Mink DeVille - Le Chat Bleu
#340
By Eli Sitt
Mink DeVille
Le Chat Bleu
Genre: Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes
Rating 3.5
Highlights
This Must Be The Night
Savoir Faire
Slow Drain
Turn You Every Way But Loose
Lowlights
Just To Walk That Little Girl Home
I never listened to this album before, I might have heard of the band name, but it doesn’t register anything.
When Allen assigned this to me early in the Covid lockdown, I listened to it a couple of times and really disliked it. My first rating would have been a 2, max. I have lived or “summered” at the Jersey Shore most of my life, so the obvious similarity to Springsteen and even more so Southside Johnny is very familiar and overdone. It’s not my favorite genre, so at first it was a turn off.
Allen asked me last week if I was still going to submit the review, so I revisited the record. I didn't want to drop my assignment and get kicked out of the group.
It grew on me. I took my kids camping earlier in the week and gave it a listen, I grew more comfortable with it. It really hit me yesterday. I listened to it on a bike ride with my wife to Brooklyn Bridge Park. That’s why I listen to music, as a soundtrack to my life, it’s also why I continually listen to new music, I want my memories to be associated with one song or record, not the same songs tacked on to different experiences. They have to be unique. It was a glorious sun-splashed hot Saturday. We started in Midwood, and wound our way through Ditmas Park, Prospect Park and Park Slope. I really enjoyed the ride through Brooklyn, especially where the streets were closed to vehicles allowing the restaurants to spill into the roadway. There are no tourists in NYC, many many people have decamped to summer getaways and to escape the early spike of Covid. There is plenty of room to breathe and enjoy the spots that are usually overrun and crowded. And with all the shitty news happening, it reinforced my belief that New York is a great city, its residents cover every walk of life, and are extremely capable to pursue happiness during this dark time period. I will always associate the afternoon with a pleasant memory and a wonderful soundtrack courtesy of Mink DeVille.
The band, which I know nothing about, pulls off very acceptable multi genre rock and roll. It really reeks of Southside Johnny and Springsteen. I think of Little Steve Van Zandt also, I’m sure this is Van Zandt’s sweet spot. Lots of Doo Wop, saxophones, white soul, zydeco, and yearnings for a “little girl.” Sounds a lot like Schoolhouse Rock. There's another artist who pops into mind, I just can't remember his name. Fedora, mustache, gravely voice from the late 70's, early 80's, some pop hits. Someone help out here...thank you Google machine; Leon Redbone.
I'm not sure about the French titles, I assume it has to do with Zydeco and New Orleans. I'm not researching anything about the band, I prefer to leave it in an aura of je ne sais pas.
I would not have bought this album in 1980. I was just coming out of my early teen years of disco and AM radio pop music. I was growing into my own and discovering New Wave and Punk, the Pretenders, the Cars, New Order, the Jam, Ska and some classic rock, like the Doors and the Stones. I would not have spent any time listening to Mink DeVille.
If I were stranded on an Island and had this record, I would enjoy listening to it.
I will never listen to it again, but some of the highlights will linger in my ears for a while.
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