasing. But I was unaware of Carlene Carter or her two previous albums. I wasn't really buying any "country" albums. But "Musical Shapes" knocked me out. This wasn't country, or rockabilly. It wasn't power pop or punk. Yet, it felt like all four all at the same time and over 40 years later, it still sounds as fresh as ever.
I played this record to death, as if to say "Look at what I got!" I'd sneak tracks onto mixed tapes, sandwiched in between Black Sabbath and The Clash. I couldn't get enough, and after listening to it for the first time in years this past weekend, I immediately wanted to listen again.
Produced by Dave Edmunds Carter's husband at the time Nick Lowe, and featuring Dave Edmunds, Terry Williams and Billy Bremner to complete the Rockpile lineup, as well as Bob Andrews, and a few of Huey Lewis's guys, "Musical Shapes" is as good as any of the records released by any of the musicians who played on it.
If you don't know it, it's time.
(h/t xtopherburns for the post title.)
21 comments:
Great record! But technically it was produced by Nick Lowe. Her eponymous debut with the Rumour from 1978 is also stellar. Career overview of Carlene is here:
https://kleaveburg.blogspot.com/2017/08/carlene-carter-1978-2017.html
Right with you. Love this album. Especially Love Is A 4 Letter Verb with Glenn Tilbrook on harmonies.
Musical Shapes is a ton of fun. Today's cover by the Staple Singers is wonderful, too.
- Paul in DK
may have been the last gasp of Clover (Ciambotti, Hopper and McFee) and their link to Stiff "fame."
Really like this album. Carlene and Dave's version of Baby Ride Easy has been a favorite since I first heard it.
It makes me sad when I think of the great records we could have had if Nick and Dave hadn't split.
Bill
Cleveland Jeff,
I stand corrected. 43 years and hundreds of spins, all the while thinking Dave Edmunds produced it.
35 minutes and two seconds of perfection.
The other day when you put up Graham Parker's new stuff, I was talking to Sandy about the time we saw the Rumour back up Carlene Carter at the Roxy. So what a coincidence! Musiscal Shapes is her best album by far. I have a signed (by Carleen & Nick) 36" x 24" promo poster for the record hanging on the wall in my guest house out back. Carlene and I are the same age. I used to see her when she did shows at the Roxy, Palomino and Crazy Horse to name a few. The albums vary in quality. The first two were like trial balloons. But she and her friends nailed it big time on this one. It proved to be impossible to top. I think "I Fell In Love" is a real solid albun too. Used to bump into her at shows around town. I guess she liked Wall of Voodoo. And the Psychdelic Furs. My best friend is named Sandy. We used to goof on "Too Bad About Sandy," When I saw Rockpile at the Country Club they did Carlene's "Cry." What a great collection of songs! Except for the cover of Ring Of Fire. Sorry for randomness I'm just rollin. Like you wouldn't believe.
Good morning, Sal
Sal, It's completely understandable that you assumed Edmunds produced it. His stamp is indeed all over it, and at the time Nick and Dave were pretty much of one mind.
Couldn't agree more. And now I gotta go have a listen!
I also got this album when it came out because I wanted more Rockpile! Great album from Carlene.
Thanks for the reminder to pull this one out of the stacks. A real good one.
After clocking the Edmunds - Lowe connection I bought the album once upon a time but can't recall too much about it (unlikely they'll use that as ad copy for any re-releases), so it's been good to read your article and revisit the featured tracks. Cheers for that!
Agree with Bill, Baby Ride Easy has always tickled my fancy.
Thanks for the nudge, I'll pull this out and give it a spin!
Randy
About the song of the day:
That is a wonderful Gene Clark song. Big fan of Gene. Had a major crush on him and stuck with him after the Byrds. This was only available as a single at the time, until Edsel reissued it with three extra tracks in the mid eighties. There is no arguing what a great song this is. However, IMHO, there are problems with the production. The banjo is kicked up too loud in the mix and the string sweetening is over the top and poorly arranged. Clark should have revisited this song during his later career. The cover by Velvet Crush is a better arrangement and production. The steel guitar makes it.
