The heart of rock and roll.

Huey Lewis and the News sang about it, and for a short time, they were It - the most famous, most recognizable bar band in the world. Huey and the boys churned out pop radio hits with regularity, each song featuring their own brand of the classic American rock and roll sound – a gruff lead vocal, smooth harmonies, a wailing sax, and a kickin' rhythm section to boot.

The band has a terrific ability to write and play songs stylized like the rock and soul hits of the fifties and sixties, and their modernized doo-wop translated well to pop radio in the eighties. They also re-popularized classic tunes from doo-wop era, most notably Buzz Buzz Buzz in 1982 when they added it to the lineup of Picture This. As the popularity of The News waned in the late eighties, their studio albums no longer sold millions of copies, and so in 1994, the band released Four Chords and Several Years Ago - their first recording of favorite songs of the early pioneers of rock and soul.

The greatest strength of the album is it's authenticity. Recorded in modern studios using period equipment and techniques, the recording has an edgy, raw feel to it. The album showcases the band's skills at live performance – most of what you hear is not processed or otherwise messed around with. The band went into the studio, plugged in and played the songs straight up – what you hear on Four Chords and Several Years Ago is what you get live in concert with The News.

The album features some familiar songs from the early rock and soul era, as well as several that are perhaps less familiar. The band knows their music history, and these song choices bring out the best in Huey Lewis and the News even while paying tribute to their personal favorites. For example, the band smartly reprises Bill Turner's original version of Shake, Rattle and Roll, making the most of the slightly slower groove rather than simply aping the more familiar version popularized by Bill Haley and His Comets. Other favorites include Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash and the closing blues bonanza Going Down Slow, featuring Huey on his harmonica. Dr. John makes a memorable guest appearance for Mother In Law, providing the famous bass vocal and a rollicking piano in the middle eight.

In my mind, the best tracks are those that (like Shake, Rattle and Roll) feature Johnny Colla on saxophone - his sax licks are the genuine article. I think that without his sound, The News would have been just another bar band without a future. Huey's vocals are entertaining as always, but also without much variety from song to song. What sets The News apart from many bar bands is the fact that they are just so very tight instrumentally – Bill Gibson and Mario Cippolina provide a steady beat, and Chris Hayes and Sean Hopper provide terrific harmonies on the keys and guitars. And of course, there are always those trademark backing vocals – The News is a great, good-time rock and roll band.

Four Chords and Several Years Ago is a solid album by a solid band – while it's certainly not inventive on any level, that's not the point of the recording. This album isn't about moving The News forward into new musical territory; it's about paying tribute to the band's roots, an exploration of the original heart of rock and roll. And on that level, it succeeds very well indeed.

If you're in the mood for some classic rock and soul played by a band that delivers a truly authentic interpretation of the great music of this era, Four Chords and Several Years Ago is the recording for you.

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Huey Lewis and the News – Four Chords and Several Years Ago
Released in 1994 by Elektra Entertainment

Track Listing

Shake, Rattle & Roll / Blue Monday / Searching For My Love / Some Kind Of Wonderful, (She's) / But It's Alright / If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody / Mother-In-Law / Little Bitty Pretty One / Good Morning Little School Girl / Stagger Lee / She Shot A Hole In My Soul / Surely I Love You / You Left The Water Running / Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash / Function At The Junction / Better To Have And Not Need / Going Down Slow

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This review is an entry into sleeper54's Lean-n-mean Five write-off.


Recommended: Yes