Bands of the 1980s: The Call (Michael Been)
The first time I heard the band The Call, it was a tape of Modern Romans (1983) that my friend Sue lent to me. The tune you are listening to now, if you pressed play above, is “The walls came down” from that second album (and, yes, that is Garth Hudson, seated, on keyboards). I remember thinking how raw, direct, and (often) angry the album sounded, and I was intrigued enough to start listening to more (I was about 16 at the time).
I still listen to The Call’s albums and wonder why it is that, unlike some of their contemporaries, the band has been largely forgotten. Clearly they were talented, and their brand of alternative rock involved an interesting combination of musical influences. They also evolved over their career, shifting from this more basic and direct sound to a more mature and well-constructed musical style.
There were also clear signs that a good number of musicians appreciated The Call. Peter Gabriel liked them enough to ask them to open for his “Shock the monkey” tour, as the Wikipedia article points out. Gabriel, Bono of U2, and Jim Kerr of Simple Minds all offered backing vocals on certain albums. Garth Hudson of The Band played keyboards on the
first few albums, and Robbie Robertson played guitars on the Reconciled (1986) album, which is among the best contributions of The Call.
The album Modern Romans (1983 [out of print and never released on CD]) was a politically charged album about the decadence and decline of western society using the image of debauched Romans (see cover) as the analogy. As a student of the Roman empire, I would not exactly subscribe to this picture of the actual Romans (see the post Golden rule: Do unto others according to the “pagans” or Apart from vomitoriums and orgies, what did the Romans do for us?). But as an album concept and critique of western society, it works. The song you are listening to offers a critique of militarism and Cold War politics in particular with an allusion to the falling walls of Jericho built into the song title and chorus:
Well they blew the horns
And the walls came down.
They’d all been warned
But the walls came down.
I don’t think there are any Russians
There ain’t no Yanks
Just corporate criminals
Playin’ with tanks.
(by Michael Been, 1983)
Although the first three albums have not been released on CD and are out of print, The Walls Came Down: The Best of the Mercury Years (out of print), which can still be found, gathers together the best of these first three.
After a slightly disappointing synthesizer-heavy Scene Beyond Dreams (1984), several excellent albums were to follow beginning with Reconciled (1986) with the better known “Everywhere I go”. There is a sense in which this album represents the maturation of the band. The quieter and more atmospheric Into the Woods (1987) is also a favourite of mine. The lyrics here are still quite serious, intense, and, at times, introspective, as in “It could have been me”:
It could have been me
Lying in that jungle
Out in that heat
Fighting for my life
Dying for nothin’
Feeling a bullet
enter my soul
It could have been me
It could have been me
It could have been me
Living in that prison
Locked in a cage
Damning the walls
Damn the division
Wondering why it had to be me
Well, it could have been you. . .
(by Michael Been, 1987 Neeb Music / Tarka Music).
The follow-up, Let the Day Begin (1989) brought the band momentarily into the spotlight with the title-track, which was number one for a while. However, I find the final album of this era, Red Moon (1990), among the best by this largely forgotten band.
June 5th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
I LOVE this band. A friend had Reconciled and we played it over and over and over. I have 5 of their albums. (3 on vinyl.)
June 6th, 2008 at 1:26 am
Im 59, probably one of the oldest fan of the Call. Ive seen the Call 7 times live at a small club at the coach house in san juan cap calif. they were great.When the call did when the walls came down it must have been over ten minetes long. Michael been has a lot of charisma, so does the rest of the band.Does anyone know what the members of the call are doing these days? Please let me know, Kevin
June 29th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
The Call has always been one of my most very favorite bands. I started college in 1980, and saw them live once in springfield, missouri, and still tell people it is probably the best live show i’ve ever seen by a rock and roll band. and i’ve seen over 200 shows through the last thirty years (i’m 46 now).
The albums ‘Reconciled,’ ‘Modern Romans,” “Into the Woods” hold a very special place in my heart, as I felt I was one of only a handful of people in the world who knew about this band, and it created a very tight and bonding atmosphere to be at their shows.
One thing that I completely agree with in your post is the mystery over why they’ve nearly been forgotten entirely. I saw a picture of Michael Been recently, with white hair, troublingly overweight, and working as live sound engineer for his son’s band, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (who are also one of my favorite bands). While I’d like to think this is a love gesture and legacy from a deeply talented father to a deeply talented son, I can’t help but think it’s also a depressing outcome for a songwriter and band who was a complete equal to the best of the 80’s arena bands.
July 27th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Hello Mark,
Thanks for posting these comments.
Phil