The Del Fuegos - Stand Up (1987)

On the front cover of "Stand Up", the Del Fuegos third album, lead singer and guitarist Dan Zanes looks as if he's struggling to stay awake, and it seems sadly indicative of a band that was clearly running out of steam. While guitarist Warren Zanes and Tom Lloyd had contributed to the songwriting on the Del Fuegos' first two albums, on "Stand Up" Dan wrote all the songs either by himself or with outside contributors (among them producer Mitchell Froom), and with a third guitarist, a handful of guest musicians, a horn section and six backing vocalists contributing to the sessions, this album simply doesn't sound like the work of the same band that made The Longest Day and Boston, Mass. It doesn't help that Dan Zanes' voice sounds a bit ragged here, and while having Tom Petty and James Burton contribute guitar work to the album certainly seemed like a great idea at the time, the songs just aren't up to what this band was capable of and the performances lack the energy and keen focus of their best work. Between the arrangements and the melodic hooks of tunes like "Wear It Like a Cape" and "A Town Called Love," it's clear that Dan Zanes was embracing his R&B influences while making Stand Up, but his voice just isn't up to the challenge of the material, and the oddball experiment "He Had A Lot to Drink Today" simply sounds like a mistake.
Warren Zanes and drummer Woody Geissman would both leave the Del Fuegos after "Stand Up" failed to make an impression with either critics or fans, and it's not hard to imagine why this album is the sound of a band that has clearly lost the plot.

Track listing

01. Wear It Like A Cape - 4:15 
      Written By – Dan Zanes/Mitchell Froom
02. New Old World - 3:54 
      Written By – Dan Zanes
03. Name Names - 3:21 
      Written By – Dan Zanes
04. Long Slide (For An Out) - 4:36
      Written By – Dan Zanes (Resonator Guitar [Dobro] - James Burton)
05. He Had A Lot To Drink Today - 3:02
      Written By - Dan Zanes/Mitchell Froom  (Froom Harp – Charlotte Elizabeth)
06. A Town Called Love - 4:04
      Written By - Dan Zanes/Jerry Scheff (Guitar [Wha-wha]( – James Burton)
07. I Can't Take This Place - 2:45
      Written By – Dan Zanes/Mitchell Froom (Vocals – Tom Petty)
08. News From Nowhere  3:50 
      Written By – Dan Zanes
09. Scratching At Your Door  4:00 
      Written By - Dan Zanes/Jerry Scheff
10. I'll Sleep With You (Cha Cha D'Amour)  2:45 
      Written By – Dan Zanes

Credits
Lead Vocals – Dan Zanes
Vocals – Bobby King, Donnie Gerrard, Maxine Waters, Merry Clayton, Stephanie Spruill, Willie Greene, Jr.
Backing Vocals – B. Woody Giessmann, James Ralston, Warren Zanes
Bass, Vocals, Cello [Ten Cellos] – Tom Lloyd
Drums – B. Woody Giessmann
Guitar – Dan Zanes, James Ralston, Warren Zanes
Horns – Heart Attack Horns
Keyboards – Mitchell Froom
Percussion – Alex Acuña
Art Direction, Design – Jeri McManus Heiden
Management – Gary Hobbib, High Noon Entertainment, Russ Rieger
Mastered By – Bob Ludwig
Mixed By, Recorded By – Tchad Blake
Photography By – Arthur Elgort, Matt Mahurin
Producer – Mitchell Froom
Technician [Drum Services] – Paul Jamison

Notes
Recorded at Sunset Sound Factory. Originally mastered at Masterdisk.
Genre:  Roots Rock
Length:  36:32
Label:  Slash Records

© 1987