Crime and Punishment Down in Tucson

It's the usual story.

This time I'm shelving CDs and lo and behold!, there is one in my hand I recall from years ago.  I pause and say, "Awe, gee, that was a good album."  Then it occurs to me that this record, Wrong Way Up by Brian Eno & John Cale, is forever relevant to those of us living here in the Old Pueblo, if only for the opening line from the ninth track on the disc, "Crime In The Desert":

"Crime and punishment down in Tucson
Back to normal in the sun."

Then I take a closer look and I realize this is a remastered version which includes material not available on the original release back in 1990.  At this point Wrong Way Up becomes a blog item....


Back when it was first released, over 20 years ago, this album was a bolt out of the blue for fans of Brian Eno's ambient electronics and John Cale's avant garde storytelling.  Originally a member of UK's glam rock outfit Roxy Music, Eno left that group in the early 1970s to pursue a solo career which has only occasionally hinted at pop music.  More commonly, Eno's solo records have been electronic soundscapes, including lengthy meditations (such as Neroli, Thursday Afternoon or Music For Airports) running over seventy minutes in duration.  Eno's also released albums comprised of shorter, more abrasive and experimental music such as On Land, The Drop or Spinner.  The few moments of pop music in his catalog have been more quirky than otherwise (for example, "King's Lead Hat," a jaunty bit of alternative pop/rock whose title is an anagram of Talking Heads). 

John Cale first appeared in the 1960s as a member of the Velvet Underground, playing viola with Andy Wharhol's proto-punk rock and folk outfit led by Lou Reed.  Although Cale left the VU after just a couple albums, his contributions remain indelible.  From the screeching electrified viola in "Heroin" and "Venus In Furs," to his deadpan narration of a most unsettling tale of misguided love in "The Gift," John Cale provided much of the early artistic force behind the VU.  After he left the Velvets, Cale released a number of albums in the 1970s and 1980s, all of which receded immediately upon release into avant garde obscurity.  However, Cale also became a noteworthy producer during that time, working with left field rock acts like the Stooges, Patti Smith, Modern Lovers, and Nico.

With this backdrop, the congenial, easily accessible character of Cale and Eno's collaboration was indeed a surprise in 1990.  Years later, Wrong Way Up has stood the test of time quite well, offering a collection of catchy and thought-provoking tunes well worth your time.  Several of the songs on the album are positive toe-tappers, with "One Word," "Lay My Love" and "Spinning Away" all offering an almost top 40 sound free of fluff and cliche.  "Been There, Done That" holds the odd distinction of being the only Brian Eno track to ever make it onto the Billboard charts here in the U.S. 

Throughout Wrong Way Up the vocal and melodic hooks are strong, the top-notch session musicians provide a tight and well-arranged backing, while the production and mix are clear with plenty of depth.  "In The Backroom" and "Cordoba" present Cale again as a storyteller, but unlike the Velvet's "Gift," there's nothing as freaky as the fate of Waldo Jefferson in these still-compelling tales of smuggling operations and secret meetings.  Internet legend has it that "Cordoba" was inspired by Hayao Miyazaki's children's film "My Neighbor Totoro," as sweet an animated film as one is likely to ever see.  The closing track from the original release, "The River" features Brian's brother Roger on keyboards, with the two Enos employing big suspended chords to sweep the listener away down the stream. 

And "Crime In The Desert"?  While the music is a joyous romp propelled by an almost barrelhouse piano/rock groove, the lyrics one hears as you bop along actually bring us back to the realm of the spooky John Cale lyric.  A journey among some landmarks of Tucson's pop culture past, "Crime In The Desert" takes us from a drive-in movie theatre to a racetrack (from the De Anza to Greyhound Park?), where we witness the remains of foul play, with a phone number written in a notebook found on the body.  These clues lead us to another crime scene, in which a woman was shown "a bad time" by assailants more interested in her mind than body, "so they took her ideas and they left her behind."  Like I said, it's the realm of the spooky John Cale lyric.  Catchy though, and good for homesick Tucsonans wandering far afield.

The bonus tracks on the album are a couple of former b-side singles, including an subdued cover of William Bell's 1970s soul classic "You Don't Miss Your Water", and an oddity called "Palanquin".

You can reserve your copy of Wrong Way Up from the Pima County Public Library today with a click here:

Wrong Way Up.