The Call

When Peter Gabriel, Bono, Martin Scorsese , Jim Kerr (Simple Minds), Harry Dean Stanton, Garth Hudson and Robbie Robertson (The Band) all get together for that Friday night poker game, what do you think they listen to? Chances are, it would be something by The Call. Formed in Santa Cruz, CA in 1979, The Call came together after two Oklahoma natives (lead singer Michael Been and drummer Scott Musick) joined forces with two Bay-area musicians (guitarist Tom Ferrier and bassist Greg Freeman). Originally calling themselves Motion Pictures, the foursome played shows around the Bay Area and shopped a demo to various record labels. Ultimately they signed with Mercury Records, a division of Polydor. Hugh Padham, a veteran producer who worked with XTC, The Police and Peter Gabriel, was brought in to produce the bands debut, which was recorded in England. Released in 1982, the self titled debut immediately established The Call as a band that had something to say.


The social conscience of the band was clearly evident in their next studio release, 1983’s “Modern Romans”. This time self-produced, the album was much more of a rock-n-roll record than their debut and the political themes were turned up a notch. It was clear with this record that The Call had found their direction, both musically and lyrically, and it produced their first hit “The Walls Came Down”. Listen to “The Walls Came Down” today and the song could have just as easily been written in 2003 as 1983. Likewise with the song “Turn A Blind Eye”, the hostility Been and the group felt about the social and political world they saw around them was evident:

To the desperate young, turn a blind eye
To the old and lonely, turn a blind eye
To our inhumanity
To our death dealing vanity
To the methods of persuasion, turn a blind eye
To the masters of evasion, turn
To the science of control, turn a blind eye
To a world in chains, turn
To the sellers of illusion, turn a blind eye
To masters of confusion, turn a blind eye
To a hollow culture
To the circling vulture
To lovers of power, turn a blind eye
To the resurrection
To a world in chains, turn
I don't want to get involved
It's not my problem
I'll just ignore it
I don't want to feel this
To the starving children, turn a blind eye
To your own redemption, turn
To the horror of extinction
To a world in chains, turn

“Modern Romans” put the band on the map and they toured behind it for all of 1983 both as a headliner and supporting Peter Gabriel’s “Shock The Monkey” tour.

The relentless touring took its toll on bass player Freeman and, before the group entered the studio in 1984 to record a follow-up, he departed the band. Playing now as a trio proved to be a difficult transition for the remaining members. The result, “Scene Beyond Dreams”, would years later be recalled by Been as his least favorite of the bands early recordings.

The band would waste all of 1985 in a battle to get out of their deal with Polydor, a battle they would ultimately win and by 1986 entered the studio to record their first Electra album “Reconciled”. Also at this time Been would move to bass and keyboard player Jim Goodwin would be added. The year or so the group spent away from playing and recording was evident on “Reconciled”. Gabriel, Jim Kerr and Robbie Robertson would all play or sing on the album. Gone, however, was long time contributor keyboardist Garth Hudson and the effect was a harder, more guitar driven sound. Been’s lyrics would also take a much less confrontational and political direction. Despite having released three full length albums and with the core members of the band playing together for over 6 years to this point, “Reconciled” feels like their debut. The songs have freshness and a sound that had not previously been captured to this point in their career.

Been’s inwardly focused lyrics and the ever evolving sound of the band continued on 1987’s “Into The Woods”. If “Reconciled” felt like a debut, “Into The Woods” was far from a sophomore jinx. The sound of the band became even tighter and if anything Been’s singing and lyrics stand out even more than on any previous record. Been would later call “Into The Woods” his favorite Call recording.

The band stayed away from the studio in 1988. Been, at the suggestion of director and Call fan Martin Scorsese, participated in a screen test for Scorsese’s latest film “The Last Temptation of Christ”, where he was chosen for the role of the Apostle John. Several members of the band, Been included, also spent the summer supporting actor Harry Dean Stanton, who played harmonica and sang cover tunes, on a tour of clubs throughout the US. I actually saw one of Stanton’s shows that summer and like many Call fans am sorry to report that it was too much Stanton and too little Call.


In 1989 The Call returned to the studio to record “Let The Day Begin”. While I like the record and the title song would become the biggest hit of their career, the sound of the band had definitely evolved. It all felt a little safer to me, written and played more with radio in mind. The band was getting older and you could sense their recognition of that fact with “Let The Day Begin”. Likewise with 1990’s “Red Moon”, these were no longer angry young men, but guys with kids and mortgages. Even with acknowledged fan Bono contributing vocals on several tracks, the album sold poorly. While I didn’t much care for “Red Moon” at the time, now that I have a mortgage and two kids of my own, today I appreciate it’s more rootsier sound and introspective lyrics.

Shortly after the release of “Red Moon” and a short tour to support it, The Call took an indefinite hiatus.


In 1992 Michael Been would score and perform the soundtrack for director Paul Schrader’s movie “Light Sleeper”. An off-beat tale of a drug dealer trying to break-free, Been’s music provided the perfect backdrop for the movie. Unfortunately the CD was only released in Europe and is impossible to find.

In 1994 Been released a solo effort entitled “On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakthrough” and the band would reform in 1997, releasing “To Heaven And Back”. Surprisingly, both discs pick up not where "Red Moon" left off but would seem to fit better in the earlier "Reconciled" era. Aside from some slicker production, not much separate these two discs from some of The Call's finest earlier work and are musts for any Call fan.

Michael Been (pictured below, at right) can be found these days touring as a sound engineer in support of his son, Robert Levon Been and his band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.



<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


10 Songs by The Call you need to own.

The rules were simple, list 10 call songs everyone must own and chose at least one song from each release. In no particular order, they are:

1. The Walls Came Down - Modern Romans
2. Turn A Blind Eye - Modern Romans
3. The Morning - Reconciled
4. War Weary World - The Call
5. Musta Been OutTa My Mind - To Heaven And Back
6. Let the Day Begin - Let the Day Begin
7. Like You Never Been Loved - Red Moon
8. Tremble - Scene Beyond Dreams
9. Invitation - On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakthrough
10. It Could Have Been Me - Into The Woods