The Falling From Grace soundtrack I believe is one of the first releases, along with Uncle Tupelo's debut, to embody the alternative country movement which would later be defined by Whiskeytown (and its primary writer Ryan Adams) and The Old 97's. For the soundtrack, he brought together a wide and varied group of artists for what is truly a revelatory and highly influential album and for this reason, I am including it in this Idiot's Guide. Mellencamp directed this film from a Larry McMurtry screenplay. However, at the end of the day, the delight of the perfect pop tune could still be heard on amorous "Again Tonight" and the jolting "Get A Leg Up" showing that when you least expect it, one can still plug in the guitar and find their way home. Deep cuts like "Melting Pot" are uneven musically but winds up being a whimsical alternate route while the dreamy and atmospheric "Last Chance" is an homage of sorts to Chris Isaak and Roy Orbison. The album has more in common with American Fool than The Lonesome Jubilee, yet lyrically he was expanding his themes to world views (which he would continue to do with his next few albums) on songs like the epic "Now More Than Ever" (a deserving anthem he should perform regularly), "Last Chance" and "Love & Happiness". The tour in support of the album is viewed by most Mellencamp fans as his defining moment as a live performer. While Lisa Germano's violin is absent from the entire recording, guitarists Mike Wanchic and David Grissom lead the attack with their dueling guitars while drummer Kenny Aronoff and bassist Toby Myers keep the beat as John Cascella fills in colors with his Hammond B-3 organ to the guitar heavy record. Here the music is stripped to the bare minimum (or at least I thought it was until the release of Dance Naked). Mellencamp took the pastoral sounds as far as he could go with Scarecrow, The Lonesome Jubilee and Big Daddy. While the album is arguably his least adventurous since American Fool, that is not necessarily bad. Right from the get go, the storming politically conscious "Love & Happiness" sets the course with thick crunching riffs that would not relent until the disc had spun all ten tunes. Not only is it a fine return to form, but he has turned up the volume producing his heaviest record to date. Whenever We Wanted showcases the thunderous return of the electric guitar.
Whenever We Wanted found Mellencamp striving forward and all but abandoning the accordion, fiddle and heartland music he had perfected over his last three albums. Octosaw the release of Whenever We Wanted, the first album to be released under the last name he would ever use John Mellencamp. Two weeks after Nirvana's Nevermind landed in record stores and three weeks after Guns N' Roses double-disc opus Use Your Illusion debuted, John Mellencamp was reborn. He continues today with the John Cougar Mellencamp years. To coincide with the Rock Hall of Fame inductions, Tony takes a look at the career of John (Cougar) Mellencamp. John (Cougar) Mellencamp Guide - Act IV: John Mellencamp (90s)
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