My Amazon Reviews: The Call "Let The Day Begin"

Let the Day Start
4 Out of 5 Stars

Perhaps the best known song in The Call's expansive excellent library was the title song on "Let The Day Begin." It came closest to cracking the Top 40 (that and only "The Walls Came Down" ever charted the top 100, giving The Call exactly two charted singles), and it became the theme song for one Al Gore during his bid for the Presidency.

It is deservedly an anthem from the decade. Yet why couldn't The Call capitalize on all the acclaim? That is a question better left for philosophers and pop trivia addicts. But for some reason, The Call never exploded in the way many of their biggest fans (like Bono, Peter Gabriel, Martin Scorsese and Harry Dean Stanton) predicted they would. Stanton even contributes a harmonica solo on "For Love" and Scorsese would soon cast lead singer Michael Been in "The Last Temptation of Christ."

"Let The Day Begin" is filled with the kind of big songs that The Call is best known for, like "You Run" or the storming "Same Old Story." As usual, Been's lyrics are loaded with Christian allegory, some blatant ("For Love"), some not so much (the beautiful "Uncovered"). His reach was always high, and while his success never seemed to make his grasp, his music rarely missed the mark. "Let The Day Begin" is a big 80's album - and sounds it - standing with The Call's best works.

      

My Amazon Reviews: The Call "Reconciled"

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.

 

My Amazon Reviews: The Call "Red Moon"

The Call Go Organic  
4 Out of 5 Stars

The last album of The Call's original run was a major left-turn away from the big, anthem filled previous albums. While the songs were still big in sound, the production tore down the walls, hid the synths, and went for something more intimate. In doing so, leader Michael Been rediscovered his soul, and made the most relaxed Call album in their discography.

It's obvious that something's afoot in the opening, "What Happened To You." Instead of Been's usually strident and sometimes accusatory manner, he sings in a gentler voice, backed by a shimmering guitar arrangement. Instead of a lyric that chastises, he asks his love what all the changes are about, and ends up being happy about them. "I like what I see," he cheerfully admits. And when a more Call-like song like "You Were There" comes up, exploring Been's love of Christian parables, it is punctuated by a saxophone instead of a raging synthesizer.
 
"Red Moon" continues in this vein, with richly textured songs and uplift. There's almost a vibe of The Band (Robbie Robertson and one time call pseudo member Garth Hudson both guest) to many of the songs here that never appeared on prior Call albums, and that's to "Red Moon's" favor. I was always confounded why, with three stints on major labels, The Call could never field a bona-fide, hit. I also wondered if "Red Moon" was seen by the band as a last hurrah, as they broke up shortly after releasing an album that was such a departure from their usual operations. Either way, when the sun set on "Red Moon," The Call went out with one of their best.

 

My Amazon Reviews: The Call "Into The Woods"

Break Like a Fever, Fall Like Rain
3 Out of 5 Stars 

The fifth album from The Call felt like a bit of a slide back from the excellent "Reconciled." But while not up the the standard that its predecessor set, "Into The Woods" maintains the level of quality The Call had been setting for themselves, and holds its own against contemporaries of the time like U2, Simple Minds or Peter Gabriel (all of whom where Call Fans).

Micheal Been was one of the new breed of born-again rockers; always faithful, but not necessarily joyous. There's plenty of questioning and doubt to be found along the dark passages of "Into The Woods," with the dabs of redemption not as prevalent as they have been on other Call albums. The uplift comes from the lead track, "I Don't Wanna," which details a hard climb to devotion, and "Expecting," a minor key cry for hope.

Then there is the kick that closes the album, the rocking "Walk Walk," which chucks all the previous dark moods aside to finish things off with a bang-up 50's style shuffle. Overall, "Into The Woods" is a middling Call album, with fans better served by "Reconciled" or the more anthemic "Let The Day Begin." 

  

Passings: Michael Been of the Call

The Call made three albums of fervent rock in the early eighties that caught some notice for their nervy energy and passionate lyrics. When I was in college, my college station began discovering the intense "War Weary World," and the song caught on with our listeners so strongly that the local rock station was forced to add it to their rotation...that's how strong it resonated with those that heard it. (And this was a station that had Ozzy's "Crazy Train" in a heavy rotation at the time.)

That first album, represented here by 6 songs, was as dramatic a statement made by any band of the period (U2 always sprang to mind when I listened to the album). From the deadpan "Yeah, we've seen it all before" line behind lead singer Michael Been's righteous vocal on "War Weary World" to the stark questioning of "Doubt," The Call were obviously a band to be reckoned with. By the time the second album came out, they'd toughened up enough to hammer out an MTV anthem with "The Walls Came Down." They had begun forming a fan base of such luminosity that Garth Hudson (of The Band) had become a member by this time. His keyboards helped give The Call some diversity and propelled such numbers as the instrumental "Destination." Been's songwriting was also quickly turning more and more pointed, with "Turn A Blind Eye" continuing the political acuity that "War Weary World" delivered on the debut.

Unfortunately, internal turmoil made 1984's "Scene Beyond Dreams" a transitional record. You can hear the focus shift on such tracks as "Tremble" and "Delivered," which sport a dated sound and feel less like a band than the first two albums' songs on this collection. It is also the album where Been began his spiritual journey that would gel on the albums to follow. Struggling with conflicts between Christianity and a formidable dose of rock cynicism (much like U2, Bob Dylan, Bruce Cockburn and Peter Gabriel), The Call had begun crafting songs that explored this rift with sincerity and power.

Despite the indistinct production, these five songs from "Scene Beyond Dreams" are still powerful statements about the human condition. By this time, however, there was enough tension that the band went dormant for two years, switched labels and stormed back with the incredible "Reconciled" in 1986. A singer as forceful and passionate as Been just could not be relegated to video pabulum. He and his bandmates always understood that rock, for many of us, could still make the world shift on its axis, if for only three and a half minutes. This early document of a largely unsung band is a must for those who respect deeply personalized, spiritual rock. That's pretty much the second half of The Call's noteworthy recording career, covering their stints with Elektra and MCA records, plus a few unreleased tracks and some from Michael Been's "On The Verge of a Nervous Breakthrough." 

On this set, the proof is in such songs as "Everywhere I Go." The passion is laid out, heart on its sleeve style, as Been wails away with such an earnestness that you wonder if he's looking for his lover or salvation from God (which are possibly in their eyes, one and the same). As for a one-on-one love song, Been's solo recording, "Us," addresses issues of trust and companionship in a manner that rivals some of this particular disc's contributing musicians. They include such luminaries as Bono, Peter Gabriel and Bruce Cockburn. The tone here is often one of hope, be it the wistful sort of "What's Happened to You" or the anthem "Let The Day Begin." And there is never a caving in to the banality of what frequently passes for rock rebellion.

As I posted in my review of "The Walls Came Down," Been and his bandmates always understood that rock, for many of us, could still make the world shift on its axis, if for only three and a half minutes. If you find this CD intriguing to you, pick up "Reconciled" and though they are not in print, seek out "Red Moon" and "Let The Day Begin" as well. If you only want one Call disc, than this document of a largely unsung band is a must for those who respect deeply personalized, spiritual rock.

Been is also the son of Robert Been of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and was doing sound for BMRC when he had his fatal heart attack. Michael Been was 60.