Sports! [30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition] (1983)

Picture This found Huey Lewis and the News developing a signature sound, but they truly came into their own on their third album, Sports. It's true that the record holds together better than its predecessors because it has a clear, professional production, but the real key is the songs. Where their previous albums were cluttered with generic filler, nearly every song on Sports has a huge hook. And even if the News aren't bothered by breaking new ground, there's no denying that the craftsmanship on Sports is pretty ... Read More

Picture This found Huey Lewis and the News developing a signature sound, but they truly came into their own on their third album, Sports. It's true that the record holds together better than its predecessors because it has a clear, professional production, but the real key is the songs. Where their previous albums were cluttered with generic filler, nearly every song on Sports has a huge hook. And even if the News aren't bothered by breaking new ground, there's no denying that the craftsmanship on Sports is pretty infectious. There's a reason why well over half of the album ("The Heart of Rock & Roll," "Heart and Soul," "I Want a New Drug," "Walking on a Thin Line," "If This Is It") were huge American hit singles -- they have instantly memorable hooks driven home with economical precision by a tight bar band who are given just enough polish to make them sound like super stars. And that's just what Sports made them. [For the 30th Anniversary of Sports, the 1983 blockbuster that turned Huey Lewis & the News into super stars, the album was given a sparkling new remaster and expanded into a two-disc set containing a second CD comprised entirely of live versions of the album's nine songs. Not all of these nine songs date from the supporting tour for Sports. As a matter fact, only "Walking on a Thin Line" -- here introduced with "this is another one off the new record," a phrase that often sends audiences rushing to the nearest beer stand -- dates from 1983, with the vast majority dating from 1987-1989, when the band was recording and promoting Small World, the 1988 album that brought their streak of hits to a close. Two other cuts come from the Fore! era -- "If This Is It" was cut in 1986; "Bad Is Bad" is from 1987 -- and these, like the Small World performances, are precise, professional, and a bit too polished; the sound of arena rockers, not a bar band. Remarkably, the two songs cut in 2012 -- presumably because neither song was performed live in the '80s -- do indeed showcase Huey Lewis & the News at their raucous, barroom best. They tear through "You Crack Me Up" and, best of all, they bring in former Clover guitarist John McFee to play steel on a rowdy "Honky Tonk Blues." Long the weak link on the LP, here on this deluxe edition, this Hank Williams cover is a standout, capturing all the good humor and joy of Huey Lewis & the News at their best, and it's something of a small wonder that they still sound so good 30 years after their commercial peak.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi Read Less

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2013, Capitol UPC: 602537368563 CD See All from $21.27