Gone Digital: The Dead Milkmen, Robin Trower, Geoffrey Williams, Grace Pool, and Crispin Glover
If it’s Tuesday, then it must be time for Gone Digital, our weekly look at five recent additions to Rhino’s digital catalog. As ever, the types of music we’ll be covering will be all over the place, but that’s Rhino for you: we’re all about variety!
• The Dead Milkmen, EAT YOUR PAISLEY (1986): In spotlighting this album, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that the Milkmen’s entire Enigma output is part of Rhino’s digital catalog, but we opted to spotlight this album in particular because it contains the first song your humble author ever heard by the band, “The Thing That Only Eats Hippies.” That said, once you’ve heard this tune, you’ll probably want to go hit up the other albums and revisit such classics as “Bitchin’ Camaro,” “Instant Club Hit (You’ll Dance to Anything),” and “Punk Rock Girl.”
• Robin Trower, TAKE WHAT YOU NEED (1988): The first of Trower’s two albums for Atlantic, this was also his last studio album to chart in the States, climbing to #133 and then beginning its descent. Despite its chart performance, the album is still one that Trower fans enjoyed, thanks to tracks like “Tear It Up,” “Take What You Need (From Me),” and “Over You.”
• Grace Pool, GRACE POOL (1988): This NYC band released two albums during the course of their existence, both of which are part of Rhino’s digital catalog, but this is the first. It’s a wonderful piece of work, one that stands out in particular for including that rarest of beasts, a Blue Nile cover (“Stay”). Trouser Press described the album as “a record with catchy songs, fine harmonies, and intricately subtle arrangements,’ while the Washington Post referred to the “sensual, not sorrowful” minor-key melodies. Give it a spin. It could be just the calming tonic you need right about now.
• Crispin Glover, THE BIG PROBLEM? THE SOLUTION. THE SOLUTION = LET IT BE. (1989): Yes, it’s the actor who played George McFly in Back to the Future, and if you’ve never had the experience of seeing the video for his song “Clowny Clown Clown,” we’ll say either “you’re welcome” or “I’m so sorry” and let you decide for yourself if you want to press “play” below. This album is...quite something. That’s the only review we’re comfortable offering. If you decide to listen to it, you’ll understand why. God speed, and...courage.
• Geoffrey Williams, BARE (1992): This UK R&B singer started making waves at home in the late ‘80s, but it was arguably his appearance on the Beverly Hills 90210 soundtrack with his tune “Let Me Be Your Baby” that helped start to break him in the States. That said, his only American chart hit wasn’t that tune but, rather, “It’s Not a Love Thing,” which hit #70 on the Billboard Hot 100 but – we’ll just say it – should’ve been much bigger.
