The Call - Let The Day Begin (1989)

More uplifting arena rock from Michael Been and the boys. If you're like me, the driving rock with optimistic lyrics (with an undercurrent of Christianity) brings about an immediate improvement in mood. The critics loved the work, and while it is the band's highest charting album, it still could have done better if the record label (MCA) had thrown a little promotion behind it. A cursory look at Rolling Stone magazines from 1989 can't even find a mention of this album. Heck, it was just by chance that I happened upon these songs and that was 20 years after they had been released. That's a shame, because this is a solid album.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #64

Tracks: The title track is fantastic, a great way to start any day, and worth the price of the album. It is joined by other great songs like You Run, Surrender, Same Ol' Story, For Love, and Uncovered.  I don't skip any songs, then I immediately go back to the top and hear the title track again.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  None. I could have used this album to lift my spirits in 1989 as I was an unemployed teacher with an impending wedding. Everything turned out OK (got a job, got married, in that order), but it would have been nice to have these messages in my ears.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Reconciled (1986)

Blog post #1100

The Call - Reconciled (1986)

Until recently, I was only vaguely familiar with this group through their 1983 single, The Walls Came Down, which only reached #74 on the pop chart, but #17 on the rock chart. Then, about two years ago, I heard another one of their songs on the "80s on 8" station on XM satellite radio. It caught my ear and I thought I should give the group another chance. I'm a little late to the show, but good music is good music regardless of when you discover it. I've since added this CD as well as 1989's Let The Day Begin to my collection. I'll add The Call to a growing list of '80s acts (Echo and the Bunnymen, Clash, Marshall Crenshaw, etc) I should have listened to in the '80s but didn't.

Singer/songwriter/bassist Michael Been (1950 - 2010) was a devout Christian and while The Call wasn't a Christian rock band, the group's vaguely spiritual lyrics made them a crossover band in many areas of the country, but if you don't listen to them with a spiritual mindset, they just come across as socially conscious but optimistic. The music is guitar-based anthemic rock in the same vein as U2 and Simple Minds. In fact, Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr makes an appearance on the album as do Peter Gabriel and Robbie Robertson. Many consider this to be the group's best album. At under 40 minutes, it's a bit too brief, but the songs are so similar that any more would have most likely seemed like overkill. Probably due to poor promotion from Elektra, the group never cracked the Top 40 with any singles, but two did place on the Album Rock chart (see below). That's a shame since more people would have enjoyed this music if they'd been given a chance to hear it, myself included.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #82

Tracks:  This album starts off with a great 1-2 punch of Everywhere I Go (#38 rock) and I Still Believe (Great Design) (#17 rock). Also good are The Morning, Oklahoma, and Tore The Old Place Down.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None