Happy (Mitch) Easter!

I have two annual traditions here at LTL. One is Big Country's 1983 New Year's Eve concert highlighted each Dec. 31st. The other is songs written, produced, recorded or performed by the great Mitch Easter you'll find on these pages every Easter. As this blog nears its 12th birthday, I would say I have picked the carcass of that Big Country show clean. When it comes, to the work of Mr. Easter, however, I never seem to want for material. After all, one look at Discogs shows his production credits alone at 248. Enjoy another basket of goodies featuring the work of our hero.

Let's go way way back to 1976 when Easter was in Sneakers with the likes of Chris Stamey and Will Rigby. These are from the self-titled six-song 7" EP played at 33 1/3. No, the material doesn't quite live up to what Stamey and Rigby would do in the dB's or what Easter would come up with in Let's Active, but there is a spark that will make you realize they were all heading in the right direction.

Ruby
Love's Like a Cuban Crisis

Talking of Let's Active, we can't let the holiday go by without something from Mitch, Faye and Sara. This one is from the 1984 album 'Cypress' and features Faye on lead vocals. Rest in peace, Ms. Hunter. Interesting to note Don Dixon was co-producer with the band on 'Cypress' and the engineer on the release by Sneakers above. Like Easter's, his name seems to show up all over the place in my record collection.

Blue Line

Now for something from that long list of production credits. Easter worked extensively with Cali power-pop band Game Theory. The 1985 album 'Real Nighttime' was the band's second and the first with Easter behind the glass. I would rank it right up there with 'Lolita Nation' as their best. Scott Miller, the genius behind the band, worked with Easter almost exclusvely as his producer for the next decade as he moved from Game Theory in the '80s to the Loud Family in the '90s. Until next Easter, here's one from 'Real Nighttime.'

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