A great job! And the song samples I would have chosen (Except I would have to included Very First Lie off of IPO, as it was the first song I heard from them, and it knocked me on my...) For Those New to MI I would look for the Promo "11 Supersonic Hit Explosions" as well. Has anyone heard/ have an opinion on a cd called "Gone But Not Forgotten" ?
WHarrisBullzEye
· 1 year ago
Awesome piece, Darren. I fell in love with "International Pop Overthrow" the first time I heard it, and, truth be told, I might even like "Destination Universe" more, though I know I'm in the minority. (I'm also the rare soul who isn't wholly in love with "Freak City Soundtrack," but dare to be different, that's what I always say.)
Darren
· 1 year ago
IPO is my fave, too. Sometimes, I think the highs of Destination are just a little higher than the highs of IPO, but that IPO is a much more consistent record. Freak City comes in at #3, but not for a lack of trying.
Ol' Smokey
· 1 year ago
With all due respect to Darren for a fine piece, I cannot get behind the canonization of this fair-to-middling act. Over the years their legend has grown and endured, and yet any fair listen to their stuff reveals the group to be much ado about nothing. Despite the clear buffoonery of their label and A&R rep, it's quite apparent that one important reason that the records always flopped was the average (or, frankly, below average) lead vocals and an overall group sound that is utterly ordinary. No surprises here.
Darren
· 1 year ago
With all due respect, I disagree with your assessment that the love many have for this band is mere canonization brought about by circumstances and hindsight.
Having said that, we can't all like the same bands. There are many supposedly great artists whose supposed greatness completely escapes me. In this case, however, anyone who takes the time to dig deeper will, at the very least, recognize that there was something unique going on here. It wasn't rocket science by any stretch, but it had real heart and it sounded just as great then as it does now (no small feat).
Is it canonization or an inherent human flaw that we can't realize how great something is until it no longer exists. If released today, the first Ish CD would probably not fare any better, simply because people lack the ability even more these days to recognize the artistry that was found within these songs. Ellison's palette may have contained but a few colors, but he did great things with the few he had, knowing full well not everyone would see the accomplishment in that. By the same token, there are those who are unable (or, more accurately, unwilling) to watch a movie filmed in black and white, no matter how great it might be.
rwcass
· 1 year ago
I don't know if this is still available for download, but here's the link, just in case you want to try (I can't tell from the old computer I'm using at work right now):
Thanks for that, I had lost my copy a couple yrs ago and have been itchy to replace it.
el bandito
· 1 year ago
Great work - loved MI and miss them.
kels
· 1 year ago
Yeah, I really don't get what was up Old Smokey's keester - his opinion of any band's music is fine, but why inflict it on a blog and forum with the most noble of intentions - a.) to give Material Issue fans an exquisite look inside their beloved band and b.) to turn a whole new generation of fans onto some amazing tunes. Great essay Darren - I hope it lights up many eyes before blissfully blistering as many eardrums.
Darren
· 1 year ago
In describing the song "Next Big Thing" I just realized that I wrote "meet-cute" instead of "cute-meet". Fuck!
Steve
· 1 year ago
Darren - thanks for a great read down memory lane. I got all goopy with my first-ever girlfriend while listening to IPO and 11 Supersonic. And whenever we saw 'em live they never failed to tear the house down.
ken
· 1 year ago
Nice work Darren. As a fellow Chicagoan, I witnessed MI's rise to fame from the ground up as well. As they were first starting out, I interviewed them at my high school radio sataion in the 80's--they also played a 'social' at our high school-- then I played them at my college station when IPO came put and had the honor of playing them at several commercials stations after that, so as I 'graduated' to bigger and better situations, so did they.
Jim was one cocky bastard but he backed it up with writing great songs. So sad that the subject of so many of his great songs--girls--was ultimately what did him in.
My only quibble with your song selections would be the lack of "She's Going Thru My Head" and "Chance of a Lifetime", two early live staples that I feel should've been huge hits.
bama
· 1 year ago
I'm curious if anyone out there has the original "Kim the Waitress" by the Green Pajamas? I'd heard once that the song was a cover, but never knew/have never heard the source.
