Customer Reviews

Scarecrow

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John Mellencamp's "Scarecrow" is a singular masterpiece. It reveals an artist expanding his ambitions, and creating a work that will live for ages. He is searching for American soul. Not as in "soul music"; as in "the soul."

As other great rock musicians have done, he demonstrates the universality of very specific instances. When he sings about his small town, it's about everybody's small town...even NYC.

He showed us the ability to craft little stories in the confines of a pop song with "Jack & Diane". Here he develops it into a science...his own branch even. Every song is filled with character, images...some even have a plot, surrounded by irresistible melodies and a terrific rock band.

The album opens with the harrowing drums and brittle guitars of "Rain On The Scarecrow", and right away, you get the feeling Mellencamp is out to make a statement. Not only in a socio-political manner, but in an independent, artistic one. He's saying, "Look at me now."

His declaratory tone during that song, hushed comments followed by snarled anger, is the sound of a farmer sitting on his porch, telling you why life ain't that great right now.

And it still feels "right now", as there's an immediacy to this work that you can still feel 20 years later. This album has not aged a bit; I don't think it ever will.

After a guest appearance by his "grandmom", we hear the familiar chords of "Small Town" with John once again visiting territory he explored with "Pink Houses". People in L.A. identify with "Small Town"...which makes no earthly sense at all, but at the same time "feels" completely right.

"Minutes to Memories" is another example of a maturing Mellencamp, more confident in his songwriting skills, and also in his production.The relatively quiet verses versus the proclamatory choruses, both rising as the song progresses, mixing in a varied palette of instruments he'd never used before...it all contributes to an amazing listening experience.

And it is amazing. The remastering job will bring tears to your eyes. I heard things I've never heard before, and I've heard this album about a million times. I had the vinyl, I had the CD, I had the Mobile Fidelity CD...this one blows them all away. Drum patterns that sounded the same before, I now realize were played on different drums, altering the sound dramatically. Guitars have "edges" on them. The bass is bottomless. Overall, it's nearly three-dimensional...the guitars, bass and other instruments each have their "place."

"Lonely Ol' Night" is a classic rock single...with those revved-up intros...the rat-ta-tat-tat drumming...the boozy back-up vocals...

"Face of A Nation" flirts with being ham-fisted and heavy-handed, but it holds interest as you hear Mellencamp experimenting with one of his different "voices". On subsequent albums, it will become more obvious, but here he alters his tone and inflection, becoming the voice that the song demands.

"Justice & Independence '85" is a thrilling tour-de-force of all that is good is rock. Get over the little parable about the kids named "Justice" and "Independence", and what you have is shout-out, butt-shaking rock...complete with "sha-la-la's", erupting bursts of horns, manic drums (this is an album for drum lovers...) and furious, dive-bombing guitars.

"Between A Laugh and A Tear" will allow you to catch your breath, as it's a soothing duet with Rickie Lee Jones...almost pretty, which is an adjective rarely used when describing Mellencamp material.

"Rumbleseat" shows John to be a master at this type of fun-loving, story-song, mid-tempo rocker...he'd soon perfect this with "Cherry Bomb" although I like this one a bit more. It reminds me of John Fogerty...this year's summer tour should prove my instincts right about that.

If there's one clunker on the album, it's "You've Got To Stand For Somethin'. While I "get" the sentiment, I didn't enjoy it's presentation. The music is uninspired, especially when you've been exposed to the previous eight or nine songs. The melody is not memorable. The lyrics are kinda cool though, so make sure you at least read 'em.

I read that Mellencamp and his band learned several dozen classic rock songs from the 50's and 60's to prepare for the recording of this album. Listening to "R.O.C.K. In the U.S.A.", that has to be the case. This slice of American rock sounded like an instant classic the first time I heard it. It HAD to be a remake. The fact that is sounds "derivative" (in the evolutionary sense, not the derogatory one...) is completely intentional. Why fix what ain't broke? The song hums like a finely-tuned V8 accelerating down a long, flat road. There's a chorus that screams "sing along with me", there's an old-fashioned, raucous instrumental break with guitars and harmonicas bouncing and wailing all over the place punctuated by a short tasty organ solo that covers all of three notes. It's a delirious and intoxicating song.

"Kind of Fella I Am" is a small song, one of John's pseudo-autobiographical tunes tagged on at the end...the album FEELS over after "R.O.C.K." but this one still rocks nevertheless.

The extra acoustic "Small Town" is an interesting counterpoint to the full-band version, and will be most enjoyed by those who are overly familiar with the original version and want to hear something new.

