Peter Case (album)


Peter Case was the debut album by American power pop singer-songwriter Peter Case, released in 1986 on Geffen Records. It was reissued by Omnivore Records with additional tracks in September 2016.

History

Peter Case was a member of Los Angeles power pop group The Nerves along with Paul Collins, and Jack Lee. After the breakup of the Nerves, Case made several albums in the early 1980s with The Plimsouls. This is his first solo album after the breakup of the Plimsouls.
Case was accompanied by 20 other musicians including T-Bone Burnett and Mitchell Froom, guitarist Mike Campbell, John Hiatt, drummers Jim Keltner and Jerry Marotta, Roger Mcguinn, Van Dyke Parks, and his then-wife Victoria Williams, among others. Case wrote five of the songs on the LP, and co-wrote six others including three with Burnett, one with Burnett and Marotta, and one with Williams. One song features lyrics by Case with music originally written by Lightnin' Hopkins. The album closes with a cover of Shane Macgowan's "Pair of Brown Eyes", originally performed by MacGowan's band The Pogues. The song "I Shook His Hand" was originally performed live in a harder-rocking version with the Plimsouls. A promo-only release from the album included a fully acoustic version of "I Shook His Hand."
The liner notes included the following unusual message:

Critical reception

Music critic Steve Kurutz of Allmusic praised the album and wrote "... the primarily acoustic songs are adeptly arranged and filled with great melodies. Case has a reputation for being a bit too clever at times and on occasion the album's lyrics can be a bit obtuse, but overall songs like the Van Dyke Parks-arranged "Small Town Spree" and the harmonica-driven "Old Blue Car" rock with an immediacy that hits the listener where it should, in the gut rather than between the ears." Music critic Robert Christgau rated the record as a "B" on his rating scale and wrote of the record; "Case's problem is that he's a born actor who won't cop to it... hence he's no more convincing now than he was when he led a group named after the Beatles' sneakers."

Track listing

All songs written by Peter Case except where noted.
  1. "Echo Wars" – 3:21
  2. "Steel Strings" – 3:49
  3. "Three Days Straight" – 3:37
  4. "More Than Curious" – 4:37
  5. "I Shook His Hand" – 3:40
  6. "Small Town Spree" – 4:01
  7. "Old Blue Car" – 3:52
  8. "Walk in the Woods" – 3:40
  9. "Horse and Crow" – 4:18
  10. "Icewater" – 2:47
  11. "Satellite Beach" – 4:12
  12. "Pair of Brown Eyes" – 5:45
Note

Adapted from the AllMusic credits.