Marshall Crenshaw - The Best of Marshall Crenshaw: This Is Easy

Marshall Crenshaw never again scored the commercial success he saw with his acclaimed 1982 self-titled debut, but he kept the knack for writing melodically rich, evocative, touching songs. Culled from releases over a 15-year period (from the explosive '81 single "Something's Gonna Happen" to the fine Miracle of Science), This Is Easy leans heavily toward the pensive side of Crenshaw's oeuvre. Whether nicking an old B.B. King album title ("Blues Is King") for a generalized lament or facing specific questions raised by the everyday ("You Should've Been There," "Better Back Off"), Crenshaw always offers a riff, a hooky chorus, and a thoughtful outlook to ensure each of these songs their long lives. With many of their source albums out of print, This Is Easy fills a real void. --Rickey Wright Amazon.com

Solid Compliation

Marshall Crenshaw does make it seem easy, doesn't he? His songwriting and lyrical abilities complement each other fine and the result is work that always seems fresh and original...no matter how many times I listen. I tnink the fact that he is able to deliver a pop-rock sound with substance and a signature sound is what separates him from his peers. This compilation exhibits this and further adds fuel to the Crenshaw reputation that still is prominate in musically educated circles. August 19, 2006

Best stuff on his first two albums

This disc reveals clearly that Crenshaw shot his creative wad on his first two albums, "Marshall Crenshaw" and "Field Day." After that he maintained his pleasant and distinctive sound, but the songs were mostly echoes. The songs from those early discs deserve 4 and 5 stars, but the rest get 1 or 2 stars. December 27, 2004

The Album I'd Take to a Desert Island

There are very few albums that I would label as "must haves." "This is Easy" is one of them.

The word "underappreciated" is tossed around all the time in regards to Crenshaw. I don't think this word fairly applies. I think that the people who've heard his music appreciate it a great deal. "Underheard" is probably a better choice of adjective.

As it says in the liner notes for "This is Easy," it is almost a crime that Crenshaw's work didn't get played on the radio, or MTV or - well - much of anywhere. His songs are catchy, his lyrics earnest without seeming dopey and his musicianship first class. Perhaps his sound was just too "old fashioned" for the New Wave '80s and Grunge '90s, but I propose that his work has stood the test of time much better than many of the bands with whom he competed for airplay.

Hats off to you, Marshall. June 20, 2004

This is easy, easy music to love

THIS IS EASY is a way above average greatest hits collection, for the simple reason that Marshall Crenshaw has been one of the finest writer/performers of the past twenty years. Beginning with his stunning debut album MARSHALL CRENSHAW, in 1982, he has produced a string of first rate albums filled with superb songs, the vast majority written by Crenshaw, with an occasionally gem by someone else, like the incredible "I'm Sorry (And So Is Brenda Lee)," written by Ben Vaughan.

The bulk of the great songs come from Crenshaw's first three extraordinary albums (all well worth owning) the eponymous first album (1982), FIELD DAY (1983), and DOWNTOWN (1985). Over half the album derives from these three albums. These contain what is arguably the best pop rock produced by any American performer in the early 1980s. I've played the album for friends who were only slightly familiar with Crenshaw, and while they recognized and liked the songs, I have wondered why they weren't far more widely known than they are.

I have become increasingly convinced that record companies play no useful role in a society where methods of music distribution have changed so dramatically. If one could eliminate the record companies, eliminate monopolies like Clear Channel (the first of these is inevitable, the second unfortunately not), perhaps talent rather than hype and promotion and the monopolization of the airwaves would determine whether or not performers would rise to the top. There are literally hundreds of bands and musicians who have been forced down our throats because the record companies have built them up and then overexposed them. Meanwhile, first-rate talents like Marshall Crenshaw don't receive the hype, and don't get the exposure that they deserve. The record companies and the monopolies don't deserve to control the airwaves if for no other reason than the fact that they have done such a miserable job of promoting talent.

In a better world, where talent determined whether or not someone's music was widely heard, Marshall Crenshaw would have been huge. This isn't a hard conclusion at which to arrive. In fact, it is easy. February 14, 2004

This Is....great songwriting

Like so many "smart songwriters" in the world of rocking pop music (think John Hiatt, Clive Gregson, Dwight Twilley, Tim and Neil Finn, etc), Marshall Crenshaw never seemed to get the total respect due him. Sure, he's had some breaks. Not everyone gets their songs covered by Bette Midler or gets featured in a few big budget Hollywood movies. Or for that matter, even gets to crack the top 40 at all, as Crenshaw did with "Someday Someway." It's just that musically, Crenshaw released a perfect debut to critical raves and pop success, then saw it slowly recede as he released solid albums year after year. While I am fortunate to have most of the original CDs, most of them are out of print. Most aren't even listed on Amazon as available used!

So then as usual, it's Rhino to the rescue. Gathering 22 songs from the albums up to "Miracle of Science" must have been a daunting task. After all, how could you choose what to include and omit? While I do agree that some of his later day albums get the short shrift (especially "Life's Too Short"), there is hardly a song here that I can't listen to over and over again. Like the modern day Buddy Holly he is, Crenshaw blends both a certain innocence and naivete with world weary charm, perhaps best exemplified by "This Is Easy" and "Cynical Girl."

Go ahead, just try and listen to the CD and NOT go around with at least one of the hooks bubbling around in your head for the next 36 hours. From the rockabilly shake of that first single, "Something's Gonna Happen," to the closing beauty of "Starless Summer Sky," this is pop with bits so catchy you'll think something is stuck to your shoe. Even his cover selections (Hiatt's "Somewhere Love Can't Find Me," Ben Vaughn's "I'm Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee)") show the kind of affection for sophisticated pop music that would glut the radio if there were any justice in the world.

I really can't think of anything bad to say about this CD, other than the fact that I want "This is Easy, Too" to eventually show up. "Fantastic Planet Of Love," "Hold It," "Rocking Around in NYC," "Steel Strings," "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" (from "La Bamba"), "She Hates to Go Home," "Valerie," "Some Hearts," etc. etc...........how about it Rhino? February 2, 2004

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