TS-The Music

"John invents a new bass line every time we play. That's our whole job, just making things up"

"The stage would emanate exuberance and the concerts would have a luminous half-life"

"Graveyard holds a special place in my ears"

"My favorite live song to see was always The Slacks. There was nothing like John, Dan and Matt trading verses and doin' that funky dance! Priceless!"

APPLEHEAD MAN

Trip Shakespeare, Vol 1
Elaine Harris Drums/ John Munson Bass/ Matt Wilson Guitar, Vocals
1986 by Gark Records
Produced: Jay Leigh at Gark Studio, Minneapolis
Art Direction, Lettering: Dan Picasso/ Photography: Kelly Jo Johnson
Type: Great Faces/ Circleflex: Great Heads

Trip Shakespeare is an enigma. While their intense, theatrical live show has won over a legion of Middle Earth (i.e. Midwest) fans, the band hasn't been able to get the same peace-love-and-acid feel on their independent records. Now on the label of Herb Alpert, the Merry Tripsters along with producer Fred Maher (Lloyd Cole, Information Society) have finally given us a piece of their soul on vinyl with memorable ditties, heavenly harmonizing and psychedelic melodies. They still haven't matched the vision of their knock-out live perfomances, but songs like "Snow Days" have a dreamy texture and wild spoken-word lines like: "Mrs. Braintree, you're a chilly northern woman/Go home from yonder bus stop/Because there's a blessing on the ground." The Minneapolis quartet also shines on the upeat "Turtledove," the tongue-in-cheek "Drummer Like Me" and the catchy first single, "The Crane."

" "Do you remember? Do you recall?" are the words emblazoned on the inner sleeve, taken from the title track of Trip Shakespeare's fourth album, second for A & M. While many people might equate that longing for the past to the retro '60's attitude the Minneapolis quartet has been infamous for, in this instance it's part of a suite of songs all dedicated to lost love. It's a sad, old story: Songwriter/guitarist/pianist Matt Wilson points at a lovelorn lady (So you search the neighborhood/Actually the neighborhood bar"), woos her ("Your mouth is my apartment in the evening/And I sleep in a ruby dark bed") and inevitably helps her out the door ("I'm a helper to my own fate/I've come to help you move"). While the band has always been lauded for its costumed, er, trippy live shows, the recordings always seemed second-tier; rather than try to match that energy, Lulu succeeds on its own terms - a well-written, sprawling lover's lament that draws on 60's harmonies and images rather than acting as a time warp. Top Trips: the catchy "Bachelorette", "Your Mouth", "Patricia", "Down My Block" and the wildlife sample at the end.

~From the pages of the CMJ New Music Report, Issue: 253-Sep20, 1991

What's So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding?
Nick Lowe/Plangent visions Music/ASCAP

*The Ballad of El Goodo
Chris Bell/Alex Chilton/Irving Music & Ardent/Koala Music/ASCAP

In 1989 Matt, John and Dan sang backup vocals on Matthew Sweet's Earth Cd. If you listen very closely, you may hear an occasional 'la la la" or "ooh ooh ooh". Thanks Elaine!

In 1992 Trip Shakespeare contributed an enchanting version of "Go All The Way" on 20 More Explosive Fantastic Rockin' Mega Smash Hit Explosions!

TRIP SHAKESPEARE

THE MUSIC

APPLEHEAD MAN

ARE YOU SHAKESPEARIENCED?

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

LULU

VOLT