Customer Reviews

It's a Shame About Ray

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Lemonheads-It's a Shame About Ray (1992) My all-time favorite feel-good album, all songs are under four minutes long. The Boston-based band churns out the most catchy tunes I've ever heard. Singer/guitarist/lyricist Evan Dando's songs have an air of innocence and wonderment that always leaves me feeling happy to be alive. Juliana Hatfield was a member of the band at this time, and Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway starred in the video for album's title track. "Rockin' Stroll" is sung from the perspective of a baby in his stroller: "People's knees and trunks of trees smile at me." "My Drug Buddy" is about scoring some dope and just enjoying a female friend's company. Lyrics like, "Thrilled to be in the same post-code as you.../Smile at me, I'll hold you really tight/Follow you into bed," are practically irresistible. And "Rudderless" must be one of the most catchiest songs ever made. I pop this cd in when I'm feeling low, and it never fails to cheer me up.

A professor of mine once suggested that a good short paper was always better than a good long one. The same, I think, can be said of CDs (even though I consider the 76-minute "Blueberry Boat" to be one of the best releases of 2004). The original release of The Lemonheads' CD "It's A Shame About Ray" was under 30 minutes long, and was later padded by the cover of Mrs Robinson. When a short record is done right, it leaves no space for throwaways or wasted moments. Having said that, "It's A Shame About Ray" is, in short, done right.

Released 10 months after "Nevermind," "Ray" is kinder, gentler release of the grunge era ("bubblegrunge" was the term applied to it). Singer/songwriter Evan Dando does a fine job of mixing all of his influences into the record: jangle pop, country rock, power pop, and punk. He sings in an understated and unpretentious manner that succeeds all the same in bringing his clever lyrics into full relief. The jangley acoustic strumming and crisp arpeggios that come to the fore give the CD a very autumnal feel, one that makes the setting seem more like a wealthy, wooded bedroom community than suburbia.

The first half of the CD alternates among slow (My Drug Buddy), mid (Confetti), and up tempo (The Turnpike Down) numbers, and then climaxes to perfection with the drum-propelled tracks Bit Part and the magnificent Alison's Starting to Happen. Simply put, these songs are two of the best pieces of evidence to suggest that the three-minute pop song is one minute too long. (The latter contains what is probably the best lyric on the entire record: "She's the puzzle piece behind the couch that made the sky complete.") But it is hardly all downhill from there. The plaintive Hannah and Gabi, the playful Kitchen, the somewhat fiercer Ceiling Fan in My Spoon, and a grin-inducing version of Frank Mills are all terrific as well.

In the end, "Ray" is a pleasantly unassuming record, one that does little to explicitly draw in or put off the listener. It doesn't take any high-stake risks, but it doesn't aim at the lowest common denominator, either. Evan Dando presents his songs with the aplomb of a highly confident street performer: he is perfectly happy to have people stop and listen, but equally happy to keep playing as people pass by obliviously. His voice is warm and inviting, and his lyrics often express uncertainty ("if I make it through today"), sometimes despondency ("hope in my past"), but he does manage to muster a bit of optimism on Rockin' Stroll ("moving forward all the time", "I'm gonna try"). And it would be really unfair to not give Juliana Hatfield a mention, as her candy-coated voice is a lovely touch on songs like Rudderless.

"Infectious" is not quite the right word to describe "It's A Shame About Ray", but it is very listener-friendly and effectively sequenced. Hence, it is easy to listen to repeatedly without seeming predictable or repetitive. Good thing, too, as the listener is very likely to keep coming back for more of "Ray's" bite-size pleasures. It may not be an era-defining record like "Nevermind" or "Ten," but it does provide a nice snapshot into a different aspect of the early 90s scene, one which should be equally interesting to those of you who weren't there as it is to those of us who were.

The oversaturation of "alternative" bands that went mainstream in the early '90's produced very little worth mentioning today. The Lemonheads are an exception, and this, their second major-label effort (5th overall) is their shining moment.

It's too bad Evan Dando has never received his due as a songwriter, most of the band's well-known songs are covers. Originally, this album closed with "Frank Mills", from the musical "Hair". Atlantic later tacked on their rocking cover of "Mrs. Robinson", which became their biggest hit.

But the real gems on this disc are Dando's - "It's a Shame About Ray", "Confetti", "Allison's Starting to Happen", "My Drug Buddy"....all classics in the Lemonheads catalog. The music is catchy and the lyrics are clever -- great straightforward pop-rock.

You know how you have some albums in your collection that you're especially fond of? Not because they're necessarily the 'greatest" artistic achievements or the most influential groundbreakers but just because you never get tired of listening to them? This is one of those records for me. It's absolutely perfect in its low-key, effortless melodicism and I'll always love it.

Now this is a great album. Every song is a potential single. Everything is short enough for you too wish it would go on. Every tune is catchy, but after 8 years I'm not bored yet! And did Evan say things never said before? What about this, "She's the puzzle piece behind the couch that makes the sky complete"! Yeah, she is too. This is great and it will make you happy. What more can you want from a guitar band?

