A year ago, I interviewed a classic rock artist who told me he stopped making albums because there was too much “filler,” due to pressure from record companies. Faced with the daunting task of reviewing a 19 album collection consisting of 224 tracks, I thought I may be skipping through a fair share of songs. I was wrong. John Mellencamp’s box set, consisting of the vast majority of his recorded output and a soundtrack album (only his earliest efforts were not included), is large, reasonably priced, and it is wonderful.
Titled “ 1978-2012 Box Set” the collection takes the casual Mellencamp listener on a joyride through a prolific career loaded with highlights. Before I received the digital version of the set, I considered myself to be somewhat familiar with Mellencamp from his early days as an MTV hero, up through the time he starred in a movie that was filmed in my hometown of Rochester, N.Y.
In my days as a mobile disc jockey I saw many people dancing and screaming all the words to “Hurts so Good” and just recently my 24 year-old son played a cover of “Jack and Diane” during an acoustic set at a local watering hole.
In reviewing the collection, I originally planned to listen to the albums chronologically, instead I wound up starting with the first album that made me aware of Mellencamp, “American Fool.” The album still holds up well after all these years, and while I don’t pretend to be an audiophile, the remastered version sounds excellent.
From there I spent some time wandering around Mellencamp’s earlier albums, enjoying the parade of hits like “I Need a Lover” and “Cherry Bomb” but really enjoying the album cuts, nuggets like “Rumbleseat” and “Hot Dogs and Hamburgers.” If there was a musical epiphany, it was when I first listened to “Mr. Happy Go Lucky” from 1996. It is a masterpiece and led right to Mellencamp’s latter albums. 19 albums later, “Mr. Happy Go Lucky” remained my favorite, but Mellencamp’s post 1996 work just kept getting better, musically and lyrically. Mellencamp’s strength is found in the way he captures the middle America narratives so effectively. His songs are like beautiful paintings, containing universal themes while somehow managing to not sound forced.
While I spent my time with Mellencamp, I felt like I was reading an epic novel. The growth is evident, but what struck me most was how his songs work best when taken in the context of the album they were recorded for. I am guessing, but it sounds like Mellencamp approaches his albums as a unique session.
On many occasions certain tracks rose up and became part of the soundtrack of many people’s lives, but after listening to his greatest hits collection, “The Best that I could Do“ from 1997 didn’t work because Mellencamp doesn’t record filler around hits, he records albums! That’s not to say this collection cannot be cherry picked, but it is unlikely you will want to.
Another surprise is that in spite of the massiveness of the collection, I still wanted more. The collection is priced reasonably, and if you have a kid that is listening to modern country or Americana they will love this collection, and may appreciate Mellencamp’s artistry even more than the generation that grew up with Mellencamp when he was marketed as a bad boy rock star named John Cougar.
For me, after a run through of the 19 albums, I am left with a deeper sense of what Mellencamp’s music is all about, and a tremendous respect for him as a trailblazer. Sure, Mellencamp has had commercial success, but he didn’t achieve it by following a trend or succumbing to the trappings of fame. He did it by writing and performing great songs.
