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After his first, eponymous album, Marshall Crenshaw was on the verge of becoming a seriously major pop star. But "Field Day" ended all that. It is one of the most infuriating and unfair stories in all of rock history. Crenshaw has gone on to record 7 or 8 additional albums of original songs, but with sales and therefore budgets dwindling further each time.
A couple of the reviews below express complaints about the "sound" of "Field Day," and suggest the "overproduction" was what killed this album and thus Crenshaw's title shot. I completely disagree. The sound was, and is, thrilling--an update to the Phil Spector-Brian Wilson approach to recording, sort of a hybrid of the 60s 'wall of sound' with the 70s heavy metal sound of, say, Led Zeppelin or Crenshaw's early heroes, the MC5. This production approach perfectly captures what Crenshaw often aimed for in his early career--the intelligence and craft of a Brian Wilson, but with a stronger punch. It is also reminiscent of the thick drum and bass sound the Beatles applied to many recordings, particularly on the White Album and "Abbey Road."
None of that would matter if the songs weren't utterly great. Utterly great. This is one of the true masterpieces of the pop-rock form. "Our Town," "Whenever You're On My Mind," "For Her Love," "One Day With You," and "Monday Morning Rock" are among the finest rock songs and performances ever, songs that build from simple, clever tunes into epic roars of passion. "Field Day" reaches in the same direction as Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run,"--an artist's mad pursuit of the three-minute song that says...everything.
There were members of the rock press who had it in for Crenshaw when this came out. The Rolling Stone review of "Field Day" was vicious. It appears that the review might have been payback, not against Crenshaw himself, but against a media rep who offended somebody at the lordly magazine. This was when (don't laugh) Rolling Stone actually mattered, influencing sales as well as perceived hipness. Crenshaw never really got another chance. People read that review and figured Crenshaw was a flash in the pan. I remember reading it and thinking, "How bad could it really be?" I've never stopped listening to it since.
The other albums in the reissue series range in quality. "Downtown" is quite good, but as if in reaction to the "Field Day" alleged mistake, it is very stripped down. "Mary Jean and 9 Others" is a little better--richer in sound. "Good Evening" is probably his worst album, but it's not all bad. It was obviously the product of burn-out and a desire to end a record contract. His work since then, though not given the star treatment, has been consistently wonderful, but is ignored by all but fans like me. Nothing would make me happier than this reissue series leading to a major rediscovery and reappraisal of Crenshaw's value. I'm not holding my breath, but the music warrants it.
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