Customer Reviews

The Sound of Music

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

 

 

The years between 1984 and 1987 were not a lot of fun for The dB's; Chris Stamey left the group shortly before they began work on Like This, forcing them to reinvent themselves as a trio with Peter Holsapple as leader, and shortly after the album was released, their record company, Bearsville Records, went out of business, killing the record's commercial possibilities and leaving the group in legal limbo as they tried to sort out the details of their still-valid contract with a non-existent label. Consequently, 1987's The Sound Of Music was, in many ways, a "make or break" album for the band (and their first opportunity to release an album through a fully-functioning American label), and the band seemed determined to make the most of it. The Sound Of Music is easily the group's most polished and least eccentric album. Greg Edward's production is far slicker than anything The dB's had come in contact with in the past, and Peter Holsapple's songs shrewdly leaned to the most accessible side of his musical personality. In other words, if you loved the quirks and angles of Repercussion or Stands For Decibels, this is not the album you're looking for. But no one has ever denied that Peter Holsapple writes great pop tunes, and he came up with a dozen winners on The Sound Of Music; from the moody "I Lie" and the mournful "Never Before and Never Again," to the rollicking "Change With The Changing Times" and "Any Old Thing." These songs are smart and superbly crafted, and the band performs them with a winning enthusiasm. And the oddball racing anthem, "Bonneville," the catty breakup tune, "Molly Says," and the idiosyncratically anthemic closer, "Today Could Be The Day," made it clear that Holsapple hadn't entirely subsumed the group's personality in a bid for mainstream success. The Sound Of Music was the biggest reach The dB's ever made towards a larger audience, and if the masses didn't take the bait, one listen proves it was certainly their loss. - by Mark Deming, AMG

This disc remains a favorite of mine...The jangly guitars and geek-rock lyrics are unforgettable...Here are a few lines from the short, brilliant song titled Molly Says:

She could stand at the top of the world
and still complain that she could not see
She could stand in a deep, dark hole
and still look down on me...

Now I've never met Molly, but she stands out among pop-tune villains, or she should. This disc, and the band, deserve a much wider audience. The sound is clean, the lyrics are smart, savage, sweet -- everything you could want. So many great songs: Change With the Changing Times, You Think to Much, Bonneville and (of course) Molly Says. Some of the best tunes from the 1980s!

The db's Sound of Music is one of my favorite things (even better than Rogers and Hammerstein's); you need to hear it!

the other review was dead on.. this is some of the best work Peter ever did. He proved he didn't need Stamey to write witty, catchy, have you humming for days songs on this great piece of work. It starts out great and ends great. Change with the changing times should have been played on every radio station in the country, but of course all the good songs never are. I was privilaged to see the band on the tour of this record. My brothers band at the time opened up for them in Richmond, VA.. They were REALLY TIGHT and energetic. "Bonneville" is still on heavy rotation at my house.

Here is the track listing and credits for The Sound of Music:

1. Never Say When
2. Change with the Changing Times
3. I Lie
4. Molly Says
5. Bonneville
6. Any Old Thing
7. Think Too Hard
8. Working For Somebody Else
9. Never Before and Never Again
10. A Better Place
11. Looked at the Sun Too Long
12. Today Could Be the Day
13. Feel Alright*
14. Sharon*

* Bonus tracks on CD.

The dB's:
Peter Holsapple
Will Rigby
Gene Holder
Jeff Beninato

Guest Musicians:
Syd Straw: Vocal
Lisa Germano: Violin
Jane Scarpantoni: Cello
Van Dyke Parks: Piano, Synth
Jeremy Smith: French Horn
Benont Tench: Organ, Synth

RECORDED AT:
Quad Penthouse, NYC
ADDITIONAL RECORDING AT:
Rumbo Recorders, LA
Assisted by Andy Udoff

PRODUCED BY:
Greg Edward
ENGINEER:
Spike and Dave Wolk
MIXED BY:
Greg Edward and assisted by
Jeff Poe at Can-Am Recorders, LA
MASTERED BY:
Stephen Marcussen at
Precision Lacquer, LA

VISUALS:
Jim Wilson ETC:
Maje Waldo: Photography
Robert Petrick: Logos
Rick Stark: Type Direction
Gary Helm: Assistance