Listening to this remastered version, I found myself, more than once, blurting out an obscenity or uttering a simple quiet "wow", completely taken aback by how great this album still is...if you loved this album before, you will love it even more.

And before you say that's not possible, let me tell you it IS. This is THAT good.

I bought this on vinyl in 1985 when it first came out and absolutely loved it. When I got my Cd player in 1986 I made a rule that I would buy no more than 2 CD's per week trying to switch my vinyl over to CD. the first CD I bought was Scarecrow. To this day it remains one of my favorites and a definite "Desert Island disc". Every song is either good or great. No filler here except maybe the bonus cut "Kind of Feller I am" which was not on the vinyl disc. From "Rain on the Scarecrow" to "Small Town" to "Minutes to Memories" to "Rumbleseat" this is a "must have" disc for any pop rock fan.

Scarecrow is the most politically charged album of John Cougar Mellencamp's career. "Rain On The Scarecrow" is about the plight small farmers face. His compassion for the farmers led him to start Farm Aid with Willie Nelson & Neil Young. "Justice & Independence '85", "Face Of A Nation" & "You Got To Stand For Something" all take a social commentary slant. The album is also ripe with down home tales from Mr. Mellencamp's life. "Small Town" was a huge hit and tells of the little Indiana hometown, "Minutes To Memories" is about an old man he meets on a bus and "Rumbleseat" is about being young and in love. "Lonely 'Ol Night" sounds like it could have been released in 1967. "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." is a tribute to the sounds and groups he grew up with and is a great song. Scarecrow spent half a year in the top ten, spawned three top ten hits and made Mr. Mellencamp the Midwest answer to Bruce Springsteen. The bonus track is an acoustic version of "Small Town" which was the b-side to the album version. It is not quite as effective as the acoustic version of "Pink Houses", but still worth repeated listens.

This album is a classic - Mellencamp was ahead of his time when he released this superb album

To say this is a masterpiece is a vast understatement. This is truly one of the best collections ever recorded in the mid 1980s. Mellencamp ROCKS!

Mellencamp is one of those rare, naturally gifted artists who works straight from the soul. His music is transported to those fortunate enough to hear it. His lyrics are raw, cutting edge, sharp and brilliant. He makes his listeners FEEL his raw emotions, experience the world as he knew it through his songs.

His musical vignettes, such as "Jack & Diane" will remain timeless classics; his stellar hit "Small Town" is a unifier that could be about any town under the sun.

The title song "Rain on the Scarecrow" is a musical account of farm living. In fact, it was Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, Neil Young and others who banded together for Farm Aid to help independent farmers. Mellencamp's cause has grown deep roots into the farmlands of each person's experience. So has his excellent music.

"Minutes to Memories" does indeed show a maturing Mellencamp; a man who is at home with and at peace with himself and his life. His music is the voice of life experience; it is also the voice of shared life experience. In short, Mellencamp's work is a form of cultural sharing.

Listeners will undoubtedly love this collection; no doubt you will be R-O-C-K-I-N' your heart out as you sing and dance along to this collection. Mellecamp's multitude of musical vocal styles will certainly keep you avidly listening and hoping for more.

Mellencamp R-O-C-K-S!

Scarecrow has now joined the small group of select albums that I have owned on vinyl, cassette, and also CD. For me only the old, long-standing favorites are worth buying three times. Thanks to the modern gift of digitally remastered recording, today's version of Scarecrow sounds better than ever before.

Scarecrow is comprised of songs from middle America about middle America. John Mellencamp proudly sings of his small town roots in the song that is probably THE quintessential single from his storied career. Of course this disc carries another other big hit, "Lonely Ol' Night." Everybody knows those tunes, and they certainly represent the essence of Scarecrow, but the heart and soul of this album are found elsewhere, on the lesser known tracks. The poignant "Between a Laugh and a Tear," the spirited "Rumbleseat," the reflective "Minutes to Memories," and the stirring "Rain on the Scarecrow" are examples of how potent these songs are in their own right. Collectively, these songs convey powerful messages about home, family, country, society, and life in general. I love every track on this disc, even the homey reprieve, "Grandma's Theme," which is guaranteed to conjure up memories of your own grandmother (or maybe great grandmother) in her rocking chair.

I must cite one track on Scarecrow that happens to be among my very favorite songs of all time: "Justice and Independence '85" is a driving rocker with clever lyrics and distinctively pounding drums. I have rarely heard percussion with such passion. The drums back Mellencamp's intense vocals to elevate this song into the stratosphere.

