Who is Eddie Callahan, and why are collectors paying ridiculous sums of money for his album, False Ego! That is the question which we will debate tonight here at Swan Fungus. And by “debate” I mean I’m going to copy and paste some information about Callahan from the Acid Archives, then follow it up with my own impressions of the album. After that, I’ll grant you access to the album, and open the floor to debate.
“This wonderful album has been described as “loner rock,†an interesting distinction since so many of these thoughtful, quirky songwriters make folk records that, um, don’t rock. Within about two minutes of the first song, I was eternally hooked. It starts abruptly, almost in the middle of a conversation with Eddie, acoustic guitar in hand, asking some of life’s bigger questions to an unnamed echoed respondent. After a few verses, the rhythm section comes in, followed by the most perfectly realized batch of synthesizer noises you’ll ever hear. The songs ends in waves of sound effects and at this point you’ll already be ready to proclaim Eddie a genius. The good news is that most of the album keeps pace, with gorgeous pop (“Just Across The Lineâ€), power pop with backwards guitar (“Don’t You Knowâ€), stunning acid rock (“Paper Rainâ€) with a Stranglers-type synth break, and all sorts of surprises. This album has a timeless quality, like the very best pop, and only the talk box on one song places it firmly in 1975/1976. Otherwise it could just as likely have been from 1970 or 1979, and in fact has a bit of a new wave feel to it. It’s not exactly “psych†or “power pop,†and genre fans might not be sure what to make of it, but it’s just plain too good for classification. Even a music hall ditty with comic snyth bleats and a funky rock song with a talk box manage to work. Callahan is a Hare Krishna, which explains the mystical questioning of many of the lyrics. He’s also a bit of a chameleon, sounding like three or four different singers over the course of the album (which, along with the unusual arrangements, makes this album fresh and unpredictable in ways few pop albums are.) The last three songs are a bit of a let down, as they’re merely good. If they had been as good as the rest for the album, it would be an eternal masterpiece. As it is, it’s still one of the finest and most distinctive private press albums I’ve ever heard. Great album cover, too (despite being a cheap paste-on), and an even better label design. [AM]” – Acid Archives
This album is way more produced than any of the other private press/homemade recordings I’ve shared this week. It’s filled with amazing psychedelic effects and synthesizer sounds, has a lot of Big Star-ish moments, and generally sounds like it comes from a completely different place than the more tortured albums, “real people” albums or troubadour-folk albums I’ve posted this week. I understand the “loner” tag, but keep in mind that shit like Dave Bixby and William C. Beeley get tagged as loners also, and their albums sound as much like False Ego as Madonna sounds like Xasthur. Ya dig?
In any event, this is a great sounding record and it deserves a little more recognition, what with it already being a $500+ album frequently sought after by the collector scum elite who have money to burn. Oh well! Enjoy!
Eddie Callahan
False Ego
MegaUpload DL Link
Tracklist:
01. Where Will We Be Tomorrow
02. Eddie Callahan
03. Shake Your Woogie
04. Santa Cruz Mountains
05. Don’t You Know (How I Feel)
06. Dying To Sing
07. Paper Rain
08. Lonely Feeling
09. Judge Me
10. Flying