Random thought about Edmunds, you know, the guy that didn't produce Musical Shapes:). Albert Lee used to play unadvertised gigs at this 50-seat dive in Agoura Hills on a semi-regular basis in the mid-1990's. On occasion he'd bring Dave Edmunds or Chris Speding along. The beauty of those gigs for me was that most of the crowd didn't have a clue as to who these guys were. It was local bar patrons thinking they were seeing just another bar band. I think Lee, Edmunds and Spedding appreciated the relative anonymity. Two or three sets a night. I've got tickets to see Albert Lee next week at the 150-seat Write-off Room in the Valley. Looking forward to it.
VR
VR,
I always thought "Why Not Your Baby" belonged on a different album. Same with "Echoes" from the Gosdin Brothers album.
Was unaware of the Velvet Crush cover. I must check that out.
yes again (internet was out for a few days so I'm in reverse chronological yesing)
After a relisten yesterday, I also have to plump for Too Bad About Sandy. She does, indeed, love that cold, hard cash.
Bill
Sal,
In case you haven't already done so, the Velvet Crush cover of "Why Not Your Baby" is on their "Teenage Symphonies to God." A very groovy album.
And yeah, "Why Not Your Baby" doesn't sound like it belongs on the "Fantastic Expedition" album because it never was. It didn't get included until the reissuers added it and a couple of other single tracks in the mid-eighties.
Bill,
Another Carlene track that Sandy and I used to goof to was "I'm So Cool." What girl could resist with lines like this: "Hangin' out with the girls just ain't my scene. It takes one to know one and girls are mean. Yeah girls are mean." ... Hangin' out with the boys is where it's at. 'Cause they got the balls and I got the bat. Yeah I got the bat."
VR
I've always thought her version of Too Many Teardrops from Blue Nun would have been the perfect pop single for the time. Better by far than those of Lowe and Squeeze, to me.
Probably a dead thread but here goes anyway:
One of my favorite Carlene Carter albums is a bootleg of her 1994-02-21 performance at the Crazy Horse Saloon in Santa Ana. The 200 seat venue was the best place to see country leaning acts from 1979-1999. Then the new owner made a stupid business decision and relocated. This led to their demise.
When Carleen played the Crazy Horse she had an ace band led by NRBQ's Al Anderson. He also sang a couple of duets with her. She did two great shows that night and I went to both. Natuirally, I taped to DAT with my stealth Schoeps and Sony TCD-D-7. I got great results. But they were no match for the mixing board tape that was issued on a bootleg CD out of Germany. The label called itself Royal Sound Music and they weren't kidding. It's broadcast quality. That's why the show is edited. Unfortunately, they cut out a couple of songs, the band introductions and the in between song banter. And it's the early show so its the shorter performance of the night. So the bootleg of the radio broadcast gives you about fifty minutes of the seventy minute show. But in stellar quality. It was called "Hurricane: Live at the Crazy Horse, Santa Ana, California 1994." I briefly checked youtube to see if someone uploaded it. I didn't look very hard but I only found two songs. One is from the Maverick soundtrack "Something Already Gone" and it's much better live than in the studio. Also, on youtube You can find "Every Little Thing," one she wrote and sings with Al Anderson. Those two performances are great. But so are the other ten songs! The whole show is killer. Her take on Benmont Tench's "Unbreakable Heart," is superb. Here are the links to the two songs on youtube if it's OK with Sal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbHBH8jBS-Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhxaWDxhXmE
If you'd like to hear the rest of this incredible show go to soundike2.com search Carlene Carter. 96 cents gets you the 12 track album. 8 cents a song. If you add money 30 bucks gets 45 bucks; 50 gets you 85 bucks and 100 gets you 200 bucks. You can't go wrong.
VR
Post a Comment