“Stay the course. Keep on trying.” So sings Glenn Mercer on the Feelies’ In Between, their sixth album and second since rebooting in 2008. Last year, the Haledon, N.J., band founded by guitarists Mercer and Bill Million celebrated its 40th anniversary. Crazy Rhythms, their frenetic, classic debut, arrived in 1980, but they waited six years for their second, the comparatively sedate The Good Earth. That was the first Feelies album with the band’s current lineup of Mercer, Million, bassist Brenda Sauter, drummer Stan Demeski and percussionist Dave Weckerman. After the (relatively) quick run of three albums between 1986 and 1991, the band retired until Sonic Youth coaxed a reunion in 2008 that led to sporadic touring and to 2011’s Here Before. The Feelies will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our new feature on them.
Demeski: This is a Sire U.K. 45 from 1976. I’ve heard the more standard version, and I think at least one other version, but this is the best in my opinion. I’m not sure why it’s not on the LP, since it’s much more energetic, in part because they seemed to speed up the tape. It’s almost a text-book case of “grabbing success from the jaws of defeat” to me. I think I paid $3 for it at the local record show about 12 years ago.
