The Album Review Club – Week #1
The Lonesome Jubilee – John Cougar Mellencamp (1987)
Selected by
RobMCFC
View attachment 27121
How I discovered the album
I was a relatively late starter when it came to serious music listening, and as a 17-year-old in 1986, most of the stuff I got into early on was American rock. Although I bought a couple of Bruce Springsteen albums, most of the stuff was more traditional AOR like Huey Lewis & The News, ZZ Top, Journey, Bon Jovi, Survivor, Bryan Adams etc. One thing I figured out early on was that a good source of new music was Johnnie Walker’s
Stereo Sequence on Radio One on a Saturday afternoon, and it was here that I first discovered John Mellencamp. The first few times I heard the fiddle blasting out on the intro for “Paper in Fire”, I thought it was weird. Then I became curious and by the fourth or fifth listen, I resolved to buy the album when it came out.
My Review
The Lonesome Jubilee is an album that, to my ears, is perfect on a number of levels. It was released at the height of the Reagan era yet its powerful lyrics are just as relevant today. The characters in these songs are battling unemployment, a lack of money, a lack of hope, a system that doesn’t work for the people or just simply struggling with the everyday problems of middle age. Even a young kid’s fear of the Russians makes an appearance and raises the question of “When the bombs fall down will they hurt everyone in my family?” Whilst I was only 19 at the time, and most of this stuff didn’t apply to me, it was inspiring to hear somebody singing about something that mattered.
As if the powerful imagery and heartfelt vocals from Mellencamp were not enough, it’s the
sound of
The Lonesome Jubilee that puts it head and shoulders above most other albums. Before the sessions, the singer instructed his band to learn a new set of instruments, so we get plenty of banjo, mandolin, lap steel and a host of other stringed instruments, but Mellencamp’s aces in the hole that give the album its signature sound are Lisa Germano on fiddle and John Cascella’s accordion. Despite the downbeat nature of the lyrics, it’s an album full of gorgeous, soaring melodies and hooks and in most cases, it’s the twin attack of accordion and fiddle that drive this sound, all backed by Kenny Aronoff’s propulsive drums. When it comes to favourite songs, take your pick, because there’s no weak link, but I love the opening three tracks.
Doing a bit of background research on this album, I learned two interesting things about John Mellencamp. First of all, unlike many others who play this type of music, he is not so great on guitar. He knows enough to write the songs and demo them for his band, but that’s about it. The second thing is that he knows how he wants an album to sound and is tireless when it comes to arranging and mixing. Perhaps as much as his superb songwriting, it is this last comment that explains the genius of what you hear when you play this album – there’s so much going on yet you hear every detail in the mix.
The rustic sound of the album was at odds with the synthesizer and drum machine technology of the time. It’s not exactly chart-friendly material, yet still Mellencamp still managed to score three top-20 hits in the US (two in the top 10). Of course, he’s never been as popular in the UK.
Closing Comments
The Lonesome Jubilee is my favourite album of all time, yet Colin Larkin and his philistines didn’t even name any Mellencamp albums in their Top 1000. I know it has some fans on here, but I don’t think it’s a sound that everybody will love – I’m sure that some will find it “too country”. However, I’ll be interested to hear what people think, especially those who are hearing it for the first time.
Note that “Blues from the front porch” is a bonus track that did not appear on the original album.
Please mark it 1-10, votes close on Monday.
Just a reminder that next week’s album will be selected by @FogBlueInSanFran.