After Scarecrow, I don't believe that Mellencamp was as commercially successful with his subsequent releases, but he definitely continued to write some great music. Scarecrow was the crowning point of Mellencamp's career; it was a wildly popular album back in the mid 80's, and the music and themes you'll find here are as relevant today as they were over twenty years ago.

This is, by far, my favorite John Mellencamp album. I bought it a little over a year ago because it had R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. on it. I fell in love with it on my first listen. There is not a song on it that I don't like. "Rain on the Scarecrow", "Lonely Ol' Night", "The Kind of Fella I Am", "Rumbleseat", and "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." are great rockers; "Grandma's Theme" is a great intro to "Small Town", which I very much relate to; "The Face of the Nation" is catchy; I wish I knew what "Justice and Independence '85" is trying to say, but it's a good song nonetheless; "Between a Laugh and a Tear" is great for those times I'm feeling down; the other two songs ("Minutes to Memories" and "You've Got to Stand for Somethin'") are supplements to a great album.

I'm very glad I bought this album, and it makes a great CD for the car.

Scarecrow is John Mellencamp's best and arguably the pinnacle of the entire heartland rock genre, with its blend of heartbreak, wisdom, and ultimate triumph. Tracks like "Between a Laugh and a Tear" and "Rumbleseat" capture a bittersweetness lacking in Mellencamp's previous efforts, while "Minutes to Memories" and "The Face of the Nation" exhibit a new-found wisdom. "Small Town," the perfect tribute to his Indiana upbringing, is perhaps Mellencamp's most quintessential single. Where that song romanticizes rural American life, "Rain on the Scarecrow" offers powerful insight to its other side. John Mellencamp has something to say on every cut; even a song like "You've Got to Stand for Somethin'" avoids sounding preachy, if only for its immaculate sound design. That sound owes itself to his requirement that the band listen to a variety of genres, especially old soul music, before making this record. Scarecrow blends the powerful lyrics of future releases like The Lonesome Jubilee with the same rebellious rock of Uh-Huh and American Fool (especially on "The Kinda Fella I Am"). As a result, it showcases John Mellencamp at his creative and commercial peak; if you only have one of his albums, make it Scarecrow. 5 Stars.

Looking back on my high school years, Scarecrow was one of the most popular and prevalent albums to be released in the 80's, along with Springsteen's "Born In The USA" and, unfortunately, Michael Jackson's "Thriller." (not my thing)

Do you realize all 12 tracks on this album were singles? I'm not sure how many hit #1 or were top 10 exactly, but how often can you say that about any album in rock history?

Scarecrow hit a chord with middle America, celebrated our innocence, and reminded us of a time when almost all of us had a relative who owned or once owned a farm or lived in the country.

During the "good times" of the 80's when the economy was strong, jobs were abundant, the internet didn't exist, and cable TV was still new, music was more of a focal point of entertainment and interest amongst youth. Songs had meaning and rock wasn't a pretentious glood and doom image circus, and pop music still had great musicians and song writers.

Scarecrow of course highlighted the plight of the small town family farmer, and the small town in general, which was just starting to truly fade away, as we transitioned into a global service oriented economy, increasingly more dependent on foreign interests and were victims of corporate mergers, that took away our insulated communities when good education was still free, drugs weren't nearly as abundant or harrowing, and being outside was the goal of our free time.

For those of us in our late 30's and early 40's, take some time to revisit a great pop album classic that takes you back to a more innocent time of our lives. "Between A Laugh And A Tear," "Rumbleseat," and "Face Of A Nation," are songs you don't hear much anymore, but are as good today as they were then.

Pay no attention to modern critics who call Cougar's talent "mediocre." It didn't matter, he wrote great songs, related to a wide audience, and sang about America without the oppressive Patriotic ferver of our modern times, questioning our direction and celebrating our good fortunte at the same time.

Scarecrow is Mellencamp's overall best album song-wise. If you're hooked on Bruce Springsteen, you should definetly give John's work a try. Scarecrow has a very loose concept that the mainstream listeners never really picked up on. It tells the consequences of a nation "crumblin' down", (rain on the scarecrow) along with some hints at a loss of direction on life, and loneliness and isolation (Lonely ol night, between a laugh and a tear). The album isn't too politically depressing though. Small Town and Rock in the U.S.A. are just are great feel good songs. And while there might be some filler tracks on Scarecrow, the first side of the album makes up for it. Small Town (the biggest hit), rain on the scarecrow, lonely ol night, and rock in the U.S.A. are all classics of the blue collar rock genre. If you're hooked on 80's rock, Scarecrow is an essential album to own. I find it gets better on every listen.

Recommended.