Them Newest Release Rich With Harmony, Sunny Lyrics
Them “The Story of Them Featuring Van Morrison” (Deram) ***-1/2
Even Van Morrison enthusiasts can get caught up in the misconception that the Irish singer-songwriter’s greatness didn’t begin showing itself until his landmark 1968 solo album, “Astral Weeks.”
Yes, the thinking goes, he may have had a few earlier hits with the rock band Them, including the spellbinding “Gloria,” but that music was just a warm-up for what was to come.
True enough, George Ivan Morrison was only 19 when he and the rest of the Belfast group recorded “Gloria,” and he was still piecing together his musical vision, which drew liberally from the sensual lure of R&B, the defiance of rock and, eventually, his own bold poetic imagination. Yet even on those fledgling terms, Them was something special.
The group had only three Top 100 singles in the United States, so few rock fans here took the time to check Them out. And, unlike the similar sounding Rolling Stones, time wasn’t on this band’s side. Before anyone caught on to the sparks of Them’s music, Morrison had embarked on a solo career and was turning out such hits as 1967’s “Brown Eyed Girl.”
Because of Them’s low profile, the best of the 50 tracks in this package (which features great sound, but skimpy liner notes) will come as a revelation to even those who proclaim Morrison one of the most commanding figures ever in rock.
It’s not all wonderful. Morrison made some bad choices in outside material, and even a few of his own tunes - notably the wryly titled “You Just Can’t Win” - suggest a singer-songwriter tired of the pop-rock grindrole in the Smashing Pumpkins. “Let It Come Down” is a refreshingly mellow collection of ballads and pop love songs, voiced through Iha’s boyish croon and old-fashioned rock instrumentation. The album is rich with harmony and sunny lyrics, but Iha is too hesitant to stray from his safe roots/alt-country groove.
- Lauren Viera
The Lynns
“The Lynns” (Reprise) ***
Family harmony has been a rarity in country music since the Judds called it quits, but Patsy and Peggy Lynn, Loretta’s 33-year-old twin daughters, bring it back with spunk. Their debut has a Carlene Carter-like maverick spirit, moving from traditional country to heartland rock to Buddy Holly-ish rockabilly, their ironclad harmonies adding appealing soulfulness.
- Randy Lewis
Peter Case
“Full Service No Waiting” (Vanguard) ***-1/2
Peter Case has never caught a break. As the leader of L.A.’s Plimsouls during the early ‘80s, he mapped out modern power-pop’s genetic code. When he left that band to reinvent himself as a singer-songwriter, critics lavished praise on his sharply etched story-songs - particularly those on his 1986 self-titled debut - but few record buyers cared to follow their lead.
Case, however, has not slowed down. Ever since parting ways with Geffen in 1993, he’s been making quietly affecting records for the venerable folk label Vanguard. His latest may well be the strongest album of his 13-year solo career. His parched tenor nestled comfortably in spare, acoustic arrangements, Case spins a mesmerizing song cycle of regret and rueful longing.
Some of “Full Service’s” protagonists have either let love slip from their grasp or are desperately trying to hold on to it, whether it’s the divorcee in “On the Way Downtown” or the couple juggling career and kids in “Beautiful Grind.” Others, such as the homeless dreamer in “Green Blanket (Part 1)” or the small-time hood in the hypnotic “Spell of Wheels,” are just trying to maintain a shred of dignity in an unforgiving world. With an uncanny instinct for the revealing detail, Case manages to extract universal truths from ordinary lives.
- Marc Weingarten