When the Blasters released their self-titled album in 1981, Slash Records was an ambitious indie label on the rise, and by the time the group cut their second LP for the label, 1983's Non-Fiction, Slash had signed a distribution deal with Warner Bros. that gave the upstart roots rockers a major-label recording budget for the first time. Non-Fiction sounds bigger and more polished than The Blasters, which doesn't really work in its favor; the tight, lean sound of their previous album suited their music, and the broader, echoey tone of this record somehow makes the band sound littler, like a small combo playing on a huge stage for the first time. But if the production and engineering isn't the best match for this music, it isn't intrusive, and the Blasters sound as strong and focused here as ever. Phil Alvin's vocals are as big and joyous as all outdoors, Dave Alvin's guitar work is sharp as a scalpel, bassist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman swing hard and tirelessly throughout, and pianist Gene Taylor, and saxmen Lee Allen and Steve Berlin are better integrated into the arrangements than they were on the previous LP. And while Dave Alvin already demonstrated he was a first-rate songwriter on The Blasters, he had even more to say on Non-Fiction (which featured nine original songs over The Blasters' seven), and "Red Rose"'s tale of star-crossed lovers, the story of Hank Williams' last ride in "Long White Cadillac," and the Depression-era saga of "Jubilee Train" confirm he'd gotten even better in the two years since he'd last gone into the studio. Like Television's Adventure and the New York Dolls' Too Much Too Soon, the Blasters' Non-Fiction followed an instant classic, and seemed like a disappointment on first glance, but give it a listen on its own terms, and it plays like the work of a great band working with heart, soul, and plenty of skill, and it's one of the finest roots rock discs of the '80s.
© Mark Deming /TiVo