Customer Reviews

Miracle of Science

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, at first I was disappointed, a little. More for the atmospherics than the music. Before this album, MC was a major label artist, and now he wasn't. The recording quality was a little less than what he'd been giving us. But I pulled this out the stacks the other day and was struck by how incredibly fresh and creative it sounds. And how heart-felt. Of latter-day MC albums, I still think "Life's Too Good" is his best (and it's criminal you can't get it anywhere except used), but you could probably make a case for this one and unless you hired Alan Dershowitz, you could win a 5-4 decision at the Supreme Court.

I haven't heard any of the albums between Miracle of Science and Crenshaw's wonderful debut, now 20 years old. So I'm thinking the reason previous reviewers gave MoS 4 stars must be that all those albums were even better than this one. Why else wouldn't anyone give this one five stars? It is purely delightful. Pop music that makes me sing along, tap my toes, air guitar, and dream of love. Best of all, the melodies are reminiscent of the best of 60's pop. Nobody else does what this guy does, he is a true treasure.

Marshall has been playing and recording great power pop toons for over 15 years. This album demonstrates Marshall still has a knack for wrapping lyrics around your memory and Holly-influenced music throughout a song. Highly recommended for Crenshaw fans and for anyone who enjoys a contemporary power-pop album.

This is simply one of Marshall Crenshaw's finest albums. So many people like to compare his every new release with his wonderful debut, but this is the first that can stand up to the (unfair) comparison, and even come out ahead in some respects. Sure, it may not be every bit as consistant (what album is?) but his guitar playing is better than ever, his songwriting has deepened ("What Do You Dream Of?" for instance, and "There And Back Again") and he's pushing out in some new musical directions. The instrumental "Theme From 'Flaregun'"---equal parts surf, rockabilly, and Hollywood---will sink deep into your neurons if you let it. "Starless Summer Sky" seems like a return to the younger, romantic Crenshaw for the good reason that it's a redoing of an old song. (Comparison to the 1979 demo version is highly instructive.) Also the snap and hiss at the beginning of that song, as of a needle in a record groove, is a witty, nostalgic tip of the hat to the days of vinyl. "Who Stole That Train" shows that Crenshaw can still rock out when he wants to. The production fairly sparkles and shimmers (with a few unusual instruments to add occasional spice, such as horns in "The 'In' Crowd", strings in "A Wondrous Place") and the sequencing is well thought-out. This is an album that flows really well, and grows in the mind with each listening. Crenshaw produced this Miracle after laying off for about five years. Apparently the rest recharged his creative batteries. If he can come out with another album this good in say, 2004 or 2005, that would be fine with this fan.

This album was the seventh in Marshall Crenshaw's string of solid power-pop album. Released in 1996 after a 5 years break since his great "Life's Too Short" album, expectations were obviously high. Though probably not as consistent as its predecessor most fans will be satisfied with the album. The formula is more or less the same as on his earlier albums, a mixture of original rockers and ballads togethers with a couple cover-versions.

The opening-track "What Do You Dream Of?" is a very catchy tune and one of the highlights. Next songs that deserve to brought out are "Starless Summer Sky" - almost as catchy as the opener - and the quieter "Only an Hour Ago".

His cover of the old and almost forgotten Billy Fury single "A Wondrous Place" is charming and another highlight.

The album closes off with another great Crenshaw original, "There and Back Again" - likely to make you want to go back and listen to the album again.

A pleasant power-pop album with some nice guitar-playing and catchy songs to sing along with!

Although the package design is more cool than functional, the music within the disc is more functional than cool: Simple instrumentation takes center stage and out goes the lusher production values of his late 1980's/early 1990's records...

This is a good thing: fans of "Someday, Someway" and his new wave approach to early rock 'n' roll will find plenty of wonderfully catchy pop tunes here: Grant Hart's whistful "Twenty-Five Forty-One," the infectious heartland-rock "What Do You Dream Of," and the country-tinged "Who Stole That Train" will have you humming to yourself long after the cd is finished.

Crenshaw handles all of the production, and most of the instrumentation. This album seems to come straight from the heart - and not an attempt to gain a radio share.

marshall crenshaw has put out several deceptively simple power pop albums that have been unjustly ignored, forcing us fervent admirers to wait 5 years for "miracle of science". Worth the wait, the album shows him easily stepping into the melodic groove he's owned for nearly 15 years...highlights include "7 miles an hour" and the bittersweet "there and back again"

Someday I will meet Marshall Crenshaw, and he will sing one of his effervescent love songs to me. Alas, I hear he's married, but a girl can dream. This album is his best since Mary Jean and Nine Others (I actually got kinda bored with the last two), but not as good as his first three.

Physically speaking, Marshall Crenshaw's "Miracle of Science" is one of the coolest-designed albums in the CD era of pop music. Think of the CD equivalent of Split Enz's "True Colours" LP: a clever (if small) folding, face-changing cover and a disc with an intricate holographic pattern on the upside.
Musically, it's pretty cool, too. Marshall had a five-year layoff between 1991's "Life's Too Short" and this. True, the album didn't live up to the anticipation expectation caused by such a long gap between recordings. But the album has aged well.
What we got was a louder, more mature, harder-edged Crenshaw -- still with that aching, boyish voice, but definitely someone with more life under his belt, as best displayed on the catchy "What Do You Dream Of?" and "There and Back Again." Even "Starless Summer Sky," a remake of an extremely infectious, sweetly charming song he demoed in 1979, had louder dynamics and a harder feel, though it was still charming in its way. (Take it for what you will, but the song's original title was "Starlit Summer Sky.") Meanwhile, ever the music encyclopedia, he pulled into his fedora to give us an interesting odd couple of remakes: Dobie Gray's "The In Crowd" (it was OK) and Grant Hart's "Twenty-Five Forty-One" (a very interesting and well-done choice). And the man who wrote the book "Hollywood Rock" (and appeared in the films "Peggy Sue Got Married" and "La Bamba") came through with a clever and breezy mock-soundtrack instrumental, "Theme from 'Flaregun.'"
Look, Marshall can't escape the legacy of recording the album of a lifetime his first time out (back in '82), and it's unfair for fans to expect anything to come close. As mentioned, the disc has aged well. There are times a baseball fan will accept a standup double instead of a home run, and this is one of them.

There are a number of solid cuts on this CD. I happened to love his cover of the In Crowd. The opening is inspired as are many of the tracks.

A must for any Crenshaw collection