Comments on: Basement Songs: Michael Stanley Band, “Lover”

By: Jaybug

Jaybug — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:05:08 +0000

Hey Scott,
I'd be curious to see how your writing would affect me if I wasn't from Cleveland. I suppose I would still be taken back to those days of angst and puppy love. You definitely put me in that head-space of yesteryear, but as you said about how Michael is a dj now and doesnt complain about the past you (you and Michael) brought me back to today and the music that we're writing and living today…thanks man,
Jaybug

By: Jaybug

Jaybug — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 04:05:08 +0000

By: MC_Snocap

MC_Snocap — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 19:22:34 +0000

Chalk up another NE Ohio transplant to LA here. Michael Stanley was huge to most of my high school; kids even created their own T-shirts to honor MSB and cement their own coolness. Always appreciated that some rebel wore a homemade “Mighty Sorry Band” shirt; at the time, MSB hit me as bland stuff celebrated only because of localism. They'd sell out night after night at outdoor amphitheater Blossom, while their single night stands in Erie or Pittsburgh were cheaper (gougers!) and less attended.

Looking back, still not a fan of the tunes or even the “white lines” lyric, but I miss that regional cultural scene that's probably been Clear Channel-ed to purgatory.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 22:07:33 +0000

I was wondering how long it would take you to do a piece on MSB (if ever). There were summers I was convinced that “He Can't Love You” came pre-programmed into every radio, it was played so much. It's funny because back in the day I didn't give MSB much attention other than to acknowledge they were Cleveland's own, and now it seems to be a permanent fixture in my car's CD changer. “Lover” is a great tune for the reasons you've said, and “Don't Stop the Music” makes me want to learn how to hit the tubs, but “I'll Never Need Anyone More” is the wayback machine for me. I'll never forget where I heard it first and what her name was that made that ditty so significant. I've chucked more than a few CDs over the years, but I'll probably still have this one and all the high school memories it conjures, fifty years from now.

By: Matt Wardlaw

Matt Wardlaw — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:54:58 +0000

Michael's music gave me Midwest Midnight and Jonah Koslen. We're going to have to agree to disagree on “Lover.”

If you've got an account on Dimeadozen, you'd probably be interested to know that there are folks posting a ton of live MSB shows right now.

By: Lu, ex-Clevelander

Lu, ex-Clevelander — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:44:35 +0000

Wonderful analysis of a fabulous song, which can be as cheesy as it is poignant.

And that in a nutshell was the charm and even the genius of the Michael Stanley Band. The lyrics often seemed superficial or even juvenile, but we all could relate on some level.

By: JohnHughes

JohnHughes — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:28:41 +0000

Oh, Scott, we had such similar upbringings, right down the Byrne/Claremont X-Men. G-98 would NOT let this song go and I was in full-blown New Wave so of course, I would flinch and turn over to 'MMS, only to hear it on there at the same time. MSB were the bane of my youth, but I certainly can appreciate them now.

I even downloaded this and listened to it just now, missing the freezing snow here in sunny Long Beach. Honest.

By: hagen

hagen — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:01:37 +0000

Well said. I'm going to be moving to Cleveland this year, and it's good to know what I can expect. Thanks for a vivid recollection, and thanks for some clue about the identity of a band whose entire catalog was inexplicably in our bins in the 90s for a couple of years.

By: Stacie

Stacie — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:47:37 +0000

Great song! It is a cold winter day today in Cleveland, it was 4 degrees with the wind chill when I woke up! brrrr.