The Grays – Ro Sham Bo (Epic/Legacy)
First time on vinyl for this power pop lost classic
February 1994: right in the middle of the “alternative boom” that was ushered in by the runaway success of Nirvana’s Nevermind, came the Grays. Made up of three multi-instrumentalist songwriters (Jason Falkner, who had just left the equally great Jellyfish; Jon Brion, who is best known for his impressive list of productions, including Kanye West & Mac Miller; and Buddy Judge) and a killer drummer, Dan McCarroll, the band issued one melodically-infused album before calling it quits after one tour.
Now, over 30 years later, this fantastic album finally makes its vinyl debut for Record Store Day.
Falkner’s “Very Best Years” leads off the album with crunchy guitars on the verses before giving way to a deceptively clever chorus and dreamy bridge section. I do remember Beavis and Butthead poking fun at the song’s ascending melody line – a true sign that you’ve made it, right?
Judge’s “Everybody’s World” is a slice of Beatles’ pastiche, complete with tremelo vocals and backwards guitars. Brion’s “Same Thing” has reserved verses that give way to killer chorus. I love the bridge where Falkner and Brion trade singing before the song dies down to just a ride cymbal, then roars back in near the end.
Falkner’s “Friend of Mine” is a moody piece, opening with a Badfinger-esque slide guitar. Judge’s “Is It Now Yet” is a slow-burn, I get a Let it Be vibe here in the plodding tempo.
Things pick up for the rocker, “Oh Well Maybe” – great sing a long chorus, and I love the bridge with a searing guitar solo – it reminds me of Big Star here. Great harmonies too. Another slow number, “Nothing Between Us” shows off Brion’s tender side – I love the acoustic guitars, and the way the track builds.
“Both Belong” features some fine acoustic guitar work from Falkner, an anthemic chorus, and another great bridge part. Another “Nothing” song, this one by Judge, may be the most underrated track on the album.
The frenetic “Not Long For This World” from Brion reminds me of Cheap Trick, and has a great psychedelic breakdown near the end that is an ode to the Move. His “Nothing Can Hurt Me” settles into a great groove with a fat bassline.
There’s two bonus tracks with this deluxe edition: “Outdoor Miner” is a pretty faithful cover of the Wire song from 1978, while “Complicated” turns the Stones’ 1967 deep track into a power pop nugget.
The vocals on this record sound really, really good throughout. Honestly, even though the songwriters and singers are different on each track, there’s a cohesiveness to things. It really does feel like a band project and not three disparate pieces trying to fit together.
The Grays, with their intricate melodies, were gleefully out of step with the doom-Grunge that was dominating the airwaves at the time. Their lone album definitely deserves another look. —Tony Peters