Stipe’s character is petulant, self-congratulatory, and ambitious in all the wrong ways, but he’s also a bit disillusioned and disgusted by the thing he has become,though not enough to change.
It’s what happens when deeply unimaginative people decide to become rock stars, and I’m sure you can make a very long of celebrities who match this description just from the past four years or so. It’s rock music as nothing more than a game of dress-up and make believe, and the work of inspired musicians reduced to a string of empty signifiers. Although this session has its merits, it is clearly not as strong as Mathews' later recording.“The Wake Up Bomb” is essentially the dark side of “Crush With Eyeliner.” Whereas the latter is a celebration of creativity and affectation, the former is sung from the perspective of a vain, vapid person who fashions himself into the image of a star for the sake of being famous. A loping treatment of Alec Wilder's "I'll Be Around" and a brisk rendition of the chestnut "My Melancholy Baby" provide a little bit of contrast. Alexander wrote four of the six numbers of his session, though his pieces aren't as memorable. It was the saxophonist's recording debut as leader, too though he stayed active somewhat as a player, he has since fallen into obscurity. The 1961 session is actually led by tenor saxophonist Roland Alexander, with Mathews as a sideman trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Clarence "Scoby" Stroman round out the quintet. Although Hubbard was still developing his chops at this stage in his career, he never disappoints, while Davis' hearty baritone commands attention.
All four of Mathews' originals are very enjoyable, especially the catchy blues "The Thang" and the swirling piece "The Orient." Mathews' surprisingly dark introduction adds a bit of drama to Duke Ellington's "Prelude to a Kiss," but he reverts to a happier mood and eventually plays it as a waltz when the horns join in. The latter one from 1963 is first, featuring Mathews as a leader on record for the first time, fronting a quintet with a young Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and baritone saxophonist Charles Davis, as well as bassist Eddie Kahn and drummer Tootie Heath. Two sessions featuring pianist Ronnie Mathews are combined on this CD reissue.
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