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4 Out of 5 Stars
I rarely do the "Join a Fan Club" thing for bands, but there was one band where I was a card carrying member. Zion Illinois' Shoes were that band. From the first banging drumbeats of "Tomorrow Night" from "Present Tense," I was hooked. Folded up on a piece of "Boomerang" note paper is a Thank You" note from Jeff Murphy tucked inside my copy of "Shoes Best." I am a fan from way back.
That should not intimidate you from listening to this CD, released after the band had returned to the world of DIY releasing and relatively early in the age of the CD. Somewhere in their Elektra contract was a rights/reversion clause, enabling the band to get their masters back. So "Best" contains choice selections from their three Elektra releases, one from the initial "Black Vinyl Shoes" album, three from the self released 1984 "Silhouette," one from the rare "Shoes On Ice" EP, and the first single from the not-yet issued "Stolen Wishes." Over an hour of incredible power-poppish new-wave and a strong argument for the greatness of The Shoes.
They moved effortlessly between boy-girl crush songs ("Tomorrow Night," Now and Then"), anticipation songs ("Love is Like a Bullet,") and heartbreak ("Karen," "I Don't Want to Hear It"). There was also a playfully mean streak in their breakup songs ("I Don't Miss You" and "Too Late") that was more playful than mean-spirited, no easy trick to pull off. When required, they could whip up a sugar-coated fuzzy guitar rock ("Mayday" "Hate To Run") and the whispery longing of a solid ballad ("The Summer Rain"). Add the the core trio of brothers Jeff and John Murphy and Gary Klebe could harmonize like nobody's business and you get the story of a remarkable American Band that deserved better, yet has deservedly maintained their status as power-pop icons.
I rarely do the "Join a Fan Club" thing for bands, but there was one band where I was a card carrying member. Zion Illinois' Shoes were that band. From the first banging drumbeats of "Tomorrow Night" from "Present Tense," I was hooked. Folded up on a piece of "Boomerang" note paper is a Thank You" note from Jeff Murphy tucked inside my copy of "Shoes Best." I am a fan from way back.
That should not intimidate you from listening to this CD, released after the band had returned to the world of DIY releasing and relatively early in the age of the CD. Somewhere in their Elektra contract was a rights/reversion clause, enabling the band to get their masters back. So "Best" contains choice selections from their three Elektra releases, one from the initial "Black Vinyl Shoes" album, three from the self released 1984 "Silhouette," one from the rare "Shoes On Ice" EP, and the first single from the not-yet issued "Stolen Wishes." Over an hour of incredible power-poppish new-wave and a strong argument for the greatness of The Shoes.
They moved effortlessly between boy-girl crush songs ("Tomorrow Night," Now and Then"), anticipation songs ("Love is Like a Bullet,") and heartbreak ("Karen," "I Don't Want to Hear It"). There was also a playfully mean streak in their breakup songs ("I Don't Miss You" and "Too Late") that was more playful than mean-spirited, no easy trick to pull off. When required, they could whip up a sugar-coated fuzzy guitar rock ("Mayday" "Hate To Run") and the whispery longing of a solid ballad ("The Summer Rain"). Add the the core trio of brothers Jeff and John Murphy and Gary Klebe could harmonize like nobody's business and you get the story of a remarkable American Band that deserved better, yet has deservedly maintained their status as power-pop icons.
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