Sure, you could get the "Best Of The Lemonheads", but this is still better overall. It's track after track of great songs. Hard to classify other than alternative, it's pop, country, rock, and mostly folk-punk. Basically, anyone should come to love this given the chance. The hit cover "Mrs. Robinson" is here, but nowhere near as good as "Rudderless", "Drug Buddy", or "Hannah & Gabi", which has great slide-guitar. Also, besides "Evan Dandos" cool slacker vocals, back-up singing is done by "Juliana Hatfield", who's had many great albums of her own as well. This one is one of the best of 1992, if not the whole decade.

The big problem with cds is that they're too darn long. Seriously, if you look at the albums on most all-time best of lists, they're about 45 minutes long. Since cds came out most discs are intent on running to the maximum 74 or 80 minutes. To put it in context, that's longer than Exile on Main Street, London Calling and Zen Arcade. The point is, every time you buy a cd you can bet on at least a half hour of filler. That's annoying.

No such problems with "It's a Shame About Ray." Its only 27 minutes long, 32 if you get a later version with their silly but catchy cover of "Mrs. Robinson" attached. What it lacks in running time, it more than makes up for in quality. Its a dozen slightly countrified punk pop gems, which occupy a paradise somewhere between Green Day and Gram Parsons. That is to say every song is immediately catchy yet instantly familiar on first listen. Its the kind of record where,if it stays in your rotation for awhile (and it most certainly will), it will yield a new favorite track every few days. 10 years after its release, it still delivers the goods every time.

High points include the title track, Hannah and Gabi, My Drug Buddy and Confetti, but there's really not a weak number in the bunch. Most tracks are mid to slightly uptempo and dominated by acoustic guitar and Evan Dando's wonderfully warm singing. If the songs have any weakness its that they can be lyrically slight but they're so bouncy, charming and relentlessly catchy that hardly distracts at all. This one deserves a spot in any collection and stands as one of the most memorable albums of the 90's.

I bought this cd in the mid-90s and was immediatly impressed at the overall listenability of it. Yes, there is some filler, but its filler that does not do much to interrupt the flow and even can be passable individually.
The album starts out with a hard-rock guitar scale that immediatly morphs into a country-rock groove seamlessly.Then, it goes into "Confetti", a more guitar-pop oriented number with the albums only true "traditional" guitar solo.The title track, "Rudderless", and "The Turnpike Down" are almost eerie,somber country-pop numbers. "Hannah and Gabi" is the most country-esque song on the album, with a generous amount of steel guitar. "Bit Part" uses the country-pop formula but is more upbeat sounding."Kitchen" and "Ceiling Fan In My spoon" are the outright rockers, "Frank Mills" the folkie tune, and "Mrs Robinson" the Contemporary rock hit.Few songs are merely average."Alisons Starting To Happen" seems like filler that was intended to give a very country-leaning album an extra rock bite,but leaves little impact on the overall album."Frank Mills" seems almost awkward and nearly out of place."Buddy" is the most beautiful, haunting song but I strongly disapprove of the overt drug-glorification that is the theme of the song.
Ive listened to this cd more than any others, and still discover new things.There are guitar tracks (usually acoustic) buried in the mix that can be hard to spot the first few listens.The drums are very subtle and in most cases not easily heard.The vocals are mellow most of the time and Juliana Hatfields carefully placed voice parts sound so angelic and cute I ended up buying one of her albums just to hear them in a more up-front setting.Nothing was overdone here.Just the right touches when needed, and no songs that run longer than they should.As previously mentioned, the filler isnt even half bad. All are within the proper context of the album.As I also previously stated, there is only 1 guitar solo in the purest sense-no overplaying or needlessly cluttering of perfectly good tunes anywhere.It took me over a decade to realize how masterfully crafted the album as a whole is and no album has ever given me as many years of repeated listening satisfation as this.
It is far from perfect overall.Really, its about a 4 star album. But I give it 5 stars because that is the highest grade possible and it is highly unlikely I will encounter another album as consistantly satisfying beginning to end and as well executed as this. I have been comparing all other albums to this. If I enjoy a disc 75% as much as this one and for 1/2 the time over the years, its a definite keeper.When even the filler can be passable as an individually-released single, Its hard NOT to give the album top marks.

I LOVE the title song, "It's a Shame About Ray." It's bouncy & melancholy at the same time. I've always liked Juliana Hatfield anyway. "Confetti" is a pretty good song, as is the remake of "Mrs. Robinson." All in all, a good album from the '90's.

As part of the all conquering axis of bands from Mass. the Lemonheads gave us all perfect melodic rock. Although I initially prefered Buffalo Tom - the "Luka" cover helped Evan overtake the competition.

The middle to later cds gave us the indie king and queen of our hearts - with Evan & Ms Hatfield the perfect couple.

Let me admit that I still bug my net friends with quotes from classic lines from "Ray" & "Bit Part".

As I stare at my copy with Evan's scrawl on the cover let me depart with one slight caveat - Lemonheads' covers usually rocked but "Mrs Robinson" is superfluous.