Bottle's Thankgiving Day Massacre - QuarterFlash


Happy Thanksgiving. Normally we'd listen to Arlo Guthrie today, but i still have a stack of records and a long weekend to be thankful for, so why don't we all be a quarter flash, three quarters foolish and listen to the self-titled debut from QuarterFlash? 

If you like The Motels and old-school Sax solos, then you're gonna love most of this album. Critical Times is a bit of an anachronism to my ears. It's in the right place for a track-3 change of direction, but going from New Wave to an Elton John style ballad that sounds disturbingly like Cristopher Cross's Sailing is weird. Plus it's the only Jack Charles song on the album; obligatory inclusion or not it just doesn't fit here. 

Completely bizarre and interesting fact, "this album is dedicated to all the Seafood lovers in the Northwest." Some people just don't like turkey, you know? Ah, man, here's Jack again on Cruisin' with the Deuce. At least Marv wrote this song (so it totally fits the album), but why's he keep bring sausage to the clam bake? No, no, don't get up, i'll see my own innuendo out. 

Obviously this is a "hi, we're QuarterFlash" album, and it's 1981, and Rindy play Saxophone, and there's also a violin solo on the light Jazz-Funk closer Williams Street, but the Noir is pretty stellar and nothing comes across as embarrassing. 

I'll try to describe the bouquet for you. Equal parts The Motels and Gerry Rafferty, with an undercurrent of Jackson Brown and that one brief moment of Elton John. It is undeniably 80s, but in a highly enjoyable way, and i'm thankful i have a copy of it. Turkey, ham, or scallops, enjoy whatever feast lies in front of you.

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