Customer Reviews

Tuesday Night Music Club

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

After learning that Sheryl Crow sang back-up on Michael Jackson's "Bad" tour, joined a choir of singers for a Nancy Wilson record, performed a duet with Kenny Loggins on his "Leap of Faith" album, you might come to her debut with a certain set of expectations. And those expectations might have been met if her label had released the ultra-slick debut album she originally recorded with producer Hugh Pagdham. (To give you an idea of that record's slickness and ill-fit to Sheryl's personality, songs from it were later recorded by Celine Dion, Tina Turner, and Wynonna Judd.) But Sheryl scrapped the pop sheen and instead opted for this rough-around-the-edges, downhome collection of country-tinged rock, and we're all the luckier for it.

"Leaving Las Vegas" and "All I Wanna Do" are songs so strong and catchy that they will no doubt live a long and healthy life on various FM stations everywhere; "Strong Enough" is a gorgeously simple ballad that brings to mind early Stevie Nicks, "Can't Cry Anymore" is Southern rock on a par with the Eagles, and "Solidify" rocks with a dark funkiness that must be heard to be believed.

Elsewhere it's her sheer lack of inhibition that's impressive: music lore has it that Michael Jackson's manager, Frank Dileo, came on to Sheryl pretty hard during the tour...and thus "What I Can Do for You" is born, a song sung from the standpoint of a sexual harrasser ("there's no one else on God's green earth can do/what I can do for you"). Then on "The Na-Na Song" she flat out calls him on it, name-dropping him then singing, "maybe if I let him, I'd-a had a hit song." Clearly, any woman who can scrap a completed album and call her sexual harrasser by name is a force to be reckoned with, and the writing and musical chops on this record confirm that fact.

Tuesday Night Music Club is a solid debut effort by Sheryl Crow. Ms. Crow's greatest asset is her strong and expressive voice. She uses it to effectively convey the emotions from her songs. Her songwriting is solid, but sometimes she goes a bit over the top in trying to be deep or relevant. The album opens up with a bluesy "Run Baby Run" and then moves into the best song on the album "Leaving Las Vegas". The song has a chunky beat and the first person lyrics give the song a real personal sense. "Strong Enough" is another great song with Ms. Crow laying down a challenge to a man. "Can't Cry Anymore" has a good riff and "The Na-Na Song" is done in a Dylanesque style. "All I Wanna Do" was the song that made her a star. It has an instantly recognizable guitar riff and a day in the life lyrics that you can't get out of your head. The song went on to win the 1994 Grammy for Record of the Year and established the former Michael Jackson backup singer as a force on the music scene.

The best thing about this re-issue in my opinion is the liner notes...
the bonus songs on CD2 only prove that they didn't belong in the front line of her work as most are languid and without direction. The DVD is a HUGE disappointment to me as most all the videos were previously available on her greatest hits DVD..and aside from a couple of minor videos for songs that weren't hits I was looking forward to "VALUABLE STUFF a documentary featuring on-the-road, backstage soundcheck and live footage recorded during the tuesday night music club tour 1993-1995"...which almost takes longer to read than watch! Most of these re-issues (see Depeche Mode as a prime example or Genesis) feature the artists discussing the making of the record and I figured we'd be getting that along with the extra footage described when ALL we get is a few minutes of b roll footage strung together for 12 minutes...to call THAT a documentary is an insult to documentaries. I think this is horribly overpriced at $30 for 15 minutes of extra video and 10 left over songs. In today's economy getting people to shell out $30 for something they already own ...should be done with more value in mind.

Some records catch magic like lightning in a bottle. There is a mood, a vibe to the album that goes beyond simply musicians gathering in a studio to record a bunch of songs. The Cowboy Junkies Trinity Sessions is one such album. Tuesday Night Music Club is another. And 12 years after its release, Crow is a big star and this remains her best, quintessential record. If you see her live, these are still the songs that pull the most applause.

What makes this record so special? A clue lies buried in the title. Every Tuesday for about a year, Crow and a group of LA musicians-- notably including the late Kevin Gilbert, who was instrumental here, as well as David Baerwald-- would gather and play music and record. At some point this activity got directed into the making of Crow's debut. Indeed the process of making TNMC was more of a group effort than a solo one; Crow has the strongest supporting cast here she has ever had, before or since.

You will see below one reviewer state that this record is not representative of Crow's later work, and that is probably true; you will see another reviewer give much of the credit to Gilbert, and that too is probably fair (although make no mistake, this is a Sheryl Crow record).

