5 thoughts on “VOLUME 22.2.1”

  1. Fastball – The Way
    Love this track. Ah, the longing, seemingly acted upon here, of eternal summer/youth and endless road, but also walking away from responsibilities. (Is there an element of the supernatural and/or some darkness – dying young/suicide? “never get hungry, never get old & gray”)
    Never really noticed before that it sounds a bit Los Lobos-ish. Every little lick and accent is perfectly placed. What a single!
    I have a few memories involving it:
    – I thought Cotton Mather’s “My Before and After”, which came out around the same time, was gonna be the hit of the two
    – I distinctly remember hearing it one of the first times while walking through a department store in a mall
    – I picked up the CD of the album for a $1 in a second-hand store (no raspberry berets) whose proceeds benefited animals of some sort

    The Smiths – Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
    Lighten up Morrisey. Seemingly slight track that packs quite an emotional punch. Jangly, lilting guitar belies the desperate longing.
    The essence of The Smiths in under 2 minutes. Did not know it was a B-side.

  2. “The Way”/Fastball. Wow, haven’t heard this one in a good long while. The hip-hop-inflected intro gives it away as a ’90s joint, which might have been the last time I heard it. Thematically apt in a sneaky rather than explicit way. Nicely insinuating melody delivers a cryptic narrative. So where WERE they going? (Ed mentioned Los Lobos, but the guitar solo in sound and style reminds me of Springsteen, as in “Cover Me.”)

    “Please, Please, Please …”/The Smiths. An obvious pick for this round (at least for our demographic), but the selection cannot be faulted. That Morrissey — so down he’s not even dreaming any more. Very simply structured, no real middle part or anything. What is that outro solo, a harpsichord or else keys sounding like one?

  3. FB – This was an excellent song, followed by at least one more, then I feel they fell flat. As far as I know they were a one hit wonder, shame because this track is so damn good.

    Smiths – Morissey, what more can I say. the downside (maybe an up) is when the tapes of Trump came out with Ukraine and everybody took his notes and made them into a song. The Morrisey theme seemd to really work well, so whenever I hear Morrisey now, it returns me to the spoof Trump song.

    Enjoy:

  4. The Way- I always found this track to be delightfully Beatle-esque. They play with melody, harmony, rhythm texture and production brilliantly. The pacing and timing of the vocal is so sweetly satisfying. Love the gutsy solo and then when everything stops before the last chorus. And I forgot to mention the cool contrast in fidelity at the beginning. Masterful.

  5. “The Way” by Fastball: I remember this song being played quite frequently on the radio. Listening to it now with fresh ears I think it is interesting how the intro to the song really plays in that dim’d out mono-ish tone for fairly long. When the full stereo kicks in, it feels really good; like a pillow has been lifted. Wondering if this is a non radio version because I do not remember that at all. Now I am picking up distant hints of the Wallflowers …good tune…I like.

    “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” by The Smiths: Excellent Track and I can never put my finger on why I like it so much. Just what I wanted.

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