With 1985's Scarecrow John Mellencamp's transition into what would later be known as Americana was complete. When this was sparkly and new it was a little harder to peg. It was definitely rock, with echoes of times gone by and it was at odds with what was currently in fashion. That didn't stop this from being embraced by those who liked rock.
For me it was an odd experience. I'd never really been a huge fan, but I had to give the guy props, because when he was good he was untouchable. His previous album had "Pink Houses" which alone was enough to earn my respect. However, with Scarecrow I got my back up, almost immediately after the first time I heard the song "Small Town." In fact I got a bee so far up my ass it coloured everything, and I mean EVERYTHING he was to release after, and even altered my perception of the stuff already out there.
I started to think of him as a second tier Bruce Springsteen, and that he was a preening little peacock who suffered from a serious Napoleon complex (I don't know how tall he is, but I am quite certain he's shorter than I am). I wasn't being an asshole about it ... at all (that's sarcasm, I was totally being an asshole). I was entitled to my opinion, even if it was wrong.
I've tried to rationally look at what got my knickers in such a knot and honestly no one else seems to have ever mentioned it, and I've tried to Google it too and all I get back is ... nothing. Apparently no one else hears "Let My Love Open the Door" by Pete Townshend when they hear "Small Town" which still boggles me, but honestly other than a similarity in the opening chord progression the songs are nothing alike. Still, for almost four decades I've been mentally shitting on the song, and all things Mellencamp.
Why for heaven's sake buy the record?
Why not?
I think partly because I knew I was somehow in the wrong, and this was a chance to peel back a layer of silliness and examine things under the cold light of day ... and a cup of coffee, and perhaps another cup of coffee.
The album opens with "Rain on the Scarecrow" a song that truly announced this new John Mellencamp. The sound was raw, and there was an urgency to the music and John had something to say. He was coming into his own as a lyricist. The intro to the guitar solo still slays me. Good lord the band was on fire. Driven by Kenny Arnoff's driving beat (his drums on the album still sound awesome), and the twin attack of guitarists Larry Crane and Mike Wanchic was on point as they played off each other. This was phenomenal, and engineers Greg Edward and Don Gehman captured the band as it was. On fire.
As the first side played out, I found myself really getting into the album. Heck, while I still can't unhear Pete Townshend at the start of "Small Town" I can appreciate it now a lot more than I ever did before. While there were a couple of songs I didn't get into as much, "Minutes to Memories" and "Face of the Nation" there was the glory of "Lonely Ol' Night" that just elevated everything around it.
The second side wasn't as familiar to me, aside from "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." but it also gave me a chance to sit with the lyric sheet and read along while I listened to what was going on. I found "Between a Laugh and a Tear" to be a really great song, and Rickie Lee Jones counter vocals were so good.
I'd actually forgotten about "Rumbleseat," a song that initially felt a little like a throwaway but was a bit of a surprise as I found it growing on me. It may just be that after listening to the album over and over as I worked on cleaning out my basement studio I was softening on ol' John.
Of course, not everything is gold ... I still can't quite get into "You've Got to Stand for Something" a song that's so earnest it practically demands to be respected. My favourite line on the whole record is here: "I know a lot of things, but I don't know a lot of other things." It's so goofy it almost redeems the song ... it's fine in the context of the album but it bears more than a passing resemblance to "Crumblin' Down" from his previous album.
John then pulls out the few remaining stops and lets the band off the hook for the album's closer "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." a song that even with what sounds like a recorder solo (see, that's why we learned to play it in elementary school) is a killer track - I'll say it again, the band was on fire.
Besides, the album is really good and still sounds so fresh. The band was off the hook (I said fire three times already) here and there was a cohesiveness to the whole album that just made everything fit together. While not every song is a hit, nor a sparkling gem to be discovered, everything on the record was here for a reason, and even the last minute decision to include "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." was the right call.
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