Right Here Now: Marshall Crenshaw Unveils "# 392: The EP Collection"

Right Here Now: Marshall Crenshaw Unveils “# 392: The EP Collection”

October 5, 2015 By Joe Marchese — No Comments

When Marshall Crenshaw launched a vinyl EP subscription service in early 2013 as a vehicle for his new music, the veteran singer/songwriter/producer set out to not make a new album. Yet, as these things happen, he ended up with enough music to make one after all. # 392: The EP Collection is a new 14-track album with twelve songs drawn from the six EPs released between 2013 and 2015, plus two exclusive bonus tracks. All songs here make their CD debuts on this release.

Each vinyl EP, beginning with 2013’s I Don’t See You Laughing Now, featured one new composition, one cover version and one reinterpretation of a past Crenshaw favorite. # 392 has six of those new songs and six covers, in addition to the two new bonus tracks (appropriately, one more cover and one more Crenshaw song.) None of the reinterpretations are included; perhaps they will surface on a future CD! The tuneful and delightfully venomous title track of that first EP, on which Crenshaw is supported by Graham Maby and Andy York, is one of the six new songs included on # 392. I Don’t See You Laughing Now included Jeff Lynne’s hauntingly beautiful “No Time” from The Move’s final album, Message from the Country (1971) as its cover selection. Crenshaw, on guitar, vibes, percussion and prominent toy piano (!), captured the essence of the evocative, dark ballad from the future ELO frontman.

The other original songs on # 392 are “Grab the Next Train,” “Move Now,” “Red Wine” and “Driving and Dreaming,” all co-written with Dan Bern, as well as Crenshaw’s solo composition “Stranger and Stranger.” The cover versions all beautifully showcase the various influences that have guided the artist’s own pop songwriting career over the years. In addition to the Jeff Lynne tune, Crenshaw delivers heartfelt renditions of classic songs by Burt Bacharach and Hal David (“(They Long to Be) Close to You”), James McMurtry (“Right Here Now”), John Sebastian (The Lovin’ Spoonful’s gorgeously heartbreaking “Didn’t Want to Have to Do It”), Bobby Fuller (“Never to Be Forgotten”) and George Young (The Easybeats’ “Made My Bed, Gonna Lie in It”). Crenshaw welcomed a wide variety of notable guest musicians like Glen Burtnik, Stephen Bernstein, Bryan Carrott, Byron House, Daniel Littleton, Jeffrey Foskett and the late Rob Morsberger to these sessions. (The Beach Boys’ Foskett adds the background vocals to a faithful remake of the Carpenters’ classic, chart-topping version of the Bacharach/David song.)

The first exclusive bonus cut pays tribute to the late Phil Everly. The Everly Brothers’ “Man with Money” was recorded by Crenshaw with his touring mates The Bottle Rockets during the week after Phil’s passing in January 2014. The second of the bonus tracks, “Front Page News,” is a demo made in the 1990s of a song written by Crenshaw and country songwriter Leroy Preston.

Crenshaw supplies the liner notes to this new collection which is available now from Red River Entertainment and Addieville Records. You can order # 392: The EP Collection at the links below!

Marshall Crenshaw, # 392: The EP Collection (Red River/Addieville, 2015) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Grab the Next Train
Move Now
Red Wine
Driving and Dreaming
Stranger and Stranger
I Don’t See You Laughing Now
No Time
(They Long to Be) Close to You
Never to Be Forgotten
Right Here Now
Didn’t Want to Have to Do It
Made My Bed, Gonna Lie in It
Man with Money
Front Page News (Demo)

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Marshall Crenshaw

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song and beyond, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with labels including Real Gone Music and Cherry Red Records, has released newly-curated collections produced and annotated by Joe from iconic artists such as Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Spinners, Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Meat Loaf, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Liza Minnelli, Darlene Love, Al Stewart, Michael Nesmith, and many others.

Joe has written liner notes, produced, or contributed to over 200 reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them America, JD Souther, Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, BJ Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, Petula Clark, Robert Goulet, and Andy Williams.

Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray.

Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.