Life's Too Short (album)

Last updated
Life's Too Short
LifesTooShort.jpg
Studio album by
Released1991
Genre Arena rock [1]
Length45:34
Label MCA
Producer Ed Stasium
Marshall Crenshaw chronology
Good Evening
(1989)
Life's Too Short
(1991)
Live …My Truck Is My Home
(1994)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Robert Christgau B+ [3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]

Life's Too Short is the sixth album by singer/songwriter Marshall Crenshaw. [7]

Contents

The album was produced by Ed Stasium and featured Kenny Aronoff on drums. Crenshaw recalled, "I liked what Kenny Aronoff (drums) and Ed Stasium (production) were doing right then, I liked them both personally, and I wanted to work with them, so off we went…" [8]

"Better Back Off" was a moderate hit on the Modern Rock charts, reaching number 17. Crenshaw said of the song, "On 'Better Back Off' you can tell from the music that I'm trying to write a big Rock-radio anthem. But the lyrics don't quite get there – they describe an intimate conversation between two people, not very anthem-like..." [8]

Spin named the album to their list of 30 overlooked albums from 1991, stating, "The Ed Stasium-produced album is full of the kind of literate guitar pop that made Crenshaw a star in the '80s, with catchy gems like 'Delilah' and “Fantastic Planet of Love.'" [9]

Track listing

All songs written by Marshall Crenshaw, except where noted.

  1. "Better Back Off" (Crenshaw, Tom Teeley) – 4:48
  2. "Don't Disappear Now" (Crenshaw, Teeley) – 4:11
  3. "Fantastic Planet Of Love" – 5:20
  4. "Delilah" (Crenshaw, Leroy Preston) – 4:08
  5. "Face Of Fashion" (Chris Knox) – 3:57
  6. "Stop Doing That" – 4:09
  7. "Walkin' Around" – 4:14
  8. "Starting Tomorrow" – 4:17
  9. "Everything's The Truth" (Crenshaw, Jules Shear) – 3:58
  10. "Somewhere Down The Line" – 6:32

Personnel

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References

  1. Kot, Greg (2004). "Marshall Crenshaw". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 200–201. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  2. Life's Too Short at AllMusic
  3. Christgau, Robert. "Marshall Crenshaw". Robert Christgau . Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  4. Larkin, Colin (1999). The Virgin Encyclopedia Of Popular Music, Concise 3rd Edition , p. 323. Virgin Books, London. ISBN   1-85227-832-3
  5. Milward, John. "Life's Too Short", Rolling Stone , June 13, 1991, p. 116.
  6. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 167.
  7. "Marshall Crenshaw".
  8. 1 2 Porter, David (1 February 2011). "David Porter's 20,000 Things I Love: Marshall Crenshaw". Stereo Embers Magazine. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  9. Shipley, Al. "30 Overlooked 1991 Albums Turning 30 This Year". Spin. Retrieved 26 October 2022.