The years between 1984 and 1987 were not a lot of fun for The dB's; Chris Stamey left the group shortly before they began work on Like This, forcing them to reinvent themselves as a trio with Peter Holsapple as leader, and shortly after the album was released, their record company, Bearsville Records, went out of business, killing the record's commercial possibilities and leaving the group in legal limbo as they tried to sort out the details of their still-valid contract with a non-existent label. Consequently, 1987's The Sound Of Music was, in many ways, a "make or break" album for the band (and their first opportunity to release an album through a fully-functioning American label), and the band seemed determined to make the most of it. The Sound Of Music is easily the group's most polished and least eccentric album. Greg Edward's production is far slicker than anything The dB's had come in contact with in the past, and Peter Holsapple's songs shrewdly leaned to the most accessible side of his musical personality. In other words, if you loved the quirks and angles of Repercussion or Stands For Decibels, this is not the album you're looking for. But no one has ever denied that Peter Holsapple writes great pop tunes, and he came up with a dozen winners on The Sound Of Music; from the moody "I Lie" and the mournful "Never Before and Never Again," to the rollicking "Change With The Changing Times" and "Any Old Thing." These songs are smart and superbly crafted, and the band performs them with a winning enthusiasm. And the oddball racing anthem, "Bonneville," the catty breakup tune, "Molly Says," and the idiosyncratically anthemic closer, "Today Could Be The Day," made it clear that Holsapple hadn't entirely subsumed the group's personality in a bid for mainstream success. The Sound Of Music was the biggest reach The dB's ever made towards a larger audience, and if the masses didn't take the bait, one listen proves it was certainly their loss. - by Mark Deming, AMG

Here is the track listing and credits for The Sound of Music:

1. Never Say When
2. Change with the Changing Times
3. I Lie
4. Molly Says
5. Bonneville
6. Any Old Thing
7. Think Too Hard
8. Working For Somebody Else
9. Never Before and Never Again
10. A Better Place
11. Looked at the Sun Too Long
12. Today Could Be the Day
13. Feel Alright*
14. Sharon*

* Bonus tracks on CD.

The dB's:
Peter Holsapple
Will Rigby
Gene Holder
Jeff Beninato

Guest Musicians:
Syd Straw: Vocal
Lisa Germano: Violin
Jane Scarpantoni: Cello
Van Dyke Parks: Piano, Synth
Jeremy Smith: French Horn
Benont Tench: Organ, Synth

RECORDED AT:
Quad Penthouse, NYC
ADDITIONAL RECORDING AT:
Rumbo Recorders, LA
Assisted by Andy Udoff

PRODUCED BY:
Greg Edward
ENGINEER:
Spike and Dave Wolk
MIXED BY:
Greg Edward and assisted by
Jeff Poe at Can-Am Recorders, LA
MASTERED BY:
Stephen Marcussen at
Precision Lacquer, LA

VISUALS:
Jim Wilson ETC:
Maje Waldo: Photography
Robert Petrick: Logos
Rick Stark: Type Direction
Gary Helm: Assistance

$500 plus is way overpriced. Considering this is now scheduled for reissue as a remaster with bonus tracks is a relief for anyone wishing to get this at a REASONABLE price. I have 2 copies of the original CD, both bought used under $50 in past few years. Will look forward to this reissue with the extra tracks. Though I will still hold on to my originals.

I bought the LP's of "Sound of Music" & "Like This" in the '80's. Yeah, I had A CD player, but, albums were still less expensive. Remember the record companies promise that CD's would drop to the price of LP's? Mmmm... what happened to that? I'm gettin' a little off track, I guess... so, yeah, I thought those were really good albums & I also remember seeing Holsapple playing guitar for R.E.M. in Madison. Great show! So, ok, what is it that makes "Sound of Music" cost $18? Supply and demand? Stop that! I've got a stand alone burner that did a nice job of the analog to digital transfer. But, of course, the inevitable crackles & pops are now digitized in all their glory. Guess I'll just have to live with it until a reissue makes for a more reasonable price. If the price is not prohibitive for you, you really ought to get it!! Great pop hooks!! PEACE!!!