REVIEWS:
The Pursuit Of Happiness are a carefree, hard-rocking alternative pop band from Canada. They arose in the '80s, which probably had a lot to do with their being a good alternative rock band (although they didn't call it "alternative" back then). They're led by Moe Berg, a nerdy rocker with long hair, glasses, and a voice that sounds like Weird Al. However, the Berg-meister does seem to know a lot about women, as is apparent in his smart, humane lyrics about sex and relationships. In fact, for most of their career, T.P.O.H. had a full-time female back-up singer!
For a more detailed analysis of their sound, consult the individual album reviews (especially Love Junk, which I wrote before this introduction, and in which I made some introductory statements about the band). I will say this much now: though they were an active "alternative" band in the '90s, T.P.O.H. were by no means mainstream, probably because their humble brand of power pop wasn't pessimistic enough for that pretentious decade. Their first album is pretty straight-forward and catchy, like '70s Cheap Trick with wittier, more sexually frustrated lyrics. Along with Love Junk, master-producer Todd Rundgren helmed the controls of the follow-up, One Sided Story, which was less rocking and more of a Rundgren-influenced pop record. After this, the band decided to rock a bit harder on The Downward Road and Where's The Bone. The last album they are known to have recorded arrived in 1997 with The Wonderful World Of The Pursuit Of Happiness, which is supposedly a fluid pop album in the mode of Sgt. Pepper. A best-of compilation followed in 2000.
What mostly draws me to T.P.O.H. is that they have become so obscured anymore. This is the case despite the fact that they were a great singles band, at least in the late '80s and early '90s - there's no denying the powerful drive and melodic impact of songs like "I'm An Adult Now," "She's So Young" and "Cigarette Dangles." However, as overlooked as these songs are, I understand why the band "slipped through the cracks," so to speak. As a songwriter, Moe Berg ran a little short on ideas (he tended to repeat himself), and you're not likely to hear anyone say his band made a really strong album. Not surprisingly, their records vary in just how difficult they are to find. The two I have reviewed are their easiest to come by; their compilation disc is virtually impossible to track down. Needless to say, more reviews will appear if/when I ever get anymore of their stuff. In my opinion, both of these records are pretty good, and worth owning if you come across them used. But, while I have a curious affinity for them, T.P.O.H. are basically a forgotten relic from college radio's vast archives.
--John Schlegel
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(reviewed by John Schlegel)
HIGH POINTS: Hard To Laugh, I'm An Adult Now, She's So Young, Consciousness Raising As A Social Tool. LOW POINTS: None.
Now just who the hell are The Pursuit of Happiness? No, they're not a figment of my imagination, although sometimes I do think I'm almost crazy enough to invent my own fictional rock band. And if I did, they would probably have a sexy female back-up singer like these dudes. Seriously, tho', even though virtually no one has heard of them anymore, T.P.O.H. (as they are often called) were a promising combo to arise from the Canadian college radio scene in the mid-'80s - if they weren't promising, would Todd Rundgren have produced their first two albums? I think not.
The brainchild of singer/songwriter/guitarist Moe Berg, the band play loud, punchy rock n' roll that sounds like a cross between '80s hard rock and power pop from the '60s and '70s. Berg's consistently catchy songwriting and thoughtful (and often humorous) lyrics about sex and coming of age give his music the intelligent dignity of alternative rock. The alluring backing vocals of singer Leslie Stanwyck are a nice touch, as well; these, along with the sophistication of the lyrics, prevent the band from coming off as a complete Cheap Trick clone.
