| Poletown | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1997 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 59:47 | |||
| Label | Seathru | |||
| Producer | Mark Avsec | |||
| Donnie Iris and the Cruisers chronology | ||||
| ||||
Poletown is the eighth studio album by American rock singer Donnie Iris, released in 1997. [1] It was Iris' third post-major label release, and was released independently on Seathru Records.
Poletown marked the reforming of the original Donnie Iris and the Cruisers' line-up and was recorded at Jeree Recording Studio in New Brighton, Pennsylvania in 1994. Ten of the album's tracks were musically written by all members of the band, with Mark Avsec writing all lyrics. Poletown marked a dramatic departure from the band's previous work, with the songs being lyrically and musically dark and brooding. It was the last time that the band recorded with engineer Jerry Reed, who died in 1999. [2]
Upon release, Poletown was largely ignored by radio, even from the band's long-time supporter WDVE. [3] During 1997, Iris was also the recipient of the year's Lifetime Achievement Award. [4] The song's title track tells the story of immigrants who build a small town, which later becomes devastated when the major employer leaves. The lyrics refer to General Motors workers in Michigan, though a photo of West Aliquippa was included within the album's booklet. [5]
In a 1998 interview with bangSheet, Avsec revealed how the album materialized:
"The Poletown record was done right after I finished law school, and right before I started studying for the bar. It was sort of, well not really a last blast, but I knew I was going to get real busy. I had all these tunes, so we did the album. And, from my standpoint, I do still like to write, though it's not so much the co-writing it once was. It could be, like the Poletown record was musically. We just got the original guys together, and we pretty much went in there just jamming on all the tracks. That's why everyone is listed as a writer. Then, I pretty much wrote the lyrics and made songs out of them." [6]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Poletown" | Mark Avsec, Dominic Ierace, Marty Lee Hoenes, Albritton McClain, Kevin Valentine | 4:56 |
| 2. | "How You Gonna Mend It?" | Avsec, Ierace, Hoenes, McClain, Valentine | 4:07 |
| 3. | "Valerie" | Avsec, Ierace, Hoenes, McClain, Valentine | 5:52 |
| 4. | "I Am Your Eyes" | Avsec, Ierace, Hoenes, McClain, Valentine | 4:29 |
| 5. | "The Stalker" | Avsec, Ierace, Hoenes, McClain, Valentine | 5:16 |
| 6. | "Don't Want to Be a Hero" | Avsec, Ierace, Hoenes, McClain, Valentine | 4:28 |
| 7. | "I Lie Down" | Avsec, Ierace, Hoenes, McClain, Valentine | 4:39 |
| 8. | "Bitter Lemons" | Avsec, Ierace, Hoenes, McClain, Valentine | 4:59 |
| 9. | "Hey Rembrandt" | Avsec | 4:50 |
| 10. | "Scream" | Avsec | 0:59 |
| 11. | "Within Me + Without You" | Avsec, Ierace, Hoenes, McClain, Valentine | 5:58 |
| 12. | "Come, Come, Come" | Avsec, Ierace, Hoenes, McClain, Valentine | 5:09 |
| 13. | "Cross the Rubicon" | Avsec | 4:00 |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Times/Beaver Newspapers, Pennsylvania | mixed [7] |
| The Cleveland Free Times | favorable [8] |
| bangSheet | favorable [9] [10] |
Virginia Ross Lutz of The Times/Beaver Newspapers, Pennsylvania, wrote "This is one musical journey you might not want to miss, especially if you happen to be a Donnie Iris fan. The album carries us across 13 tracks and several decades with a little bit of groove, a little bit of pop and some classic and alternative rock. There are even a few touches of doo-wop and some punk threads thrown in. In addition to Avsec's doom-and-gloom look at "Poletown," the album sets a dark mood with "The Stalker" and "Bitter Lemons." Iris has a little fun with fallen love and hopeful recovery in "Within Me and Without You." Overall the work might come across as negative. But weaved with clever phrases, it effectively digs into and at times brings humor to life's little ironies. It offers an abundance of sin, lust, adultery, guilt, anger discouragement and cynicism. You can either listen and have some fun with it or really listen and get into some heavy thinking." [7]
In the Cleveland Free Times, of September 2, 1998, writer Anastasia Pantsios noted "Poletown made a small stab at going the Springsteen route (or probably, more accurately, the Joe Grushecky route) and writing an album that approached social commentary about the disruption of the lives of working-class people. The title track dealt with a neighborhood in Detroit that was destroyed to make room for General Motors. Although such songs sound passionate and sincere, it's not what Iris' fans go to him for. They want to drink a couple of Friday night beers and forget that anything matters more than girls and rock and roll." [8]
In Volume 1, Issue 8 of bangSheet, dated October 5, 1998, writer Feeway Cummings said: "An absolutely stunning batch of songs. The songwriting was mature and serious. The playing, loose, tight, loud, soft, and pure energy. And, of course, the voice. The voice is still the voice. Donnie adding the emotion and pure honesty of that voice. The album staggered me. These guys still have got it. They never lost it. They never lost me. The world which Louie, Agnes, Merilee and King Cool himself have grown into. Youthful days of love, passion, bars, cars, and late nights have given way to kids, divorce, wrinkles, affairs, class reunions, jobs and loves lost, and introspection. Change with redemption. Age with wisdom. Music that is classic, mature and timeless. A classic." [9] Kurt V. Hernon of bangSheet also noted "The album was a superb return to form and was the logical progression of the Cruiser sound. It is a mature and brooding piece. The music, and Donnie, were as strong as ever. And the original Cruisers were back onboard. The themes are more serious, the music at times haunting." [11]
Donnie Iris is an American rock musician known for his work with the Jaggerz and Wild Cherry during the 1970s, and for his solo career beginning in the 1980s with his band, the Cruisers. He wrote the #2 Billboard hit, "The Rapper", with the Jaggerz in 1970 and was a member of Wild Cherry after the group had a #1 hit with "Play That Funky Music." He also achieved fame as a solo artist in the early 1980s with the #29 hit "Ah! Leah!" and the #37 hit "Love Is Like a Rock."
