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Crazy Rhythms is the debut studio album by American rock band The Feelies. It was released in the United Kingdom on February 29, 1980,[1] and in the United States in April 1980, through record label Stiff. Its fusion of post-punk and jangle pop was influential on the forthcoming alternative rock genre, with R.E.M., among others, citing the album as an influence. Although it was not commercially successful initially, it has remained critically lauded in the decades since its release.

Crazy Rhythms
Studio album by The Feelies
Released	February 29, 1980
Recorded	1979
Studio	Vanguard Studios, New York, United States
Genre	Post-punk jangle pop college rock
Length	43:04
Language	English
Label	Stiff
Producer	Bill Million Glenn Mercer Mark Abel
The Feelies chronology
Crazy Rhythms (1980) The Good Earth (1986)

Background

On the album, band member Glenn Mercer has said "The sound we were after was a reaction against the punk scene [...] Being a little older, we felt it had all been done before. We wanted the guitars to be cleaner, and we started experimenting with a lot of percussion."[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The A.V. Club	A[4]
Christgau's Record Guide	A−[5]
The Guardian	[6]
Mojo	[7]
Pitchfork	9.1/10[8]
PopMatters	9/10[9]
Rolling Stone	[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[11]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	10/10[12]

Although not commercially popular upon release, Crazy Rhythms was a critical success, placing at number 17 in The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll, beating out such notable critics' favorites as David Bowie's Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), Joy Division's Closer, The Rolling Stones's Emotional Rescue and The Specials' debut album.[13] David Hepworth, in Smash Hits, wrote that the band "have the power to really draw you into their strange little suburban world."[14]

In their retrospective review, The Guardian called Crazy Rhythms "one of those albums during whose course you hear the most exciting sound in music: things changing."[6] Rolling Stone branded it "a landmark of jangly, guitar-driven avant-pop, and its shimmering sound can still be heard in bands like R.E.M."[2] PopMatters wrote that the album "stands as a wildly inventive and influential record that stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the best music of the American post-punk era. With their very first album, The Feelies managed to speak directly to the zeitgeist of the American independent underground without becoming overexposed or repetitive."[9] Tiny Mix Tapes wrote, "Crazy Rhythms, released in April 1980 amongst a veritable shitstorm of like-minded groups, stands grinning madly at the top of the pile – a shining monument to new wave at its quirky best."[15]

Crazy Rhythms was ranked number 49 in Rolling Stone's list of the 100 best albums of the 1980s,[2] and number 69 on Pitchfork's list.[16] In 2020, Rolling Stone included Crazy Rhythms in their "80 Greatest albums of 1980" list.[17]

In September 2009 the album was performed live in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties-curated Don't Look Back series.

Track listing

Release history

The first release on CD was in Germany and the United States in 1986. A&M Records released the album on CD in 1990 with a bonus track, a cover of The Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black". The track was recorded in 1990 without Fier or DeNunzio.

Bar/None Records reissued Crazy Rhythms on 8 September 2009, while Domino Records reissued the album outside of the U.S. and Canada.

Personnel

• Anton Fier – drums, tom-toms, pipe, cowbell (except on "Paint It Black")
• Stanley Demeski – drums on "Paint It Black"
• Glenn Mercer – lead, rhythm, 12-string and bowed guitars; vocals; keyboards; temple block; shaker; claves; maracas; bell; castanets; reverbed sticks; shoes; drums; coat rack
• Bill Million – lead, rhythm, and acoustic guitars; vocals; timbales; sandpaper; claves; can; tom-tom; snare; cowbell; shaker; shoes, temple blocks; tambourine; boxes; and bells
• Keith De Nunzio – bass guitar, snare drum, tom-toms, wood block, pipe, bell, and background vocals (except on "Paint It Black")
• Brenda Sauter – bass guitar, background vocals on "Paint It Black"
• Dave Weckerman – percussion on "Paint It Black"

Influence of cover

The cover to Weezer's first album (1994) has been frequently compared to Crazy Rhythms.[18]

References

External links

• Crazy Rhythms at Discogs (list of releases)

На других языках

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- [en] Crazy Rhythms

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[ru] Crazy Rhythms

Crazy Rhythms (рус. Сумасшедшие ритмы) — дебютный студийный альбом американской группы the Feelies, вышедший в 1980 году. Альбом стал одним из первых в истории альтернативного рока и был внесён в список «100 лучших альбомов 1980-х» по версии журнала Rolling Stone, где занял 49 место[1].

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