Yeah, this one is great, too. I could listen to it over and over and over, just like I did with the first one. Oh, wait...I did. Many, many times. This one is a bit more polished; their sound was much more raw in the first album, and they really tried to come up with a genuine hit to get them on the musical map. And they did.
Released on January 29, 1982, the album had six original songs by the band and four cover songs. It reached its Billboard peak at #13, and the band released four singles to support it. Two of them made the top 40, and another just missed at #41. The fourth was released only in the UK, and didn't chart there.
So, as I mentioned, the songs feel more polished on this album, but they aren't overproduced. The band was still finding their sweet spot to get the right sound, which they would perfect on the next album, but there are definite signs that they are moving in the right direction on Picture This. While the first album was basically a bar-band set, some of the stuff you hear on this album can't really be reproduced live.
For example, the opening track, Change of Heart, doesn't start off with a drum part, a guitar riff, or a keyboard riff. Instead, it sounds like an airplane flying by. And then the sound merges into the opening drum beat, and the band jumps in with a great intro. This song is an announcement that HLN have arrived, and they mean business. And it shows; the harmonies in the chorus are spot-on, Chris Hayes' guitar solo is simple but catchy, and Huey is just going for it on the lead vocals. Great song, great opening track, and we're off to strong start.
Following that, Huey does reggae. Tell Me a Little Lie has a solid reggae beat, which I honestly never noticed when I first listened to the album, because I'd never heard reggae before. I just knew that it was a Huey Lewis song, and I liked it. The guitar and keyboards play off of each other with some call-and-response, and the lyrics are clear and precise and Huey just nails it. Not the best song on the album, but definitely a good one. And it served notice that Huey and the boys weren't sticking to a single lane.
Up next is Giving It All Up for Love. Apparently, it's actually called Tattoo with the other title in brackets, but I never, ever thought of it that way. This was the UK-only single, which didn't chart. It starts with a descending guitar riff, and has a heavy keyboard component. Originally written by Phil Lynott, so it's the first cover on the album. It's a slower, jazzy-rock tune with a good beat.
Next is Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do. This was the second single off the album, released on May 4th, 1982. It did make the Top 40, reaching #36 at its peak. It's got a slow-rock beat; not a ballad, but you could definitely dance with a girl to this one. This also marks the first appearance of the Tower of Power horn section, a group that would do a lot of good things with Huey and the boys over the years. It was a match made in heaven, one of the best moves the band made in those early years.
The first side closes with Workin' For a Livin', the last single off the album. It charted, topping out at #41, but it became much more popular in later years as the band played it live, usually to close out their set. This song just rocks, and the lyrics are another example of how the band really connected with working class people. Everyone could relate to the struggles the singer was going through, worrying about paying the bills, how the next paycheck is already spent, etc. The song resonated with audiences, and deservedly so. In fact, the B-side to this single was the live version of the song. The verses are repeating that hammering drum-and-bass beat on the same chord over and over, but it never gets boring or tiresome. Great, great song, almost the best song on the album.
I said 'almost', because that title goes to the opening track of Side Two, Do You Believe in Love, written by Mutt Lange. This was the breakout hit, the first single released a week before the album dropped, and holy cats, is this an awesome song. It reached #7 on the Billboard charts, and did even better in Iceland, of all places, topping out at #2. This song starts out straight into the guitar riff, and the harmonies in the chorus are incredible. But the band wasn't doing the harmonies; it was just one guy, Chris Hayes, who did all seven(!) harmonic parts on his own. Obviously, that can't be replicated live, but it was still great in concert. And the solo...oh, blow that horn, Johnny! A gorgeous saxophone solo leads into the bridge and the big finale. Man, this song is stone-cold great. Love it.
Okay, after that intensity, we need to slow things down a bit. And lo and behold, the next track, Is It Me?, is the band's first full-on ballad. I loved this song, too. Still do, of course. The guitars are lighter on this one, as the keyboard carries the rhythm behind Huey's golden voice. Johnny breaks out the sax solo again, and it's beautiful. I listened to this song a lot when I was younger. It just resonated really well with me. And it was the B-side on Do You Believe in Love, too. It's a nice combo. I can't find a live track for this one, just the album version.
After that, we pick up the tempo again with Whatever Happened to True Love. The B-side to Hope You Love Me, this one is more of a straight-up rocker rather than the slow-rock A-side. It's still slower than Workin', more of a pop song than anything else. No live version of this one, either, so you get the album track. Chris Hayes does some more excellent work on this track.
Then it's the band's most serious song, based on a true story: The Only One. A friend of Huey's, the popular one in school, ended up going in the wrong direction in life, and was killed walking across a highway while drunk or stoned. This song is a commemoration of that friend, and it does not have a happy ending. It's a solid rocker, with a great chorus and strong harmonies. Definitely not an upbeat set of lyrics, though.
Finally, the album closes with another cover: Buzz Buzz Buzz. I have to admit, I never got this one. It felt really different from the rest of the album. It wasn't until years later that I found out that they were covering a song by the Hollywood Flames from 1957, twenty-five years before the album. Now I get it. It's carried by the saxophone, and has that old-fashioned backbeat drum track that will get you tapping your feet by the end of it. It's a fun song, and I like it a lot more now that I know its background. There were six other covers of the song prior to Huey Lewis' version, and more covers later on, including one by the Beach Boys in 1984! The latest cover, according to Wikipedia, was done by the Refreshments in 2008, fifty years after the song hit the charts. That's pretty good for a song I'd never heard of except on this album.
So, there it is: Picture This, the band's breakout album with two of their best and biggest hits. It was certified Gold for half a million albums sold, which is quite impressive. It was a signal that this band was the real deal, and they would only reinforce that with their next album, Sports. But that's a story for another post. In the meantime, why not listen to some great music?
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