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John Mellencamp - Scarecrow Audio CD

A fair review of the John Mellencamp "Scarecrow" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all John Mellencamp reviews here, or go back to the John Mellencamp tabs.

John Mellencamp Band: John Mellencamp
Title: Scarecrow
Rating:
Release Date: 2005-05-24
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Rain on the Scarecrow 2: Grandma's Theme 3: Small Town 4: Minutes to Memories 5: Lonely Ol' Night 6: Face of the Nation 7: Justice and Independence '85 8: Between a Laugh and a Tear 9: Rumbleseat 10: You've Got to Stand for Somethin' 11: R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to '60s Rock) 12: Kind of Fella I Am 13: Small Town [Acoustic Version][*]

The Best from John Mellencamp
Tracks like "Between a Laugh and a Tear" and "Rumbleseat" capture a bittersweetness lacking in Mellencamp's previous efforts, while "Minutes to Memories" and "The Face of the Nation" exhibit a new-found wisdom. Scarecrow is John Mellencamp's best and arguably the pinnacle of the entire heartland rock genre, with its blend of heartbreak, wisdom, and ultimate triumph. "Small Town," the perfect tribute to his Indiana upbringing, is perhaps Mellencamp's most quintessential single. Where that song romanticizes rural American life, "Rain on the Scarecrow" offers powerful insight to its other side. John Mellencamp has something to say on every cut; even a song like "You've Got to Stand for Somethin'" avoids sounding preachy, if only for its immaculate sound design. That sound owes itself to his requirement that the band listen to a variety of genres, especially old soul music, before making this record. Scarecrow blends the powerful lyrics of future releases like The Lonesome Jubilee with the same rebellious rock of Uh-Huh and American Fool (especially on "The Kinda Fella I Am"). As a result, it showcases John Mellencamp at his creative and commercial peak; if you only have one of his albums, make it Scarecrow. 5 Stars.


Don't Forget A Forgotten Classic
" (not my thing)

Do you realize all 12 tracks on this album were singles? I'm not sure how many hit #1 or were top 10 exactly, but how often can you say that about any album in rock history?

Scarecrow hit a chord with middle America, celebrated our innocence, and reminded us of a time when almost all of us had a relative who owned or once owned a farm or lived in the country. Looking back on my high school years, Scarecrow was one of the most popular and prevalent albums to be released in the 80's, along with Springsteen's "Born In The USA" and, unfortunately, Michael Jackson's "Thriller.

During the "good times" of the 80's when the economy was strong, jobs were abundant, the internet didn't exist, and cable TV was still new, music was more of a focal point of entertainment and interest amongst youth. Songs had meaning and rock wasn't a pretentious glood and doom image circus, and pop music still had great musicians and song writers.

Scarecrow of course highlighted the plight of the small town family farmer, and the small town in general, which was just starting to truly fade away, as we transitioned into a global service oriented economy, increasingly more dependent on foreign interests and were victims of corporate mergers, that took away our insulated communities when good education was still free, drugs weren't nearly as abundant or harrowing, and being outside was the goal of our free time.

For those of us in our late 30's and early 40's, take some time to revisit a great pop album classic that takes you back to a more innocent time of our lives. "Between A Laugh And A Tear," "Rumbleseat," and "Face Of A Nation," are songs you don't hear much anymore, but are as good today as they were then.

Pay no attention to modern critics who call Cougar's talent "mediocre. " It didn't matter, he wrote great songs, related to a wide audience, and sang about America without the oppressive Patriotic ferver of our modern times, questioning our direction and celebrating our good fortunte at the same time.



.


Mellencamp The Great
Another GREAT John Olde on a new quality CD ! This is one of my favorites.


A "Must Have" Album
When I got my Cd player in 1986 I made a rule that I would buy no more than 2 CD's per week trying to switch my vinyl over to CD. I bought this on vinyl in 1985 when it first came out and absolutely loved it. the first CD I bought was Scarecrow. To this day it remains one of my favorites and a definite "Desert Island disc". Every song is either good or great. No filler here except maybe the bonus cut "Kind of Feller I am" which was not on the vinyl disc. From "Rain on the Scarecrow" to "Small Town" to "Minutes to Memories" to "Rumbleseat" this is a "must have" disc for any pop rock fan. .


Brilliant and Gutsy Album
The album starts with the stark "Rain On The Scarecrow" and never lets you breathe. This album is, to me, a trip through the midwest with JCM as the tour guide. "Minutes To Memories", "The Face Of The Nation", "Between A Laugh And A Tear" and "You've Got To Stand For Somethin'" all make this album worthy competition to Bruce Springsteen, and in terms of songwriting, it's superior to any of the Boss's 1980's albums. And those aren't even the singles (Lonely Ol' Night, Small Town, R. O. C. K. in the U. S. A. ), all of which are top notch tunes as well. Considering the trendy nature of popular music in the 1980's, it's amazing how fresh this album still sounds today, and how topical it still is in a new millennium. For anyone wanting to know one of rock's most unappreciated artists, this is an excellent place to start.


You can see a complete list of all John Mellencamp discography, or go back to the John Mellencamp tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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