A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away people cared about songs. People listened to the words. People appreciated a clever, wry lyric and a little depth. Not so much anymore.
Jules Shear is one fine songwriter. He is clever. He is wry. He has some sweet hooks. Alas, he showed up at the wrong time. Jules and the Polar Bears tore up the end of the 70's and few noticed. Jules went on. He wrote his clever songs and kept going. Screw your galaxy.
In 1989 he sat down in Sweden of all places with guitarist Marty Willson-Piper of The Church, of all people, and made one fantastic little record. The Third Party is a gem. Perfect little songs in a perfect little setting. And it too tanked.
Jules Shear is one fine songwriter. He is clever. He is wry. He has some sweet hooks. Alas, he showed up at the wrong time. Jules and the Polar Bears tore up the end of the 70's and few noticed. Jules went on. He wrote his clever songs and kept going. Screw your galaxy.
In 1989 he sat down in Sweden of all places with guitarist Marty Willson-Piper of The Church, of all people, and made one fantastic little record. The Third Party is a gem. Perfect little songs in a perfect little setting. And it too tanked.
Oh yeah, and it's clever, and it's wry, and it's so much better than so much shit that passes as music in this time and place that you may just find your tastebuds a little overwhelmed by its flavors. Just go with it and know that meals this good are rare indeed.
allmusic:
Jules Shear joined up with the Church's Marty Willson-Piper in Sweden for Third Party, a stark, bare-bones acoustic album. Stripped of all of the excessive production that sometimes marred earlier work, Shear's songs are allowed to come to the forefront, as they should. Shear's voice, phrasing, and the minimalistic, often folky arrangements led to Dylan comparisons, but the album really features Shear's own clever craftsmanship; the back-to-basics approach is certainly a welcome one (as are the guitar chords included in the booklet). Shear had long before proven his strong melodic sense, but with Third Party, his clever wordplay and interesting turns of phrase were allowed the proper platform. Though the album failed commercially, the approach undoubtedly led to Shear's hosting the first several MTV Unplugged episodes, which gave him more exposure than ever before.
Hear
allmusic:
Jules Shear joined up with the Church's Marty Willson-Piper in Sweden for Third Party, a stark, bare-bones acoustic album. Stripped of all of the excessive production that sometimes marred earlier work, Shear's songs are allowed to come to the forefront, as they should. Shear's voice, phrasing, and the minimalistic, often folky arrangements led to Dylan comparisons, but the album really features Shear's own clever craftsmanship; the back-to-basics approach is certainly a welcome one (as are the guitar chords included in the booklet). Shear had long before proven his strong melodic sense, but with Third Party, his clever wordplay and interesting turns of phrase were allowed the proper platform. Though the album failed commercially, the approach undoubtedly led to Shear's hosting the first several MTV Unplugged episodes, which gave him more exposure than ever before.
Hear
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