Volume One: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails BY The Baseball Project Reviewed by Adam D. Miller    The origins of The Baseball Project, a new supergroup featuring Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Scott McCaughey (The Minus Five), Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate) and Linda Pitmon, are rooted in a series of conversations between McCaughey and Wynn in which they discovered their mutual love of baseball. Curious as to what an album of songs about baseball would sound like, they recorded Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails, an album that is both extremely catchy and educational.McCaughey and Wynn, who each contributed their own songs to the project, skirted the obvious stories of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and the 1919 Black Sox scandal, instead devoting time to may of the unsung heroes of the game, such as Curt Flood and Harvey Haddix. Kicking things off is an all-out expression of love for the game. Scott McCaughey’s “Past Time” runs through all sorts of names and images associated with baseball’s iconic history. The music is catchy and familiar, evoking The Byrds and Neil Young, so even if you don’t recognize names like “Campy” Campanella or Ray Fosse, you’re still bound to enjoy the song for its anthem-like qualities. Catchy music and fun backing vocals remain at the forefront for “Ted Fucking Williams,” on which Steve Wynn takes on the role of the legendary Boston Red Sox alum, wondering why newer, younger players like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays are getting all the attention. “And everyone says ‘hey Mick!’ / Mantle this, Mantle that – it makes me sick / It’s just so hard to see / Why do they like him better than me? I’m Ted Fucking Williams!” While most of the songs on Volume One look back to baseball in the 50s, 60s and 70s, “Broken Man” examines a recent event that was of great importance to many of today’s baseball fans and the ongoing steroids controversy: the rise and fall of Mark McGwire after the baseball strike of 1994. Once again, the song is sung from the perspective of the ball player (this time with McCaughey taking the lead). “No one seemed to care when it brought back the fans,” sings McCaughey. Through the album, McCaughey and Wynn seem enamored with the underdog and the misunderstood characters of baseball. Later, on “The Yankee Flipper,” McCaughey sings of how R.E.M.’s Mike Mills and he had a night out on the town with New York Yankees pitcher Jack McDowell, shortly before a famous incident during which he gave fans the middle finger. “The Yankee Flipper” is one of several songs on Volume One that take on autobiographical tones. “Sometimes I Dream Of Willie Mays” is about McCaughey’s early memories of baseball; seeing Willie Mays face Sandy Koufax during the 1965 Giants-Dodgers pennant race, and again nearly a decade later towards the end of his career and past his prime. “Now it’s 1973, right across the bay / Playing right field for the Mets, a ball goes through his legs / I cheer the A’s to victory, but that was something I never wanted to see.” Chock full of great melodies and even better stories, Volume One: Frozen Ropes & Dying Quails is an extremely entertaining listen. A minimal interest in baseball definitely helps, but there are tales here that just about anybody can relate to. The perfect summer album, it’s a wonder nobody thought to do this before. |  |
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