But the bottom line is that a confluence of factors-- Crow's undeniable talents and taste, the mix of the players, the loose communal vibe, Gilbert's influence and pop songcraft-- combined to make a special record. If it is not representative of her later work, I would think that would be because the later work is generally not as strong. "Leaving Las Vegas," "Strong Enough," "Can't Cry Anymore," and "I Shall Believe" remain among her best, and best-loved, songs. "All I Wanna Do" gets a bum rap because it was so ubiquitous during the summer of 1994; but when I bought this album for the first time in 1993, that track was so good and immediately likable that it made my personal "Best of '93" cassette.

Crow said of these sessions that they were loose and collaberative; someone might have been given a writing credit if they'd brought a joint that night. I think her subsequent records, while all having a few standout tracks, are not as consistent or cogent as a whole as this one. I do agree that if you like this record you might be disappointed in the two that followed; lord knows I was. But none of that dims the crisp special vibe here, where you almost feel like you are eavesdropping on something special as it is created.

If you ask me, with Sheryl Crow it starts right here.

This really should have been a "band" album. The majority of the songs are written with heavy weight songwriters (David Baerwald from David & David, the late Kevin Gilbert and producer Bill Bottrell). Sheryl does a credible job and the material is quite good.

She hit her stride (and her second album was truly her solo debut)with The Globe Sessions. Not a bad first effort, but a little wanting in some areas.

Just wanted to comment on the official reviewer's characterization of the mention of Huxley in the album's opening line as an attempt for "Significance". In fact the line ("She was born in November 1963, the day that Aldous Huxley died") is actually a wry joke since Huxley died on November 22, 1963 - the same day as President Kennedy. By the way, this is a great and literate album.

A great debut for Sheryl Crow. This album exceeds her next two efforts (although they contain fine music in their own right). The difference is probably the presence of excellent collaborators such as Kevin Gilbert and David Baerwald. One can hear their aural "fingerprints" all over this record, and the songs are better for it. I would like to have heard more Sheryl Crow collaborations with Kevin Gilbert; he was the real deal.

I first got introduced to Sheryl Crow by watching a promo video of some alternative acts when the "Leaving Las Vegas" video came on. I was immediately blown away by the video and especially by the music. I thought this new girl with the great voice will go far and I wasn't wrong. The sound is well produced on this disc and every track is capable of being a hit single. Highly recommended!

3 stars maybe a little harsh, but there's so much more Sheryl can do as we learned from her eponymous sophomore work. That CD is a pinnacle recording' this one...well this one's Crow just getting started, getting warmed up for things to come.

There are moments on this CD that grab you and foretell Crow's future eminence in the world of rootsy, funky blues/rock/country 70's rock-pop. "Tuesday Night Music Club" is a little disheveled, a little incoherent. Crow's voice isn't as strong as it can be. Some of the lesser songs drag on to some degree like the jazz lounge, "We Do What We Can". "The Na-Na Song" is slightly vapid and comes across as a failed attempt on spoken cool lists ala R.E.M's "The End of the World" and maybe a little of the Beatles. It just doesn't come off.

But we forgive her for fleshing out her sound (Steinbeck didn't start out with "Grapes of Wrath"), because in between these trials and misses is some true gems. Of course there's the obvious pop fun of "Leaving Las Vegas" and "All I wanna Do," but where Crow and crew really make their mark is the Fleetwood Mac-esque, "Strong Enough", the raw funk fun of "Solidify" and finally the Gospel whispered truth of "I Shall Believe." That's the Crow we've grown to know and love. Fly baby Fly. If you're new to Crow, start with her 2nd CD, "Sheryl Crow." That's the shiny object you can't resist to add to the nest. Caw, Caw!

Sheryl Crow's "Tuesday Night Music Club", is a unique mix of southwestern guitar sounds combining with rugged yet poppy melodies, creating an exquistite album! This is really one of her best. It's fresh, new, and unprecedented. It lacks all the phoney angst and forced lyricism that many of her contmeporaries have fallen victim to. Crow delivers power filled and soulful vocals which hit the heart of the American sound. The songs are good, relatable, and most of all - real. They are classics in their own right. Catchy little "All I Wanna Do", back up to ballads such as "We Do What we Can" a jazz meets folk playground. The pure musicianship of this album is apparent in every note; it seeps with heart and soul. If you want to experience the roots of the whole Lilith Fair revolution (before it became trendy), get "Tuesday Night Music Club".