Record of the Week is here with another selection from the Randomizer. This week, it's serving up a 1991 release by a Canadian band, The Ghosts That Haunt Me, by the Crash Test Dummies. This 2019 reissue is on my turntable as I type this.
I seem to remember Crash Test Dummies (CTD, going forward) being listed in Rolling Stone's Bands to Watch or Buzz Bands or whatever the new music column was called. On the strength of that write-up, I bought the CD, most likely at Tower Records. It was pretty much love at first listen.
This is not a drop-dead OMG-you-have-to-hear-this-now type of album. But this is a very good, kinda folk-rock album. The music and production still stand up now, 35 years later. And Brad Robert's voice is just the icing on the cake. I still enjoy listening to this album, it's kinda why I picked up this reissue. Musically, it sounds like it could have been recorded in the past year. The lyrics are quirky and humorous. Songs like Comin' Back Soon, Superman's Song, Thick-Necked Man, and At My Funeral are all delivered with a wink. They're also able to tap into something heartfelt like in Winter Song, The Country Life, and The Voyage. They also throw in an excellent cover of The Replacements' Androgynous.
Also, Ellen Reid's backup vocals really shine on this album, and I know she plays multiple instruments on the record. Not long after the album was released, I remember my then-girlf and I went to see CTD at The Stone in SF. The girlf was surprised to see a woman in the band doing so much (it was 1991, come on). In addition to her singing, Ellen Reid was all over the place, switching instruments and just generally killing it on stage. Girlf was impressed and inspired, The Ghosts That Haunt Me became one of her fave albums and she started listening to a lot more girl and girl-fronted bands from there on out.
In any case, if you're interested, this album is an underrated and solid listen. Well worth tracking down. Go forth.