The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/27737
Vinyl Vault The Feelies ‘Crazy Rhythms’ Stiff Records, 1980 The Feelies have always been a curiosity. Falling somewhere between new-wave and post-punk, there is little to pin them down by. In fact, there is little to them at all. Their 1980 release “Crazy Rhythms” is both a rock-and-roll record and an exercise in minimalism. Everything is small: the vocals, the guitars, even the drums. How many records list sandpaper, shoes, cans and boxes as percussion? The record opens with the track “The Boy With The Perpetual Nervous- ness,” which sets the tone for the entire album. It is quiet, but not in a facile, gentle way. This record is tense and nervous, restrained in a way that alternately builds and releases creative tension, leaving the listener wanting more without feeling as if the band held back. There is a tangible intelligence to this music, as if every detail of it was meticulously planned long before it was recorded. This record is tense and nervous, restrained in a way that alternately builds and releases creative tension, leaving the listener wanting more without feeling as if the band held back. Formed in New Jersey in 1976 and taking their name from Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World,” The Feelies soon began to play regularly in New York City. They were strongly influenced by The Velvet Under- ground, and soon began to craft guitar-driven soundscapes that were closer to the first VU record than anything else. While recording “Crazy Rhythms,” guitarists Bill Million and Glenn Mercer made the unorthodox decision to record their guitars without amplifiers, opting instead to plug directly into the mixing board, giving them a unique flat, dry sound. There is no reverb to be found on this record, no overdubs. Not even the most basic studio tricks are used. “Crazy Rhythms” is The Feelies, warts and all. When the record was released in 1980, it was unlike anything that had come before it. From the faded blue cover and band photo (later famously ripped off by Weezer for their 1994 debut), the aesthetic matches the music. Four bookish-looking boys peering earnestly out without a trace of punk sneer or irony. The songs on “Crazy Rhythms” create several cycles of tension and release. The first side builds until the fourth song, “Forces At Work,” explodes in a rush of vibrant guitar work to close out side one. The tension builds again on side two until the frenzied cover of The Beatles’ “Everybody’s Got Something To Hide (Except Me And My Monkey).” Perhaps the most enduring aspect of “Crazy Rhythms” is the feeling that it is a record entirely without pretension. It is an honest document, a triumph of creativity without trickery. This was certainly a conscious effort on The Feelies’ part, less a commentary on music technology than an innovative use of their musical shortcomings to their advantage. They had little to paper over; there are few shortcomings on this record, and it is a joy from beginning to end. Thirty-plus years later, there is something undeniably refreshing about a band captured as purely as possible. This long-forgotten classic was recently re-issued on Bar None Records on CD and LP. It is a great addition to any record collection. _ James Derek Sapienza 8 O-Town Scene March 24, 2011