This album does what it says on the tin and is a live recording of The Spongetones 40th Anniversary concert in North Carolina on the 14th August 2021 at the McGlohon theatre in Charlotte, the quartet of Steve Stoeckel, Jamie Hoover, Pat Walters and Chris Garges played a career spanning concert to a sold-out audience. The album also contains three new studio songs that feature Eric Willhelm on drums rather than Chris Garges who sadly passed away a few months after the concert performance. I Know the Spongetones are a big deal in the power pop world, but they had passed me by on this side of the pond.
The album/concert opens with Anyway Town that sets up the vibe for the entire album, of being full of power pop nuggets in love with the Mersey beat sound circa 1961-6, this is full of reminiscences of there early life, and an ideal you cant go back to, which is a great statement coming from a band whose entire raison d'etre is sounding like they come from an earlier time.
Not So it might make you lose you mind if you still need to hear chirpy pop tunes with an early 60's flavour. Here I Go Again picks the pace up for this spry tale of needing to find another partner, he just never wants to be alone, yet somehow any girls that fall in his arms never stay too long, this is full of teen anxieties expressed through the instrumental freak out.
She'll Be Gone straight out the door again, she's got you number and knows the grass is greener elsewhere, not sure if the Spongetones understand why she's gone though, still hoping when she passes by again she'll spend more time with them, if they are lucky it will be an hour or three.
Better Take It Easy thankfully sounds more like Big Star than the bands usual Beatles influence, they are asking for a slightly calmer time of things. Little Death sounds like a long-lost Zombies song for someone who is worshipping a young lady who makes them feel like they might die, the keyboards sound more like a church organ or Celeste before an intriguing guitar flourish, while they look for rebirth on that ladies chest.
The One That Gets You may feel they won the jackpot, because all the bands' mates are fighting to be the one that you say yes too. I think whoever's playing the organ has the best chance. Skinny is the girl they are chasing on this song, if she knows what's good for her, she'll keep on running, this sounds like they want you to chant along with the chorus.
Every Nights A Holiday or so they hope, if only life was so simple and that by falling in love with the apple of their eye's life will feel so easy, this has cool harmonies and makes you want to sway along with them in the hope that finally they are with the one.
I Love Maryanne is certainly not the best song about Mary Ann or other spelling of her name, this is a full-on declaration of love lust and everything else, that she may or may not be happy to be on the receiving end of, its quite sappy, seemingly aimed at what used to be called a bobby-soxer.
She Goes Out With Everybody has the sort of lyrics that are a little bit cringy in how they talk about this woman, who may well be a victim of coercive control, or a pimp, yet they seem to have reservations when she calls up, not too sure if they want a piece of the action or not.
Where Were You Last Night oh my your girl has gone out without you and you've fallen into a jealous rage, despite all the songs you sing about never staying with the same girl for more than a night or two, so what's good for the gander isn't good for the goose, they try to turn time back to the early 60's once more, telling her that if she won't be exclusive with them, they are out the door, she's better off without them.
Don't You Know all the lads are talking about you, somehow this girl has managed to avoid all your banter and charms and gone her own way, sensible girl that she is, leaving you lonely is probably a good decision, love the blues piano parts that help her make clear she wants no part of you, no matter how seductive your harmonica blowing might be.
Have You Ever Been Torn Apart by the one you love, well not as regularly as it happens to these guys, they try to harmonize like John and Paul in the hope you'll listen to the advice they are dishing out, before accusing you of cheating on them, like they've been cheating on you.
Oh Yeah! They had to have a song called Oh Yeah! To celebrate finding a girl who loves them as much as they love themselves, so they can yell Oh Yeah! Repeatedly against the steady beat and garage guitar breaks.
Try To Please has them begging you to give in and please them, I'd advise against it, from the lyrics on the rest of this album it will end in tears, as soon as they see the next apple of there eyes, you may want to sing No Scrubs to them by this point, but I doubt they've heard such a modern song as that, anything to get them away from your window and door.
Boy Meets Girl and they are losing the plot again. They have one track minds over you, at least until the next girl comes along. They wonder why she's moved on, well listen to the lyrics on this album and all the answers are present for you to discover, at least the guitars are doing cool and interesting things.
Must Be Lust obviously started from them trying to re-write Must Be Love, this has a nudge and wink of the randy young Turk out on the pull again, while sounding like The Rutles with all the weird time signatures of the music working against the sweet vocals bringing the concert to its conclusion.
The first of the three new songs that have all been out as singles is Help Me Janie you don't need to guess what they need help with, and it's not getting the computer to work, they just want to be the one by your side rather than in your dreams, although Janie might think its more of a nightmare than a dream, especially when they say your not the one, but the next best play, they want you to set them up with your best friend.
Honest Work is a celebration of the blue-collar life, finally a song not about fleeting liaisons, all they want is a chance to keep hold of a decent job, allowing them to be engaged in Honest Work for an honest wage.
The album concludes with Lulu's In Love with John Frieda and his hair dressing skills, oh no this isn't about the Scots powerhouse's love life, but about another girl who miraculously is in love with someone other than the members of The Spongetones, who has moved on beyond the early 60's optimism, but she might still love that organ sound that might remind her of her parents Hollies records.
Find out more at https://bigstirrecords.com/product/1104425-the-40th-anniversary-concert-and-beyond-cd-the-spongetones-the-40th-anniversary-concert-and-beyond https://orcd.co/spongetones-40beyond https://bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-40th-anniversary-concert-and-beyond https://www.facebook.com/Spongetones https://spongetones.com/
