The Call hit their Apex
5 Out of 5 Stars
After a couple of years of turmoil (record company battle, management change, a couple of membership changes), The Call emerged on a new label, Elektra, and their crowning album, "Reconciled." Like many of the bands who put their hearts on their flag waving sleeves during the 80's (think U2, Simple Minds, The Alarm), The Call bent their religious undertones to intertwine with the powerful rocking. Yet if you look at the list of bands that The Call is most akin to, you'll also notice that Micheal Been and Company are the only Americans in the batch.
It's always made me wonder if Been had been born in London and not Oklahoma, might "Reconciled" pulled a bigger audience? "Everywhere I Go" got a fair shake with the college radio crowd, and both Jim Kerr (Simple Minds) and Peter Gabriel were on board as contributes. (The Call opened for both bands, with Gabriel once calling The Call his choice for the best band in the USA.) It's easy to see why. On "Reconciled," the band goes full on for every song. The lyrics are frequently literate face-punches (like "Blood Red" and its anti-televangelist rant) and Been never once takes a song easily. Even the final song of longing, "Even Now," comes from a very deep and tortured place.
"Reconciled" remains one of my very favorite 80's albums. I hold it to roughly the same place I keep Bruce Cockburn's "Stealing Fire," "Robbie Robertson," "Once Upon a Time" by Simple Minds, "Joshua Tree" and The Alarm's "Strength." if any of those albums resonate with you and "Reconciled" is not holding a spot of your shelf, perhaps it's time to add a new Call to your library.
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