Dating back to 1994’s Live…My Truck Is My Home and The 9 Volt Years: Battery Powered Home Demos from four years later, Marshall Crenshaw has created an alternate universe for himself with a discerning series of recordings from his personal archives (not to mention expanded editions of previously released studio efforts).
Like last year’s From the Hellhole, The Bootleg Sounds of Marshall Crenshaw 1984-1987, this is an amalgam of original songs and covers, interwoven with snippets of novelties. The overall effect of the often-informal fifteen-track sequence is much like that of the Beatles’ Get Back in its early stages, an array of content that illuminates not only the fundamental skills of all the contributors, but also the principal’s attributes as a songwriter…
Tag Archive: Marshall Crenshaw
It’s a testament to Marshall Crenshaw’s songwriting and performance that even his castaways make for a compelling record. Recorded across two decades starting in 1990, From the Hellhole is a 14-track collection of remixed and remastered songs culled from a series of EPs and several rare deep cuts, that were mostly recorded in Crenshaw’s home studio (dubbed The Hellhole).
Among the tracks here is a solid cover of The Carpenters’ “(They Long To Be) Close to You.” With close to a dozen cover versions of this sappy pop classic out in the world, it should be pointed out that his version – originally released on an EP in 2013 – is arguably among the best thanks to his earnest delivery. Other covers songs here include a previously unreleased take…