Back on the Streets is the debut album by American rock singer/guitarist Donnie Iris, released in 1980. The single "Ah! Leah!" was a hit for Iris, reaching #29 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and #19 on the U.S. Billboard Top Tracks chart. The album was remastered and reissued on CD in 2021 by Rock Candy Records with two live bonus tracks from the 1981 Live EP.
King Cool is the second album by Donnie Iris, released in 1981. The album was reissued in remastered form on CD in 2021 by Rock Candy Records with a live bonus track from the 1981 Live EP.
The High and the Mighty is the third album by American rock singer Donnie Iris, released in 1982. The album was reissued in remastered form on CD in 2021 by Rock Candy Records with a live bonus track from the 1981 Live EP.
Fortune 410 is the fourth album by American rock singer Donnie Iris, released in 1983. The album was reissued in remastered form on CD in 2021 by Rock Candy Records with a live bonus track from the 1981 Live EP.
No Muss...No Fuss is the fifth studio album by American rock singer Donnie Iris, released by HME in 1985.
The Jaggerz are an American rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They came to national attention with their single "The Rapper" which was released on the Kama Sutra label. "The Rapper" was No. 1 in the Record World Charts and No. 2 in the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1970. Having sold over one million copies, the recording received a gold record awarded by the R.I.A.A.
"Ah! Leah!" is a song by Mark Avsec and American rock musician Donnie Iris from the latter's 1980 album Back on the Streets. The song has been described as Iris's signature song, as well the unofficial anthem of the city of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania as a whole.
Out of the Blue is the sixth album by American rock singer Donnie Iris, released in 1992. The album is partly a 'best-of' collection as it consists of seven previously released tracks and six new songs. These six tracks were originally recorded for the band's unreleased 1986 album Cruise Control, and were remixed for this release.
Footsoldier in the Moonlight is the seventh studio album by American rock singer Donnie Iris, released by Seathru on September 9, 1993.
Live! At Nick's Fat City is the first live album by American rock singer Donnie Iris, released in 1998. Nick's Fat City was a nightclub that was located in Pittsburgh in the South Side Flats neighborhood.
Mark Avsec is an American rock keyboardist, songwriter, and producer. He was a member of the funk rock band Wild Cherry.
Together Alone is the ninth studio album by American rock singer Donnie Iris, released in 1999.
Ellwood City is the tenth studio album by American rock singer Donnie Iris, released in 2006.
Ah! Live! is the second live album by American rock singer Donnie Iris, released in 2009. Except for one studio recording, all of the songs were recorded at live concerts in Kittanning and Erie, Pennsylvania. The album's name comes from Donnie's first hit single, "Ah! Leah!" It is his fifteenth solo album.
You Can't Really Miss Me If I Never Go Away is the first EP by Donnie Iris, released in 2008.
Live at Blossom is the first live concert video by Donnie Iris, recorded and originally released in 1981. The concert was recorded at Blossom Music Center, when the band opened for the Michael Stanley Band.
Ah! Leluiah! is the eleventh studio album and the first Christmas album by American rock singer Donnie Iris, released on November 18, 2010. The project was first announced by keyboardist/songwriter/producer/legalist Mark Avsec in February 2010 in an interview with Cleveland Scene.
Magnificent Obsession is the second and final studio album from 1980s American pop-rock act Cellarful of Noise, a solo project of Mark Avsec of Donnie Iris fame. The album was released in March 1988, with some of the tracks featuring Donnie Iris on vocals.
Cellarful of Noise is the debut studio album from 1980s pop-rock act Cellarful of Noise, a solo project of Mark Avsec of Donnie Iris fame. The album was released in June 1985.
