One of the most overlooked and underrated albums to emerge from the
Feelies
universe,
Yung Wu
's
Shore Leave
ranks highly in the group's oeuvre, at least the equal of and in some ways superior to the three albums the
released under their own name between 1985 and 1991.
was led by singer/songwriter
Dave Weckerman
, who had been the drummer in the
' first lineup before being replaced by
Anton Fier
. Backed by
Glenn Mercer
and
Bill Million
on guitars (they also produced the album),
John Baumgartner
on keyboards,
Brenda Sauter
on bass, and
Stanley Demeski
on drums,
Weckerman
finds a midway point between the mellow, twangy rootiness of contemporaneous
records like
Only Life
and the more tightly wound jangle of 1980's
Crazy Rhythms
. Resulting songs like the title track,
"Spinning,"
and the quietly tense
"Return to Zion"
are archetypal examples of the Hoboken sound that was a mainstay of late-'80s college radio. The album's three covers --
Neil Young
"Powderfinger,"
the
Rolling Stones
'
"Child of the Moon,"
"Big Day,"
a
Brian Eno
song that originally appeared on
Phil Manzanera
's solo album
Diamond Head
-- were proudly uncool by 1987 terms, which of course only makes them cooler.
was largely ignored at the time, selling fewer than 5,000 copies all told, but it's a minor classic of '80s jangle pop ripe for rediscovery. Although never released on CD at the time (in 1987, a lot of indies were still sticking exclusively to vinyl and cassettes),
is one of many classic out of print albums on the
Twin/Tone
Coyote
labels now available on custom-burned CDs through the
website. ~ Stewart Mason