Bruce Hornsby & The Range - Scenes From The Southside (1988)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a CD which was either sold, stolen, traded or lost, then replaced by another CD.

I was hooked from the first time I heard The Valley Road and I still think it's Hornsby's best song with The Range. That hit single (#5 pop, #1 AC, #1 rock) has got to be the peppiest song and video ever made about the age-old tale of rich girl meets working-class hired hand, gets pregnant, and goes off to "live with her sister" for awhile. To the record label's delight, I liked the single so I bought the album and, while the rest of the album doesn't measure up, it's a somewhat enjoyable spin - even more impressive when you consider this was Hornsby's sophomore effort. Not sure why I bought this on CD instead of paying half the price for a prerecorded cassette tape because, at the time of purchase in early 1989, I was working part-time jobs so money was probably tight. But I was living with my parents so at least I had that going for me, which is nice.

I like that the technically-gifted Hornsby was not only choosing to play piano during the synth-rich '80s, but also how he often treated the piano as a percussion instrument (which it is, academically speaking). Lyrics are mainly about growing up in the small towns of the South, so your humble blogger, a small town southern boy himself, can mostly relate to the stereotypical storytelling. The only problem with this album, as mentioned in Stereo Review below, is that the album "comes up short on variety." There's a lot of mid-tempo tunes that run together after awhile. But the CD was worth the $2 I paid for it the second time around. I hope my neighbors like The Valley Road, because it seems to be playing a lot around here recently.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★½): "the right mix of rock, country and jazz"
• Robert Christgau (C): "try crossing vague Bruce with '80s Elton. Then run it through Firefall."
• Stereo Review: "comes up short on variety and emotional charge."
• Billboard: "underlines the formidable writing talents that his debut album promised."
• CashBox: "last year's debut success was no fluke"
  

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #5
• Billboard Pop CD: #1
• CashBox CD: #2
• Rolling Stone: #2

Tracks: Also noteworthy besides The Valley Road are Look Out Any Window (#35 pop, #7 AC, #5 rock), The Old Playground, and Defenders Of The Flag (featuring Huey Lewis on blues harp and lyrics that, sadly, remain relevant). Jacob's Ladder is good, but not as good as Huey's earlier, chart-topping version. The rest, like I said, starts to run together.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: As mentioned above, in early 1989 I was living with my parents in a duplex in San Antonio (about a mile from my current location). I had graduated from college in December, 1988 and didn't really want to start a teaching job in the middle of the year - those positions are usually open for good reason. In the mornings, I tried to sell master antenna TV (MATV) systems to apartment complexes in town while the afternoons were spent downtown in the development office of the San Antonio Symphony. Both jobs paid minimum wage but the symphony job had an added benefit of free concert tickets, so I attended every classical concert during the spring season.

Two nights a week (maybe Monday and Thursday?), I drove from the symphony offices out I-10 to the University of Texas at San Antonio* for graduate classes. Courses were "MUS 5263 Music History: Classic Period" and "MUS 5583 Advanced Instrumental Techniques." I earned A's in both classes and actually enjoyed the history course, but after that I paused my graduate-level music education for about 20 years.

I proposed to a wonderful woman on March 31 and we were married 19 weeks later. However, we like to tell the little white lie that I proposed on April Fool's Day because, let's be honest, that's a much better story.

In addition to this Bruce Hornsby album, others remind me of those few months in San Antonio during the first half of 1989:

• R.E.M. - Green
• Tchaikovsky - The Tempest/Der Sturm, Op. 18 & Symphony No. 2, Op. 17
• Liz Story - Speechless
• The Judy's - Moo
• Take 6
• The Best of The Art of Noise

Previously revisited for the blog:
Hot House (1995)
Harbor Lights (1993)

*The mascot of UTSA is the Roadrunner and the rally cry is "Birds Up!" which I find hysterical. No idea whether or not the cheerleaders encourage fans to "Give 'em the Birds!" during game day activities, but one can hope.