Okay, onto the album. It's quite a strong debut, although all of the best songs comprise the first side. Love Junk crashes open with "Hard To Laugh," probably the best song on the album. This pounding rocker literally creates a "crashing" sensation as all of the instruments explode simultaneously into the first verse, only to lead up to that grandiose chorus: "But it's - hard to laaaaauugh when you know that she's been cheating!" I'll warn you, though, as rousing as this chorus is, it sounds an awful lot like all the others: melodic, anthemish, and augmented by Stanwyck's "Oooooooooos," and such fourth. The other major highlight is "I'm An Adult Now," which is sort of the band's theme song; it was their first single, and it's an anthem if there ever was one. It's written in the same powerful, catchy vein as "Hard To Laugh," and you're sure to be amused by Berg's meditations on how he's too grown to be found dead in a ditch from a drug overdose (*sniffle*) and how he now gets drunk with his father. "She's So Young" is a gorgeous ballad with affecting lyrics, and "Consciousness Raising As A Social Tool" is a coasting rocker that features Stanwyck on lead vocals. "Walking In The Woods" tumbles along nicely, and the transition into that dreamy chorus is unpredictable fun. Unfortunately, once you get to the second half, it's a hodgepodge of relatively average rockers. The songs are pleasant enough to listen to, but I can't remember how half of them go after they're over. Of them, the highlight is "Killed By Love," thanks to that crunchy guitar melody during the verses. Overall, Love Junk is an enjoyable record that showcases Berg's talent as a songwriter and the band's tightness as a unit. It's a little monotonous, and the second half is too nondescript, for the album to really score, but it's still worth a look.
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(reviewed by John Schlegel)
HIGH POINTS: Food, Two Girls In One, All I Want, Runs In The Family, Shave Your Legs, New Language. LOW POINTS: Survival.
Okay - for starters, in my introduction, I stated that I only owned two T.P.O.H. CDs. Just for clarification, those were Love Junk and The Downward Road. And, yes, they are the band's two easiest CDs to find, at least in The States. (They probably sold the best because, between the two of them, they contained the band's best singles.) Conversely, this here sophomore outing that I have more recently purchased is much less likely to appear in your local used CD bins. This is a real shame, too, because, while it doesn't have as memorable of a single as "I'm An Adult Now" or "Cigarette Dangles," One-Sided Story is probably the band's best work as an album.
Now, I will forewarn my readers (if I have any) that there does seem to be a major split in opinion toward this one. It may be difficult to imagine now, as the band are so obsolete and obscured, but back in the early '90s, before grunge became too popular and imploded, T.P.O.H. were critical darlings, and what appeared to be a promising college radio quintet. And certain album "guides" considered this to be the band's finest work: The Rolling Stone Album Guide rewarded it four stars, and those weird "Golden Retriever" people (better know for their annual movie guides), in their guide to rock music, gave it four-and-a-half stars! But, more recently, you've had revisionists like The All Music Guide go and give this [one-and-a-half stars], so who knows what to think.
Well, as a matter of fact, I find this to be a remarkable album, for a couple of reasons at least. Stylistically, OSS isn't a huge departure from the debut, except for perhaps the inclusion of a few more ballads. More importantly, upon the first two or three listens, the hooks don't seem as strong as the ones on LJ. However, I've found that if you give this four or five listens, the memorable melodies on here really start to shine. And even though I didn't honestly like it much myself to begin with, there was something special about this disc that had me returning for repeated plays. And I know what it was - it was those lyrics. Are they ever good; no wonder Moe Berg has obtained more prominence recently as a writer (of short stories, I should note) than as a songwriter. These lyrics are frequently clever and funny, but humane at the same time. The opener "Food" is laden with shocking sexual metaphors disguised as dinner and dessert; my favorite line arrives at the end, after "dessert": "After we're done I see you sucking on a cigarette/You know there's nothing like a smoke after a - GOOD HEARTY MEEAAALLL!!!" "Two Girls In One" is a wonderful relationship song about one pretentiously complicated chick: "Sensitive and vulnerable/That's the kind she likes best/But he's got to have MUSCLES!/AND A LOT OF HAIR ON HIS CHEST!!!" "Shave Your Legs" is a sadder relationship tune, in which the singer will take any abuse from the woman, just to be with her. "New Language" contains one of the album's wittiest lines: "I know I'm not very articulate/I can't express myself innocuously." And "Little Platoons (My Neighbourhood)" even takes on a little social commentary (previously unheard of by T.P.O.H.), as the protagonist lament living in the bad part of town, but still feels bonded to his home: "Things in my neighbourhood can get a little rough/But that's where my room is, that's where I keep my stuff."
