Downtown

Performer: Marshall Crenshaw
Artist: G.E. Smith; Robert Crenshaw; T-Bone Burnett; Tom Ardolino; Mitch Easter; Joey Spampinato; Mitchell Froom
Distributor: Bayside Record Dist.

Notes: Personnel: Marshall Crenshaw (guitars, vocals, bass, percussion); G.E. Smith (guitar); T-Bone Burnett (vocals, electric sitar, programming); Steve Fischel (steel guitar); Mitch Easter (piano); Mitchell Froom (keyboards); Joey Spampinato, David Miner, Faye Hunter, Tony Garnier, Tony Levin (bass); Mickey Curry, Tom Ardolino, Robert Crenshaw (drums); Jerry Marotta (drums, percussion, bongos); Warren Klein (tambourine). Producers: Marshall Crenshaw, Larry Hirsch, Mitch Easter, T-Bone Burnett. Engineers: Larry Hirsch, Thom Panunzio, Steve Haigler, Bill Jackson, Lincoln Clapp. Recorded at Media Sound, New York; Sunset Sound and Ocean Way, Hollywood, California; Reflection, Charlotte, North Carolina. All songs written by Marshall Crenshaw except "I'm Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee)" (Ben Vaughn) and "Right Now" (Sylvester Bradford/Al Lewis). Personnel: Marshall Crenshaw (vocals, guitar, 6-string bass, percussion); T Bone Burnett (vocals, sitar, electric sitar); G.F. Smith, G.E. Smith (guitar); Steve Fischell, Steve Fishell (steel guitar); Warren Klein (tamboura); Mitch Easter (piano); Mitchell Froom (keyboards); David Miner, Faye Hunter, Joey Spampinato, Tony Levin (bass guitar); Jerry Marotta (drums, bongos, percussion); Mickey Curry, Robert Crenshaw, Tom Ardolino (drums). Recording information: Media Sound Studios, New York, NY; Ocean Way Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Reflection Sound Studios, Charlotte, NC; Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood, CA. Marshall Crenshaw entered the studio to begin work on his third album, Downtown, but for the first time, he was without the familiar backing of Chris Donato on bass and brother Robert Crenshaw on drums (though he does appear on two tracks). Following the dense, sonic thunder of the commercially disappointing Field Day, this album employed the services of various studio pros, and returned him to the roomier, more traditional tone of his first effort. Along with co-producers T-Bone Burnett and Larry Hirsch (and Mitch Easter on one track), Crenshaw creates an old-fashioned rock & roll record with the inviting warmth of '60s pop and the swing and recklessness of the '50s. And though he doesn't do anything radically new or different here, the results are once again never less than fresh or stirring. Tracks like the irresistible "Little Wild One (No. 5)," the primal beat of "Yvonne," and "(We're Gonna) Shake Their Minds," with it's syncopated guitar and drum interplay, are first-rate rockers, while Ben Vaughn's "I'm Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee)" and Crenshaw's own "Like a Vague Memory" have the feel of classic '50s pop tunes. Though Downtown did little to reverse the downward slide of Marshall Crenshaw's market value, it does complete a brilliant triad of releases going back to his 1982 debut. ~ Brett Hartenbach

It is entirely fitting that Marshall Crenshaw made his first big splash playing John Lennon in BEATLEMANIA. Although the affable singer-songwriter resembles Buddy Holly more than Lennon, his music harks back to the glory years of rock & roll, when all that rock required was good hooks and a beat you could dance to. His debut record in 1982 teemed with great melodies and simple-yet-sharp lyrics, and spawned "Someday Someway," a big hit for Robert Gordon. Since then, Crenshaw has seen his songs covered by a wide range of artists, from the Nitty Gritty Dirt band to Bette Midler, and he has continued to make high-quality records on his own terms.

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