Eddie Schwartz “No Refuge”

This record came out in 1981, in an uncomfortable space between classic rock and new wave—which reminds me of people like Graham Parker and Joe Jackson and Herman Brood & his Wild Romance—nothing wrong with all that stuff, I just can’t listen to it. All I know is when I see any date after the mid-Seventies, the odds grow exponentially greater, the later it is, that it’s going to be unlistenable. The title song does sound like it could have been the title track for a movie with Rob Lowe and Demi Moore, thus adding, at least, an element of comic relief. A quick glace at the internet tells me that’s just my imagination, but also that Eddie Schwartz wrote Pat Benatar’s 1980 single “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”—a song that always made me uncomfortable—but it’s catchy, famous, part of the larger culture—so that’s impressive. His voice reminds me of someone, but I can’t place it—it’s an interesting voice. He’s Canadian, and I’m guessing you could have seen some energetic live show back when the record came out—if I was there in the club, in close proximity with a woman I had a crush on, was 21, and drank enough Crown Royal, I might have gotten emotional over songs like, “Spirit of the Night,” “Tonight,” “Heart on Fire,” “Auction Block,” and “All Our Tomorrows.”

John D. Loudermilk “Suburban Attitudes in Country Verse”

I’d heard of John D. Loudermilk, as a songwriter, though I don’t recall when or where, but that’s a good last name for remembering. He’s was roughly my parents’ age, and he recorded a few records in the Sixties. I don’t remember offhand where I got this album, but it’s got an intriguing cover. At first glance it looks like something the library might file under “educational.” But when you look more closely, besides the really nice guitar and ridiculously ornate music stand, you might notice a filtered cigarette burning down in a glass ashtray, a half glass of beer, and a bottle opener hanging by a string from the music stand. On back there’s some extensive liner note, written by John D. Loudermilk—he really went to town with the the old typewriter. He’s talking at length about living in Brentwood—I’m assuming the one in Tennessee—and how “country people” are “different”—it’s fun to read. Musically, this is the kind of folk music that doesn’t do much for me. It just kind of drifts by, and if I try to concentrate on it, I’ll soon find myself engaged in something else, like cleaning, or planning my escape. I’d be interested to hear his other records, though. Anyone who writes a song called “Bubble, Please Break” is okay with me.