At 11:14 AM 5/13/2003 -0400, Mark Tate wrote:
>Loved both Questionnaires albums, especially Anything Can Happen. 
>"Yesterday's Lie," "Beautiful Sideshow" and "Here Comes Trouble's Friend" 
>were my personal faves from Window to the World. A decent cover of "Teenage 
>head" to boot.

While I'm delighted to see any mention of the hometown Questionnaires, one of my favorite Nashville acts of the late '80s, I am shocked shocked shocked that anyone actually liked those two sterilized pieces of crap that passed for their albums.  WINDOW TO THE WORLD has most of what was a super batch of Tom Littlefield songs, but after being used to how rocking and splendid they were when played live, when the album finally came out, I was crestfallen to discover that everything had a thick coat of sonic varnish that choked the life out of every song.  People bitch all the time about how major labels produce "sellout" albums, and I usually think those claims are greatly exaggerated, but the two Questionnaires albums... they could be Exhibit A and Exhibit B for the prosecution.

It's almost painful for me to listen to these Questionnaires records, because it becomes an exercise in trying to remember how great "Beautiful Sideshow" was when I heard it live all those times -- which is difficult to do when you're listening to a version so slick and dull that you almost suspect Dianne Warren was involved.  It's like the songs and performances got neutered.

Tom played around town a bit in the '90s, but I haven't heard anything about him in a while.  I'm sure some of the Nashpop veterans like Bill Lloyd, Tommy Womack, or Will Kimbrough would know what he's up too-- and maybe one of them would have a decent demo or live tape of the Questionnaires playing those songs as God intended them to be.  And if anyone does have such a tape, I'd sure love to hear it myself.

later,

Miles