3 Mulligans

Worthwhile cover versions are rare and it’s equally rare that one introduce me to a great band. But that’s what happened when a song I enjoyed from 1977 was reworked into something completely different in 1994. The original felt right at home played back-to-back with Steely Dan on the Pop/Rock stations and it even proved to be a good fit on the R&B playlists. The cover version, however, took everything and turned it upside down; the sound, the feel, the arrangement, even the lyrics. While most covers represent flat-out copies and have nothing to offer, Shudder To Think’s version of “So Into You” reminds us it’s okay to wrench things around and be different.

Don’t expect much in the way of verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure on Pony Express Record. The vocals follow their own path and sometimes don’t even match the rhythmic flow of the music. The guitars tear away at dissonant chords then suddenly turn melodic. The beats seem straightforward but they’re hiding turnarounds that make toe-tapping impossible. Odd time is stripped down to sound simple while sections in 4/4 are dressed up and inverted. The music stops and starts and that atonal caterwauling rarely lets up. What may sound like a meandering irritating mess is actually a tight, extremely focused work. Possibly its greatest reward, however, is that I’ve never felt like these guys were out to see how many tricks they could cram into each song.  They’re out to make the music groove, and it really does. Just don’t expect to feel it on the first listen.

Few people were up for such a challenge. It was too progressive for the punk and indie circles yet far too weird for rock radio. Like trying to find a home for a Tim Buckley/King Crimson/Queen hybrid, it had no targeted audience and simply had to wait around for a following. It’s hard to believe Shudder To Think were part of those close-knit Dischord artists from D.C., but harder to believe this is the album they delivered after signing to a major label.

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You don’t have to be a drummer to appreciate this album. With Friends, Chick Corea assembled an acoustic group in which each member’s performance is strong enough to make this record their own. And don’t let that relaxed opener, “The One Step,” fool you into thinking this is a TV soundtrack from the After School Special. It’s just one of several styles that are covered and when the album is taken as a whole, the variety works. Each song showcases Corea’s strength and range as a writer, but the players bring the music to life. The contrast between the light samba of “Friends” and the aggressive improvising in “Cappucino” prove how capable they are with defining each song. Joe Farrell (saxes and flute), Eddie Gomez (upright bass), Steve Gadd (drums), and Chick Corea (piano and sometimes Fender Rhodes). It’s a winning lineup.

However, drummers take note: If you’re looking for Steve Gadd’s greatest album performance, this is it. Though he’s played on hundreds of albums and is widely known as one of the most recorded drummers, it’s his playing on Friends that deserves to be singled out. Obviously, I haven’t heard every recording on which Steve Gadd has participated, but if there’s another album that represents his playing better than Friends, I’d like to know about it. His unmistakable feel and timing – both timekeeping and knowing when and what to play – make it impossible for me to focus on much else whenever I listen to it. During his mammoth 40-bar solo in “Samba Song,” played against a repeated chord pattern, he creates trademark licks and sets up cross-rhythms to the point of wondering, “How will he ever make it back in time to land on the ‘1’?” When my drum teacher found out I didn’t own this album, way back in 1980, that particular week’s lesson took an unconventional turn when he insisted, “Go down to Full Moon Records and buy a copy – today!” By that point I already enjoyed Steve Gadd’s drumming, especially with what he turned in on Steely Dan’s “Aja,” but his playing on Friends somehow captures every aspect of what makes him a unique drummer.

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