Life's Too Short is the sixth album by singer/songwriter Marshall Crenshaw.[7]
| Life's Too Short | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Genre | Arena rock[1] | |||
| Length | 45:34 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | Ed Stasium | |||
| Marshall Crenshaw chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[4] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
The album was produced by Ed Stasium and featured Kenny Aronoff on drums. Crenshaw recalled, "I liked what Kenny Aronoff (drums) and Ed Stasium (production) were doing right then, I liked them both personally, and I wanted to work with them, so off we went…"[8]
"Better Back Off" was a moderate hit on the Modern Rock charts, reaching number 17. Crenshaw said of the song, "On 'Better Back Off' you can tell from the music that I'm trying to write a big Rock-radio anthem. But the lyrics don't quite get there – they describe an intimate conversation between two people, not very anthem-like..."[8]
Spin named the album to their list of 30 overlooked albums from 1991, stating, "The Ed Stasium-produced album is full of the kind of literate guitar pop that made Crenshaw a star in the '80s, with catchy gems like 'Delilah' and “Fantastic Planet of Love.'"[9]
Track listing
editAll songs written by Marshall Crenshaw, except where noted.
- "Better Back Off" (Crenshaw, Tom Teeley) – 4:48
- "Don't Disappear Now" (Crenshaw, Teeley) – 4:11
- "Fantastic Planet Of Love" – 5:20
- "Delilah" (Crenshaw, Leroy Preston) – 4:08
- "Face Of Fashion" (Chris Knox) – 3:57
- "Stop Doing That" – 4:09
- "Walkin' Around" – 4:14
- "Starting Tomorrow" – 4:17
- "Everything's The Truth" (Crenshaw, Jules Shear) – 3:58
- "Somewhere Down The Line" – 6:32
Personnel
edit- Marshall Crenshaw - vocals, guitar, piano, bass, percussion
- Kenny Aronoff – drums
- Fernando Saunders – bass
- Ed Stasium – keyboards, percussion, guitar, vocals
- Greg Leisz – slide guitar, frying pan guitar
- Peter Case – harmonica
- Paul Shaffer – piano, organ
- Tommy Price – drums
- Tony Garnier – bass
- Rosie Flores – vocals
- Steven Soles – vocals
References
edit- ^ Kot, Greg (2004). "Marshall Crenshaw". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 200–201. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Life's Too Short at AllMusic
- ^ Milward, John. "Life's Too Short", Rolling Stone, June 13, 1991, p. 116.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Marshall Crenshaw". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (1999). The Virgin Encyclopedia Of Popular Music, Concise 3rd Edition, p. 323. Virgin Books, London. ISBN 1-85227-832-3
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 167.
- ^ "Marshall Crenshaw".
- ^ a b Porter, David (1 February 2011). "David Porter's 20,000 Things I Love: Marshall Crenshaw". Stereo Embers Magazine. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ Shipley, Al. "30 Overlooked 1991 Albums Turning 30 This Year". Spin. Retrieved 26 October 2022.