"AS HARD AS IT IS" FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS (1988)

For October, the Mental Jukebox is dialing it way back to the eighties and going deep. Deep cuts have always been an important element of music listening to me because they’re often the songs that resonate with me most. Deep cuts are usually the ones that the true fans appreciate most. I like my singles and hits, but I love my deep cuts.

I still remember the day I got my The Raw & The Cooked CD. I remember hearing from critics about a clear delineation between the first and second “sides”, that the first half was the raw and the second half was the cooked. I honestly couldn’t tell how one side was more raw or more cooked than the other. But I do remember the album being great from beginning to end with no filler. I do like the cooked side quite a bit, especially the Buzzcocks cover “Ever Fallen In Love” and the throwback ballad “As Hard As It Is”.

The song starts and ends with that voice. There’s no one else that sounds like Roland Gift. On “As Hard As It Is”, his voice truly ascends and has a chance to shine with its slower, prodding tempo. You can hear a sturdy oakiness on the song that stands in stark contrast to his falsetto approach on “She Drives Me Crazy” and “I’m Not The Man I Used To Be”. The ballad is a refreshing change of pace for an album that mostly operates at a fast, dance-friendly tempo.

“Life's been quiet since you've been gone.”

"JOHNNY COME HOME" FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS (1985)

For the month of October, I’m selecting a song each day from the decade that has the most meaning to me: the 80s. It was the decade that I grew up in. The period of time where I discovered my love for music — and explored many different genres. For the next 31 days, I’ll highlight a handful of songs that I truly loved and that were representative of the decade. #31DaysOf80sSongs

When Fine Young Cannibals first came onto the scene, they had a short, glorious underground era. It was the days before Top 40 stardom, late night show appearances and platinum sales. Two songs really helped drive this vibrant, creative period: “Johnny Come Home” and “Suspicious Minds”. The latter was a modern rockabilly interpretation of the Elvis classic. It was an FYC twist. But “Johnny Come Home” was FYC at its core. When you dissect the recording, it becomes clear that this is the quintessential FYC track, not “She Drives Me Crazy” or anything else.

Most bands create their identity based on the melody and riffs of their songs. But FYC’s identity hinged on other factors. “Johnny Come Home” is a song whose verses barely resemble a melody of any sort. It’s a song that showcases the highly unusual and unique voice of Roland Gift. Its identity is largely based on its infectious rhythms. And it’s elevated with the most unusual of instruments for a modern rock track: the trumpet. When you put it all together, we have ourselves the unique FYC formula. All the elements that made them so addictive, so unusual and, ultimately, so successful.

“Nobody knows the trouble you feel. Nobody cares, the feeling is real.”

"I'M NOT THE MAN I USED TO BE" FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS (1989)

For the second half of September, I’m putting my Mental Jukebox into a time machine, featuring the best songs on the best albums from the very best years of music. #70sThrough90sBestAlbum

With my The Raw & the Cooked CD in my boombox, I was in for a very good night. I could hear sounds never made before. I could be mesmerized. That rare mix of rock, soul and funk. And that one-of-a-kind voice in Roland Gift. Listening to it over 30 years after it was released I’m amazed that this unusual album was instantly embraced by mainstream and alt rock audiences alike. They were an overnight success, but they did it their way. And my favorite track of them all is “I’m Not the Man I Used to Be”.

This song threw together disparate genres in a blender and gave us something we never tasted before. An incredibly infectious throwback soul sound a la James Brown, sprawled out lavishly on a bed of trip-hop. While “She Drives Me Crazy” and “Good Thing” were right up my alley, “I’m Not the Man I Used to Be” was a little less obvious and jammed to a different groove.

“Wonder what I'm thinking. Wonder why I'm drinking. But it's plain to see. I'm not the man I used to be.”