Don Drysdale
· 1 year ago
Read it. Lived it. Love it.
The only thing better than this article was a MI show at "The Sweatro".
Patrick Dempsey - Chaska, MN
· 1 year ago
I thought this was a wonderful look back at one of the greatest bands that ever existed. I loved Material Issue and they became 'my band'. All my friends in the late 80s and early 90s had 'their' band - The Replacements, Jesus Jones, The Cure, and on and on. I felt proud that I had found 'my' band...and what made them my band was something I didn't realize until many years later - that Material Issue wrote songs the way I had always hoped I could write songs. The connection for me was as real as anything I had ever felt and the connection was just the music, but what a connection! I loved Jim Ellison without ever having met him or known him.
I only ever saw them once in the summer of 1995 at an outdoor concert Somerset, Wisconsin, thinking that 'there will be other days'. It turned out that was the only day and I have lived with the remorse of missing out on a deeper exposure to the band because Material Issue is the entity that has had the most profound effect on my adult life - more than my own family and friends - that's how much their music meant to me and connected with me.
Today, the music endures and I still listen to Material Issue very often. Being the intense person that I am, I still feel a sense of confusion, aprehension and loss when I think about Jim and the band while listening to Material Issue songs. The pain of their loss still lingers in my heart somewhere because I know nothing in this world will ever touch my heart and my soul the way Material Issue did.
Thank you for taking the time to write a poignant tribute to the absolute greatest powerpop band to ever exist 12 years after they ceased to exist! Jim would have been proud.
Rob
· 1 year ago
I still miss these guys. All this time later. 7/21/2008. I visit Jim's grave every couple of years when I'm in the area...make sure it's clean. I'd love to see surviving projects; Mike, Ted, come to Minneapolis.
All Comments
For Those New to MI I would look for the Promo "11 Supersonic Hit Explosions" as well.
Has anyone heard/ have an opinion on a cd called "Gone But Not Forgotten" ?
Having said that, we can't all like the same bands. There are many supposedly great artists whose supposed greatness completely escapes me. In this case, however, anyone who takes the time to dig deeper will, at the very least, recognize that there was something unique going on here. It wasn't rocket science by any stretch, but it had real heart and it sounded just as great then as it does now (no small feat).
Is it canonization or an inherent human flaw that we can't realize how great something is until it no longer exists. If released today, the first Ish CD would probably not fare any better, simply because people lack the ability even more these days to recognize the artistry that was found within these songs. Ellison's palette may have contained but a few colors, but he did great things with the few he had, knowing full well not everyone would see the accomplishment in that. By the same token, there are those who are unable (or, more accurately, unwilling) to watch a movie filmed in black and white, no matter how great it might be.
http://wilfullyobscure.blogspot.com/2007/08/mat...
Jim was one cocky bastard but he backed it up with writing great songs. So sad that the subject of so many of his great songs--girls--was ultimately what did him in.
My only quibble with your song selections would be the lack of "She's Going Thru My Head" and "Chance of a Lifetime", two early live staples that I feel should've been huge hits.
I'd heard once that the song was a cover, but never knew/have never heard the source.
The only thing better than this article was a MI show at "The Sweatro".
I only ever saw them once in the summer of 1995 at an outdoor concert Somerset, Wisconsin, thinking that 'there will be other days'. It turned out that was the only day and I have lived with the remorse of missing out on a deeper exposure to the band because Material Issue is the entity that has had the most profound effect on my adult life - more than my own family and friends - that's how much their music meant to me and connected with me.
Today, the music endures and I still listen to Material Issue very often. Being the intense person that I am, I still feel a sense of confusion, aprehension and loss when I think about Jim and the band while listening to Material Issue songs. The pain of their loss still lingers in my heart somewhere because I know nothing in this world will ever touch my heart and my soul the way Material Issue did.
Thank you for taking the time to write a poignant tribute to the absolute greatest powerpop band to ever exist 12 years after they ceased to exist! Jim would have been proud.
Peace. Perfect Peace.