| Track: | Rating: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Flying Under Radar | | | |||
| 2. Kick Start | | | | ||
| 3. I Don't Mind | | | |||
| 4. Confess | | | |||
| 5. Sleep Angel | | | | ||
| 6. I Cry For Iran | | | | | |
| 7. Never Let It Slip | | | | ||
| 8. Cowboy's Got To Go | | | | ||
| 9. If The Rains Return | | | | ||
| 10.Remain Calm | | | | | |
| 11.Big Mouth | | | | ||
| 12.Facing The Fire | | | | | |
| 13.The Doctors Lie | | | | | |
When Talking Heads dissolved in 1988, Jerry Harrison may have had reason for concern. Although he had some reputation as a producer (for such acts as The Bodeans and Violent Femmes), Harrison was nevertheless the least known and least distinguishable of the Heads members. David Byrne had distinguished himself throughout the 1980s as a unique vocalist and cult personality. Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz had scored some success in their side project, the Tom Tom Club. Harrison, however, was something of an anonymous figure within the band, lacking an independent reputation as a performer.
To some extent, this stultified reputation may have been the result of his ... well ... less-than-distinctive playing abilities. Harrison (like Weymouth) was frequently overshadowed by guest performers in the Heads network, and was never the most recognizable guitarist or keyboardist in any event. Few enthusiasts of the group, I suspect, would be able to pinpoint many specific moments as highlights of Harrison's tenure within the group -- he contributed well enough to the overall sound of the group, but was otherwise something of a faceless character in their recorded history. If he had production skills to fall back on, his status in the music industry may nevertheless have seemed rather tenuous at the end of 1988.
Harrison has since established himself as a fairly prominent production talent, having worked with such groups as Fine Young Cannibals, General Public, Live, Crash Test Dummies and Fatima Mansions. If not precisely a household name, he's nevertheless managed to create a secure position for himself in the music industry (and generally with credible and semi-credible acts, at that)
His solo career is another matter entirely.
Harrison's first solo album, The Red And The Black, was released in 1982. His second, Jerry Harrison:Casual Gods, appeared in the summer of 1988, at about the same time as the final Talking Heads album, Naked. Both works featured a number of decent songs, and (as might be expected) little to suggest that Harrison was especially cut out for work of this sort. His monotone vocals (somewhere between Lou Reed and Jonathan Richman, the latter of whom he played with before joining TH) were sometimes used to good effect over assorted art-dance rhythms, but the projects as a whole tended to lack any real impact. His first post-Heads album, Walk On Water (also released under the "Casual Gods" name), featured some decent songs and some decidedly mediocre songs ... and little to suggest that he was especially cut out for work of this sort.
Perhaps wisely, Harrison has not released any solo material since WoW -- choosing instead to focus on production work and occasional session duties (his tenure with the reformed "Heads" can perhaps be overlooked). In this context, Walk On Water appears as a testament to Harrison's skills and limitations, and a caution against any further forays of this sort.
A quick perusal over the personnel and credit lists for Walk On Water will verify that the album may only be called a "solo" work in the loosest sense of the term. Aside from Ernie Brooks (with whom Harrison has collaborated with in one form or another since his freshman year at Harvard, in 1967), a vast array of musical talents make brief appearances on the work, assisting with both songwriting and musical performance. In and of itself this isn't a terrible thing; in this instance, the somewhat mechanical "feel" of much of the album suggests that Harrison might have been better served by an actual studio band and occasional guests.
The personnel, however, is far from the most troubling aspect of this album. An even more serious problem, from the standpoint of presentation, is Harrison's decision to cram the five worst songs on the album into the opening five slots (and, moreover, put the sixth worst track at the beginning of the second side). Perhaps he was attempting to cash in on the success of FYC with a somewhat more commercialized version of their sound; if this was his plan, however, it appears futile from both an artistic and commercial standpoint (Harrison isn't exactly Roland Gift on vocals, after all). The leadoff four tracks on the album appear as something of an embarrassment, and may very well have caused some listeners to give up hope for the album before the good material began.
