Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, 1988 on Geffen

This was an inescapable album in 1988 – not that I was trying to escape it. It was their studio debut and came out of nowhere to go 2x platinum.

You could argue they were one-hit wonders with “What I Am,” with its ear-worm chorus (“What I am is what I am / are you what your are or what?”) and what I guess is a pre-chorus “choke me in the shallow water / before I get too deep”). Technically true, in that the follow up singles did not break the top ten – but it’s really a great album.

(This was also just before the Indigo Girls also had a hit with “Closer to Fine” – I guess the late 80s was a good time to be aiming for simplicity and not overcomplicating one’s life philosophies).

Originally just New Bohemians – they’d foreground relatively new signer Edie Brickell when they signed to Geffen – they came out of Dallas and the scene in Deep Ellum. Brickell went on to a singer-songwriter career and multiple albums with Steve Martin (and the Deep Canyon Rangers). She also married Paul Simon in 1992.

My copy is a Record Service Alsdorf (Germany) pressing, in my collection via Lucky Records in Reykjavik Iceland. Happy to find one in great shape with the original inner liner.

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