March

If you haven't heard it, "March" is very possibly one of the best American pop records ever made. I have listened to it at least once a week since it came out twelve years ago. It's catchy as hell, smart without being fey, and the production and arrangements are really unique.So what happened? It was released at the wrong time. In 1989, popular music was an unsightly mess. When "Free for All" came out in 1992, it was too little too late. Grunge had arrived, and nobody wanted to hear literate and pensive songwriter.Still, "March" was on the charts for a time, mostly on the heels of a great video for "No Myth" (a song Paul McCartney would kill to write, I'm sure) and through word-of-mouth. There's not a bad song in the bunch. "No Myth" is upbeat and catchy and somehow larger than life, yet it's got a sarcastic streak a mile wide. Ballads like "Invisible" and "Battle Room" go beyond sad into tragic, and "Evenfall" closes out the album with real style. This was one of the great records of the '90's.On the strength of "March" alone, you should own this, especially since it and "Free for All," the follow-up have both been out of print forever. "Free for All" isn't quite the album that "March" was, but it's still quite good. The only real dud is "By the Book," and although nothing on here is quite as instantly memorable as the first record, it's quite good. Whereas "March" plumbed some pretty unpleasant depths with a brave and deceptively happy face, "Free for All" just stays down there. It's dark, and at times morbid and depressing, but it's so well done that it never gets boring.My only gripe is with the packaging. For space considerations, "Now We're Even" (the closing track from Free for All) has been axed. Both albums should have been reissued separately at midprice with their original cover art instead of this. The remaster is okay if barely noticable, but in spots the sound is a little claustrophobic.Still, both records are classics, and it's nice to see them back in print.

When Michael Penn made his break-through into the music world, it was more than just a breath of fresh air. Here was an artist doing unplugged music but it was his own signature music. He was courageous for being original and it may have marked a real transition. He was so poetic and sincere in his lyrics. And the music was not overly complicated. It had a certain clairty to it. The meaning of his songs are self-evident and ever-present. Transporting the mainstream back to a time when music was not made for glory and fame but when art was made for the sake of being art. What else would you expect from an artist from of all places: Greenwich village.

Michael Penn, perhaps once better known as Sean Penn's brother, had a smash debut with March in the late eighties. What is remarkable listening once again to this gem of an album is how well it ages. There are other albums from the late eighties that one can listen to that identify themselves as artifacts of their time; not so March. Of course there was "No Myth," the signature tune that got so much airplay that everyone was asking "Who is this guy?" While "No Myth" is certainly a standout it is by no means the only good song on the CD. "Cupid's Got a Brand New Gun," "Long Way Down," and "This and That" are other favorites. There are some songs that are not as strong, but there is really no dud on the album. Check it out and rediscover the awesome talent that is Michael Penn.

This record stands the test of time. The songwriting is strong and the production quality is outstanding. Michael Penn's voice is capable of expressing lyrical sweetness and raw, even bitter and bluesy pain.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Brings back college memories.

finally bought this after 25 years of wanting it.

this cd will allways remind me of david welch and the 80s will buy it agian