John Hiatt Bring The Family 1987

In The Absolute Sound magazine May/June edition, they updated and published their Super LP list, an extensive listing of LPs that have better sound than most. There's a lot of classical music entries, but there is also a pretty extensive list of great pop/rock and jazz LPs as well. One of those is John Hiatt's 1987 classic Bring The Family. The record is nicely recorded and does indeed sound great, and the band (Hiatt on guitar and vocals, Nick Lowe on bass, Jim Keltner on drums and Ry Cooder on guitar) is superb.

If you haven't heard it, you must. It is another record that should be on my perfect records list, every song is just plain killer. Hiatt has made several that approach its greatness, but he hasn't bettered it.

I listened to it not too long ago, but the featured list made me pull it out and listen again. Not only is the band unusually talented, but Hiatt brings one of the finest set of masterfully written, heartfelt songs ever recorded, and he sings the daylights out of them all. His vocals are close-miked and you can feel the choke in his voice on the sad songs. But it is certainly not all sad, with Memphis In The Meantime, Thing Called Love (made famous by Bonnie Raitt), Thank You Girl, and the humorous Your Dad Did.

But those ballads are strikingly beautiful. Have A Little Faith In Me is as perfect a love song as any ever sung. Learning How To Love You is right there with it, an ode to staying with the learning curve for the payoff. Lipstick Sunset is as melancholy and sweet as a song about imperfect love can be. Tip Of My Tongue tells the story of the man that said the wrongest thing ever, and paid the highest price.

I broke your heart
With the back of my mind
From the tip of my tongue
To the end of the line

 

You couldn't say how much it hurt you

And I couldn't see the damage I'd done
'Til I watched the greatest love I've known
All come down to a slip of the tongue

 

Well I'd take it back
But time won't let me
No, time just takes
You further away

 

I watched you pack
A house full of memories
Where did you go
Lord, what did I say?

 

I broke your heart
With the back of my mind
From the tip of my tongue
To the end of the line