VARIOUS ARTISTS The Now Wave Sampler (Columbia Records AE7-1187 white-label promo, 1979)
First, allow me to point out that this is a special “33 & 1/3” edition of 45 RPM, as the 7-inch platter I’m dissecting this week plays at the slower speed, for the purpose of accomodating four full-length tracks. That said, this is an exciting little slab of plastic from a bygone (but very fun) era, when the loose, decadent Jimmy Carter-late-’70’s hadn’t yet slipped into the buttoned-up, tight-assed Ronald Reagan-early-’80’s. I was old enough to enjoy it, and young enough not to have any serious responsibilities weighing me down, so I spent just about every weekday afternoon, and every Saturday, rain or shine, down at my neighborhood record shop. (A what what, now?) Well, sonny boy, I guess you just had to be there.
This series caused me quite a few headaches. I mean, how in the world was I going to pick ONE shoulda-been-a-hit song out of all the albums that I’ve digested over the years? When I first put pen to paper, I was going to go for the okey-doke and pick one of the million Michael Jackson or Prince songs that weren’t released as singles. Then I changed my mind and decided to go for something a little off the beaten path, like “Shiver” from Coldplay. Finally, I decided to settle on Wheel, for the simple fact that it’s probably the song that affects me most emotionally.
John Mayer gets a bad rap. Maybe he started his career off as a Dave Matthews clone (and there’s nothing wrong with that-I love Dave), but at this point in the game, there’s no comparison between the two at all. While I roll my eyes at the Hollywood starlet-dating tabloid-friendly side of John, his music is good enough that I’ll forgive the obvious fact that he revels in being a “star” and enjoys all the trappings that come with.
Wheel is the final track from his excellent sophomore album, Heavier Things,and it’s based on a simple premise that I learned nearly twenty years ago from my 8th grade teacher, Mr. Waxman. If you put good in (or, in this case, love) it will eventually come back to you. It’s acted as a soothing balm during times of disappointment and heartbreak, and also keeps me firm in the belief that even goodbyes don’t necessarily last forever.
If you never stop when you say goodbye/Give it time, you just might find/You will wave hello again
It’s a little hokey, sure, but how many of us base our life philosophies on hokiness? I’d be willing to bet that most of us do.
Wheel is a pretty lengthy acoustic ballad, and I’m not 100% sure it would have even been a radio hit had it been released, but then again I never figured Daughters (probably the worst song on Heavier Things) to be a huge hit either, much less a Grammy-winning Song of the Year. The imagery used in this song is almost cinematic, and I would’ve loved to have seen a video for Wheel. As it stands, though, it’s a forgotten album track buried at the end of John Mayer’s second album, and although I think the chance may have been missed to make this song a hit, that’s OK, because I can imagine the song is my little secret. Well, after I write this, it probably won’t be as much of a secret anymore, but you get what I’m saying, right?
Columbia Records, methinks you missed out on a smash…or at least the opportunity to have John Mayer viewed as a stellar songwriter a short time before everyone caught on.
My intros suck…I’m still looking for guests for this column. Don’t be shy! I want to know what’s in your music collections! Anyhow, let’s continue moving through mine.
1) Not for You by Pearl Jam: The Vitalogy album kinda marked the beginning of the “OK, Eddie Vedder, you’re trying a little too hard to be aloof and counter-culture” period. I remember seeing him on the Grammys one year after he won the award and he said something like (I’m paraphrasing, forgive me) “We don’t understand the meaning of shows like this” or some crap like that, and I was like “then WHY are you here accepting an award?”. Sheesh. Anyway, great song, pretty good album. I love Vedder when he screams. He’s actually got a very soulful voice. I miss my copy of Vitalogy on vinyl.
I say Eddie, Dave Grohl and Chris Cornell challenge one another to a scream-off.