"Flying Under Radar" (co-written with Dan Hartman!) is a particular mess, an obviously calculated attempt at cracking the American rock radio market. The lyrics focus on a tacky love/quest theme, and are horrible; the music isn't much better. A brief guitar solo appears toward the end, but it too isn't terribly good. This one is best forgotten.
"Kick Start" is a bit better, but not by much. The mixing is sterile, and the overall quality of the music seems too infused with an early-'90s pop-radio ethos to be really worthwhile (the gimicky backing vocals get annoying pretty quickly as well). Not as foolish as the first track, it can nevertheless be passed over without too much comment.
The following two tracks feature the assistance of Tom Bailey and Alannah Currie from the Thompson Twins, with predictable results. "I Don't Mind" has a decent New Order-esque drum mix (perhaps filtered through FYC, of course), but is otherwise no better than a mediocre pop song. "Confess" is even worse, its obnoxious backing vocals being featured rather high in the mix (and its drum mix being nothing to write home about, to say the least). It wouldn't have been too outrageous for tracks this wretched to have made it onto North American radio in the early '90s; for the sake of Harrison's reputation, though, it's probably better that they didn't.
"Sleep Angel" is, once again, a little bit better. This country-ish ballad is neither offensive nor especially notable, and Harrison's voice is about as close to "tuneful" here as it's ever likely to be (appearing oddly similar to Justin Hayward, in some respects). Easy to ignore, this is nevertheless the best work on the album thus far.
Given all that comes before it, the listener may be excused for not being entirely ready for "I Cry For Iran". This song actually has quite a bit of substance to it -- an intriguing vocal line (similar to those featured on JH:CG), a slightly Middle Eastern musical ethos (perhaps inspired by Peter Gabriel's Passion), and good, culturally interesting lyrics. The starkness of Harrison's voice works extremely well with the atmosphere of this track; this may be the most that can be expected of him, vocally. Adrian Belew adds a decent guitar solo toward the end of the track. In the unlikely event that Harrison ever releases a career best-of album, this track deserves to be salvaged.
"Never Let It Slip" is a Hammond-based, '60s-style rock track which is distinguishable only for its profoundly average nature. With better singing and more skilled musicians, this could perhaps be turned into something worthwhile; as it is, it falls somewhat short of impressive. The chorus vocal hook stands out somewhat.
The next two tracks might be best described as "better pop". "Cowboys Got To Go" is a decent, vaguely country-inspired track (featuring strummed guitar to a notable degree, for instance) which coheres together fairly well. A mid-song diatribe about dogs and trees adds a certain element of charm. "If The Rains Return", meanwhile, is a more enjoyable sort of average than most of the album. ;) Harrison once again tests the levels of his vocal range over a decent pop setting, wherein the nastier '80s pop elements only appear grating in the mid-song section.
The instrumental "Remain Calm" is a semi-ambient spotlight for Harrison and Adrian Belew (with a conga effect appearing as well); if not an especially notable contribution to the genre, its still fairly enjoyable. This track then segues directly to "Big Mouth", a track which almost seems to be a leftover from the JH:CG sessions -- fairly ordinary pop with rather ominous lyrics (focusing on police brutality, in this case). The arrangement for the track is fairly decent, although some might complain that Belew is rather less in evidence than in the previous number.
"Facing The Fire" is another decent number, with Bernie Worrell (presumably) adding a worthwhile keyboard setting for the track. Harrison's vocals and lyrics work, in this context, and the backing vocals don't appear annoying -- the song, in other words, is arranged fairly well. The highlight of the album, however, is "The Doctors Lie", a disturbing number focusing on a threatening operation of some sort (shades of the film "Jacob's Ladder" occasionally appear). The effects at the conclusion (with the nature of the operation still note determined) are quite bizarre. An easy highlight for the work.
This critic is ultimately somewhat ambivalent towards the album. If the listener were to program the CD to begin at Track 6, the album actually wouldn't seem that bad -- and would have two or three first-rate moments. On the other hand, there's little on the album to make it essential for any buyer ... and the bad parts are, in fact, quite bad. Diehard fans will find something to enjoy, but casual audients (so to speak) need not go out of their way to find this work.
(review originally posted to alt.music.yes on 29 Jan 1999)