The album opens with “Living A Lie,” a song written by Peter Holsapple. This song was one of the highlights of the show I caught last month. It’s such a good pop number, with a great energy. Its rhythm never fails to lift my spirits. And regardless of what Scott says of the horn part in the liner notes, I dig it. “And if I keep on living/The way I have been living/You will come to me and say/All has been forgiven/But I didn’t do anything wrong/I’ve just been living a lie too long, too long.” That’s followed by “We Were Happy There,” also written by Peter Holsapple. This one too has a wonderful energy, with a strong beat, but the line “It was a long, long time ago” always makes me sad, for it seems that the happiness is a thing of a distant past. What I also love is the way the repeated line “Are you happy now?” is delivered, seemingly with a bit of anger. There is always a lot going on in this band’s songs. Sure, you can just dance around to them if you wish, but if you pay closer attention, you’ll get much more out of the experience.
“Happenstance” has a rather somber opening moment before the vocals come in. This song was written by Chris Stamey. “All I ever wanted was to make you so damn happy,” he sings, and we get a sense that that goal was not met. The section I can’t help but sing along with is this: “Think for yourself/Think it through/Don’t let her live for you/Think for yourself/Think of me/Think of what I’m saying.” And I dig that bass line. Chris Stamey also wrote “From A Window To A Screen,” a song that features some excellent vocal work. “I will tell you everything/Where do I begin/Some would say we were friends/I won’t make that mistake again/I won’t make that mistake again.” There is a pretty, yet haunted feel to this song which makes it rather compelling. I love that guitar part toward the end.
“Amplifier” is so much damn fun, a delicious song to dance to, and suddenly you realize you’re dancing to a song about suicide. Not that that stops you. It most certainly does not. In fact, you just dance with more abandon. That bass line demands it. The beat demands it. “Danny went home and killed himself last night/She’d taken everything, she’d taken everything/She took his car, she took his bike/She took everything she thought he liked/And what she couldn’t take, she found a way to break/But she left his amplifier.” And check out that cool stuff on keys just before the end. Peter Holsapple wrote this one. Then “Ask For Jill” has an even cooler beat, making it an immediate favorite. Isn’t this what pop music should be? And again, there are some interesting moments and tangents. Near the end, we hear one side of a phone conversation: “Hey, it’s Chris…what’s up…so I heard…well, look, let’s not beat around the bush…Really?... yeah, I’ll hold.” This one was written by Chris Stamey, and it was with that song that the first side of the original album concluded. By the way, all the songs so far were ones they performed at the Los Angeles concert I attended.
“I Feel Good (Today)” has an interesting opening, announcing it as some kind of psychedelic bluesy folk song. So, yeah, I’m on board right away. “It felt bad to try to pretend/I feel good, good again.” And it goes in some unexpected directions, particularly during that instrumental section in the second half. It is driving us toward some strange destination, and I will take that ride every time. Chris Stamey wrote this one. It’s followed by “Storm Warning,” written by Peter Holsapple. Check out these lyrics: “All your life, you’ve been a loser all your life/Loser all your life/Hope for the best, expect the worst/If this is heaven, you’re the first/If this is hell, you’re well-rehearsed/Be nice for a while.” And that guitar work takes us out of our normal realm. There is even some odd whistling near the end (Peter offers some thoughts on that in the liner notes).
There is something catchy about “Ups And Downs,” partly in its rhythm, but also in the rhythm of the vocal line. “You pull the strings/I dance, I sing/Or anything/Ups and downs.” That’s followed by “In Spain,” which also has a delicious groove. And I love the way the guitar dances on top of that groove. This is a song you just want to throw yourself into, cut loose to, and, as usual, the lyrics might come as a surprise, considering the great groove. “Here come those tears again/I know what could have been cannot be/I know it can’t be you and me.” Both “Ups And Downs” and “In Spain” were written by Chris Stamey.
They then slow things down a bit with “Nothing Is Wrong,” written by Peter Holsapple, this song featuring some beautiful vocal work. There is a dreamlike quality to the delivery. “I see love/As something that/Either works or it doesn’t/It’s as simple as that/Nothing I say could be wrong/What will you do with me gone/I’m just thinking about you.” The original album then concludes with “Neverland,” which opens with the line, “You’re asking where did my love go.” The energy is high again with this track, another one to dance to. “You’re asking what will I do now/What does it matter anyhow/I gave her everything I had/Everything I bought/Everything I got/The one thing I forgot/The one thing I forgot.” Peter Holsapple wrote this one. The disc’s bonus track is “pH Factor,” a seriously cool instrumental track that was included as the flip side to the “Neverland” single. It was written by Peter Holsapple, and mixes in some country and surf elements, and even includes some hand claps at one point. This tune was also included as a bonus track on the album’s 1989 reissue from IRS Records.
CD Track List
- Living A Lie
- We Were Happy There
- Happenstance
- From A Window To A Screen
- Amplifier
- Ask For Jill
- I Feel Good (Today)
- Storm Warning
- Ups And Downs
- In Spain
- Nothing Is Wrong
- Neverland
- pH Factor
This special re-issue of Repercussion was released on October 18, 2024 on Propeller Sound Records.
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