Similar Albums:
- Artist: NRBQ
- Rating:
- Release Date: 1972
- Genre: Rock
Review
For the uninitiated, NRBQ is an oddity. How does one, for instance, approach a band who sings a song like "Howard Johnson's Got His Ho-Jo Working?" The answer may be, "not very seriously," but then another problem reveals itself: the songs are so catchy. "Who Put the Garlic in the Glue?" and "Magnet" bounce along like an early-'70s version of Ben Folds Five. Together, pianist Terry Adams, bassist Joey Spampinato, guitarist Al Anderson, drummer Tom Staley, and vocalist Frank Gadler find a bigger sound than the sum of their parts. Scraps is filled with pop music that manages the duel feat of making the listener feel good while remaining intelligent. The songs, with a couple of exceptions, are only two to three minutes long; that equals out to 14 cuts from the original album, which was a lot of tracks in 1972. Three bonus tracks have been added and the entire album has been remastered. There is also a great deal of breadth in Spampinato and Adams' songwriting, from the rocking "Don't You Knock at My Door" to the instrumental "Tragic Magic" to the gentle "Only You." Spampinato, who had written very little on previous albums, wrote several gentle ballads, including "Boys in the City" and "It's Not So Hard." John DeAngelis' liner notes keep tabs on NRBQ's evolving lineup and provide good information on the context of the recording. Scraps' appeal sneaks up on the listener, reminding them that some music is just meant to be enjoyed. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music GuideTracks
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Howard Johnson's Got His Ho-Jo Working | Terry Adams | NRBQ | (3:20) |
| Magnet | Terry Adams | NRBQ | (3:30) |
| Don't Knock at My Door | NRBQ | (2:59) | |
| Tragic Magic | Terry Adams | NRBQ | (1:52) |
| Only You | NRBQ | (2:46) | |
| Who Put the Garlic in the Glue? | Terry Adams | NRBQ | (2:01) |
| Get a Grip | Steve Ferguson, Terry Adams | NRBQ | (4:29) |
| Boys in the City | NRBQ | (2:29) | |
| New Tune | Terry Adams | NRBQ | (2:35) |
| Scraps | Terry Adams | NRBQ | (4:06) |
| It's Not So Hard | NRBQ | (2:44) | |
| Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive/Things Are Getting Better | Cannonball Adderley, Harold Arlen, Dory Previn, Johnny Mercer | NRBQ | (3:15) |
| Do You Feel It | Terry Adams | NRBQ | (2:51) |
| Ain't It All Right | Steve Ferguson, Terry Adams | NRBQ | (2:23) |
| Just Close Your Eyes and Be Mine Ruby [#][*] | Terry Adams | NRBQ | (3:18) |
| Hymn #9 [#][*] | Terry Adams | NRBQ | (1:18) |
| Trouble at the Henhouse [#][*] | NRBQ | (2:15) |
