Description
You’re Soaking In It is the official debut album by the American alt-rock/rockabilly trio This Train, independently released on Etcetera Records in 1995, distributed by Diamante Music Group. (The band actually had released a cassette the year before). The album was engineered and produced by band member Mark Robertson. On this album the band featured Mark Robertson on vocals and bass, Jordan Richter on guitars, Chris Wicklas on drums, as well as Beki Hemingway on bakground vocals.
Performing a conglomerate of punk and rockabilly Chicago-based This Train mixes two great tastes that taste great together. A graduate from Cornerstone 94’s New Band Showcase stage, This Train pulls off a fun new twist with their debut, ‘You’re Soaking In It’. The tone is set immediately as the disc opens with a raucous, revved up version of Amy Grant’s pop smash, «Baby Baby».
Lightheartedness is the operative word for This Train, the brainchild of Mark Robertson, who’s been plucking the low end strings for acts like Rich Mullins, Rick Elias, The Stand, Brighton, Generation, The Allies and others. Rounding out this trio is the ringing guitars of Jordan Richter and the energetic vocals of Beki Hemingway (Larry Norman, Under Midnight). Top cut for the album is «! Love You (Whether You Like It Or Not)», thanks to its infectious chorus and strong groove. Other titles like «That’s Ex-Doormat To You» and «Chris’ Past Rears Its Ugly Head», leave the impression that This Train don’t take themselves too seriously, or at least they’re interested in keeping us guessing. A breath of fresh air is always nice.
The striking signature of This Train is the dual lead and harmony vocals of Robertson and Hemingway. Combined with the bands power trio sound and basement like sound, the male/female voices give This Train a more universal appeal. May the balancing act of This Train not lose steam! [Dave Urbanski, Syndicate Magazine, #46, 1995]
In case you missed it, here is the sturdy debut album of the band, and now phenomenon, known as This Train. Although referred to as “The Debut Album!,” it is actually their label-breakthrough after releasing even shorter indie albums earlier this decade, and the album that preceded their highly-touted 1998 release, Mimes of the Old West on Organic Records. No matter where you place it in the greater This Train canon, You’re Soaking in It is an album worthy of a spin.
Unlike many fledgling bands floating around these days trying to find themselves, This Train has a strong identity. They know who they are and play their brash brand of rowdy rock-and-roll like they mean it. Main man Mark Robertson’s extensive experience as a musician in bands as far ranging as the Altar Boys, Allies, Brighton, The Stand, Generation, Rich Mullins‘s Ragamuffin Band and with Rick Elias, plays a large part in his hardy grasp of songwriting and musical chops. But compared to those bands, this beast is truly a horse of a different color. Their brand of old-time rock-a-billy with a distinctively Western American flavor is flavorful enough to brand them with their own niche. It would be incorrect to call this country music in any way, nevertheless the grand payoff is akin to power pop rock with a zesty cowpoke quality and a flair for the Fifties. Expect to hear a gutsy sound that fondly recalls the music of yesteryear, yet brought fully up to post-punk speed and bravado. Fans of bands and artists like the Bare Naked Ladies, Weezer, Hokus Pick, Steve Taylor, Ween, Rick Elias, and even John Mellancamp should sit up and take notice. At its very heart, This Train plays rollickingly fun party music. Even though to date I’ve never seen them in concert, the sheer fun and energy of this CD makes it easy to imagine having a grand ol’ time at their concerts.
The first song gets the party kicking with a cover of Amy Grant’s «Baby Baby», which also clearly shows that This Train doesn’t mean for anyone to take them too seriously. Although not as hysterical as the Swirling Eddie parody of the same song on Sacred Cows, a comparison between the two bands can clearly be made here. Mark Robertson sings with a high pitched tenor, Terry Taylor quality that takes some getting used to, but once experienced delivers amply. These two bands also draw some comparisons musically in their shared passion for quirky rock ‘n’ roll, but of the two, This Train is more straight-forward and accessible, whereas the Swirling Eddies veer more to the bizarre and obscure. Regardless, it’s easy to see fans of both bands crossing over to experience the other and finding some degree of satisfaction. Best of all, both groups have a delightful penchant for displaying their humorous whimsy in cleverly-worded lyrical bits and amusing references, like the off-the-cuff one here about Motley Crue’s drummer: “Tommy Lee rules!”
Another excellent example of their priceless sense of humor is «Monstertruck», which has gone on to become a crowd-pleasing concert staple. There are far too many funny lines in that one, but, to avoid reprinting the entire set of lyrics, here is a small sample:
I got me a double-wide, you can hardly tell it’s a trailer from the inside.
In the mobile park, they got plastic pink flamingos that glow in the dark…
Nice big rooms, air-condition, you don’t know what you’ve been missing, baby.
You’re so sweet, young and nubile, I got plans to make you mobile.This Train’s music isn’t purely fun and games. Most of the songs center around relationships, and express seasoned truth beneath the comical veneer about the difficulty of successfully maintaining them. Of those, «That’s Ex-Doormat to You» is precisely what it sounds like:
Sorry you don’t have no place to wipe your feet no more
No one to manipulate, I know that makes you sore
But I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like
To give my life to someone who knows how to treat me right.Less tongue-in-cheek and more poignant is «The Silence», which exposes the real pain involved in an important friendship that abruptly grew sour and went South.
Am I talking to a wall, should I try graffiti?
Is there any use at all, in drawing up a treaty?
‘Cause I don’t feel so optimistic these days
We don’t have to kiss, I just want to make up.The first of two more highlights among the abundant highlights that will go unmentioned here, is the inclusion of Beki Hemingway’s song, «Mary Alice». Hemingway was a bona fide member of the band on this album, and her original song is the only one that features her as the lead vocalist. Given the strength of both the songwriting and vocal performance, it is no small wonder she’s enjoying a successful solo career right now. Lastly, the final song, «I Don’t Mind», is offered up like a prayer to God who motivates the band. Simply and clearly stated, Robertson asks the Lord to hold fast to him no matter what, creating a beautiful and compelling ending to an album full of party favors.
Okay, one obligatory train analogy. If This Train is chugging into a town near you, make sure you catch them. In the meantime, this album is a box car of their finely crafted treasure, and as such, just one station worth stopping at along their bustling journey. [Steven Stuart Baldwin, The Phantom Tollbooth, 1999]
CD tracklist:
01. Baby Baby – 2:19
02. Like It Or Not – 3:32
03. We’ll Never Know – 3:44
04. Mary Alice – 4:26
05. Monstertruck – 3:18
06. Fair Weather Friend – 3:36
07. Untitled – 0:09
08. Every Word You Said – 2:38
09. The Silence – 3:57
10. That’s Ex-Doormat To You – 2:39
11. I Don’t Mind – 3:02
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Etcetera Records.
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