But great lyrics alone don't carry this album. As I was getting at earlier, several of these songs reveal themselves to be awesome after a few spins. "Food" is driven by a fantastic riff, only to climax in a pounding, sing-along chorus. "Two Girls In One" may be a little repetitive, but the rhythm work and vocal melody combine for one very effective listen. "New Language" is flat-out perky and fun, and the melancholy tone of "Shave Your Legs" enhances the impact of the lyrics. I suppose that one could imagine "All I Want" being performed by a band like Whitesnake in front of tens of thousands of blinking lighters, but T.P.O.H. pull off this power ballad with tenderness and conviction. And I personally love the knuckle-headed, '70s hard rock feel of "Runs In The Family," even though the chorus doesn't sound that dumb with females singing the "ruuuuuns in the faaaaam-il-yyyyy" background. The darker "The One Thing" and "Little Platoons" also pound away confidently. A few of the songs aren't that memorable, and the closing ballad "Survival" leaves me cold, but this is a very consistent album overall.
So, if you enjoy power pop that is truly powerful - and smart, and catchy - then do check out this album. You shant be disappointed, methinks. Yes, it is difficult to find, but you can score it on ebay from time to time, and it is worth your time. I should note that, after these sessions, vocalist Leslie Stanwyck and bassist Johnny Sinclair left the band to form Universal Honey. Brad Barker would take over on bass, and guitarist Kris Abbott could fulfill any additional female vocal duties. Incidentally, I did not know that Abbott was a woman until I viewed the booklet of this CD. But T.P.O.H. once had two females in the band, both gorgeous. Heh.
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(reviewed by John Schlegel)
HIGH POINTS: Cigarette Dangles, Nobody But Me, In Her Dreams. LOW POINTS: Pressing Lips, Heavy Metal Tears, Terrified.
The Downward Road, the band's third album, finds T.P.O.H. veering into a somewhat more metallic direction than on their previous work. Granted, the band's sound hasn't changed all that much - I make that comment mostly because of this album's penchant for ugly, distorted guitar harmonies (which bring to mind Living Colour) and some darker sounding songs. This is fairly heavy stuff, but the formula is similar to that of the debut: hard rock mixed with power pop, and its share of syrupy ballads. It may rock a little harder (in places) than Love Junk, but, sadly, the quotient of outstanding songs is considerably lower on here. I would call TDR a pleasantly mediocre record, being quite listenable but seriously lacking in great material.
There is one knock-out, incredible track on the album, that being the opening song (after a brief intro), "Cigarette Dangles." It's a hammering rocker with momentum-building verses and one of the catchiest choruses you'll ever hear in your life, seriously. Incidentally, the video of the song was featured on an episode of Beavis and Butthead; I don't remember the morons having an opinion of the song, I simply recall that they were quite amused when Moe Berg sang, "Cigarette Dangles, makes me hard." The other real highlight is the following track, "Nobody But Me," which includes a nice, abrasive main riff and these funky drum-and-bass-lead verses. On this song, you'll note that Berg's lyrics are especially provocative sexually on this album: "Who's gonna kiss you between the legs like I do/Who's gonna bite your ankles and your knees." However, the song is actually an endearing narrative about a man who loves his girlfriend unconditionally and will do anything for her, even though she cheats on him.
Apart from those two songs, it becomes difficult to single out high and low points because of the overall average feel of the album. I find the warm power pop of "In Her Dreams" to rise slightly above everything else. At least there's a little diversity to appreciate on here. "The Downward Road [Intro]" is a refreshingly short snippet of old school, minimalist bar blues; "The Downward Road [Revisited]" is a decent blusey rocker. "Forbidden World" is fun because it's heavy and dark, and "Crashing Down" is a funky, Living Colour-style rocker that humorously portrays a jerk squandering his money in bars in an effort to score. That's an excessively detailed description of the high points. I consider the ballads "Pressing Lips" and "Heavy Metal Tears" relative lows because of their boring qualities and overly sappy lyrics. And the closer "Terrified" is merely a dreary, melancholy rocker. TDR is fair, like I said, but primarily only suited for fans of Berg's wry observations about sex - it's worth the price for "Cigarette Dangles" along, but you can acquire that song, along with "Nobody But Me," on their compilation disc.
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