Customer Reviews

Time for a Witness

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love the Feelies. Four albums (and an EP and some singles) just don't seem like enough. This was their last album (as far as I know) and it contains the same simply produced magic as their earlier efforts, but this time with a little harder edge. This is cool garage music for smart people. Found throughout Time For A Witness are simple yet wonderful guitar-based rythms with haunting, whining, wonderful leads, over smooth drums, percussion and bass that is always, for me, with every single listen, achingly emotional. Glen Mercer's vocals are reminiscent of early Lou Reed -- even in the lyrics, a lot of things are 'alright' -- but that's not to say that the Feelies are K-Mart Velvets; this band has its own unique quirkiness. Here is rock and roll at its deceptively simple best. I love this album. I love this band.

That is what The Feelies mean to me. Their music is straight forward, uncomplicated and yet completely enjoyable given its simple construct. I have seen The Feelies live and partied with them afterwards at a friend's house. They are as unpretentious in person as their music. They write songs and perform them from their soul and I am constantly amazed they never achieved greater acclaim.

Buy this CD and I guarantee you will go back to the record store looking for their earlier releases. The Feelies are one of those bands who will make you think to yourself "why haven't I heard of these guys before?". A treasure and a pleasure you will not be disappointed.

This was the first album by the long-defunct, long-out-of-print Feelies I ever heard, and at first I didn't see what all the fuss was about. Quite frankly there isn't really anything "amazing" about this album. Unlike other influential indie groups like My Bloody Valentine or Galaxie 500 - who drenched themselves in the glory of the Velvet Underground, invoked swooning, hungry guitar leads/solos and created something fresh-sounding as a result - the Feelies seem content to play fairly straight-on indie rock, with little pretension or poetry. One wouldn't think this to be much of a strength, but the band manages to create solid rhythms and riffs, with compelling guitar noodling over the top. In a word, the Feelies are irresistable. If college rock was your bag in the 80s and early 90s, check out one of the progenitors of the genre.

All of the Feelies albums are superb, even given the stylistic evolution between them. The greatest leap, of course, is between the frenetic, jumpy Crazy Rhythms and The Good Life, from which point a decidedly mellower groove took over.
The Good Life picked up a decidedly REM-ish vibe (Peter Buck was co-producer). I find it their weakest album, in no small part because the vocals are so low in the mix as to be nearly inaudible.
Only Life brought the vocals/lyrics to the top--often emphasizing that Lou Reed/VU phrasing--but the musicianship continued upward too. Glorious twin guitar interplay (If this has appeal, check out Television, especially Marquee Moon and "East/West" by the Butterfield Blues Band.) with touches of that Crazy Rhythms drumming.
The sound reached an incredible peak on Time for a Witness, their masterpiece and swan song. A jamming, droning sound and eastern modalities enter the mix: sit back, relax and listen to the stunning, trance-inducing, 7-minute "Find a Way" and you will be hooked by the Feelies.

The Feelies don't hit an inauthentic note. The musicality of this album is incredible and original. Lots of people speak of the straight-forward or simple nature of the music on this album, but I think, in its nuances, the music is more complicated then it might seem on a first listening. The guitar riffs are soulful and unique, the music filled with restrained, forward leaning energy. What might be best about this album -- and I haven't heard this mentioned a lot -- are the lyrics. Despite coming-of-age during the birth of glib irony, the Feelies have written songs that are achingly positive, souful, hopeful, and sincere in the best sense of the word. These songs stretch for -- and find -- a kind of earth-bound redemption. You'll feel better after listening to this one.This album is one for the ages, and deserves much greater notiriety.

Time For A Witness is an all-time favorite. This album offers a bit more stylistic diversity than what appeared on The Good Earth and Only Life (both of which are also 5-star albums).

The recording quality on Time For A Witness is excellent -- the performances are picture perfect, and the band obviously paid careful attention to the mixing and production of drum, bass, percussion and guitar sounds. There's a lot going on, but at the same time the mix remains typically minimal and tasteful.

This 1991 album is one of the last great vinyl releases -- if you can find the LP, spend the money and treat yourself. The richness, warmth and texture captured here really benefit from playback on a quality vinyl system. I just replaced my old CD with a sealed vinyl copy that I found on Amazon ... what a difference.

Ok, I'm yet another big fan of the Feelies. If you are a fan too, you need to know that Glenn Mercer, the primary Feelies singer/songwrither/guitarist and Dave Weckerman [drums/vocals] started another band called Wake Ooloo after the Feelies broke up. If you like Time for a Witness, you'll like Wake Ooloo for sure. Many of the songs sound exactly like the Feelies. Start with Hear No Evil. I have a review there if you are interested. The subsequent Wake Ooloo albums are in the same vein as the first, but generally harder rock and not as much acoustic guitar.
If you prefer the Only Life-era Feelies, you owe it to yourself to check Glenn Mercer's solo album Wheels In Motion, where I have a short review.