Welcome to Butch Walker Week at Rant n’ Rave With John Nagle. I know what you are thinking, “John, isn’t every week Butch Walker Week for you?” Just about, except I don’t get to see him live every week. In celebration of his gig at the 9:30 Club, I am going to give you a crash course in Butch Walker fandom. Welcome to the fold.
I’m going to start with The Marvelous 3, because for me, that’s when Butch really became Butch. His songwriting talent really came to the forefront. The Floyds have their merits, but Butch really spread his wings with The Marvies.
The Marvelous 3 are:
Butch Walker- vocals, guitar
Jayce Fincher- bass, backup vocals
Mitch “Slug” McLee- drums
Math and Other Problems, Deep South Records 1997
The first Marvelous 3 album, released independently in 1997. The Floyds had just broken up, and The Marvelous 3 rose from its ashes. Some fans claim that this is the best record the band ever made. I disagree. It’s a great album, but the band was trying to find their sound. Butch was still trying to find his voice as a songwriter. The Elvis Costello influence is overt, especially in “In the Beginning of Relationships.” Butch’s talent was coming into view though. “Appetite,” “Leopard Print” and “The Last Sleep” hint at the greatness yet to come.
Key Tracks: “Appetite,” “The Last Sleep,” “Leopard Print”
Hey!Album, Elektra Records 1999
The Marvies’ major-label debut. Hey!Album is my favorite Marvelous 3 album and one of my top ten records of all time. The thing that makes Hey! so special is that it’s a very dark record. On the surface, it seems like a bright, peppy slice of power pop. The guitars are fuzzy and happy, the choruses soar and the harmonies are tight. The lyrics tell a different story. Hey is a breakup album, and underneath the treacle lies bitterness and pain. On “You’re So Yesterday,” Butch promised himself on New Year’s Day that he would wash his ex away. However, she keeps creeping up. On “Every Monday,” he still thinks of her. On “Write it On Your Hand,” she keeps calling him giving him hell about stupid things. He makes several pleas for her to let him go, but keeps crawling back. The band balances out the heavier emotional moments with lighter ones. “Freak of the Week,” the band’s only hit single, is a catchy little number about the fickle nature of stardom. “Vampires in Love” is a sweet song about teenage romance, and “Indie Queen” has a nice Wall-of-Sound effect. One of the things that makes it so special is the pacing. The band balanced the fast songs and the slower songs perfectly. Take “Mrs. Jackson,” a slightly paranoid song about lust. They follow it with “Vampires in Love,” so the mood doesn’t get too somber. There’s not a bum song in the bunch. It’s a forgotten classic of the decade.
Key Tracks: “Every Monday,” “Mrs. Jackson,” “Vampires in Love”
ReadySexGo!, Elektra Records 2000
ReadySexGo is the Marvies’ third and final album. This is the Marvelous 3’s unabashed love letter to cock rock. From the opening riff of “Little Head” to the bombastic “Cigarette Lighter Love Song,” it never stops. Many fans prefer it to Hey! I love ReadySexGo!, but there are a few songs that don’t really work. “Sugarbuzz” tries a little too hard to be ironic and the melody of “Supernatural Blonde” never really clicks. However, the good moments are exceptional. “Beautiful” is one of the best songs Butch has ever written, and I’m surprised it hasn’t entered his solo setlist. “Radio Tokyo” is pure pomp rock from beginning to end. “This Time” contains one of my favorite lines ever: “Your eyes are blue and starry with your hand on a Ferarri.” The final “nah-nah-nahs” in Radio Tokyo don’t ask you to put your fist in the air, they force you. It should have been the biggest rock record of 2000, but Elektra didn’t know what to do with them. Rather than be slaves to the label, the Marvelous 3 broke up, leaving Butch Walker to begin his journey as a solo artist.
Key Tracks: “Radio Tokyo,” “Beautiful,” “Cigarette Lighter Love Song”
Tomorrow we will tackle Butch’s solo debut, Left of Self-Centered.