Huey Lewis & The News – Four Chords & Several Years Ago

I grew up listening to Huey Lewis, especially the Sports, Fore!, and Small World albums, and of course we all loved his cameo (and tune) in Back To The Future. Pure classic 80s pop rock, a huge chunk of my childhood, and so many huge hit songs. My goodness. And you know, to this day I still do love their stuff. Not just for nostalgia, but because the tunes truly do stand the test of time.

This 1994 effort for the band is a collection of nostalgia for them, all old 50s and 60s R&B cover tunes that were influential for the band members. In the hands of this ace unit of players, this album is friggin’ amazing.

The song selection is perfect, aimed to perfectly fit Huey’s one-of-a-kind voice, and the band nails the feel of every single song. If you know Huey’s voice, this track list oughta prove it:

Shake Rattle And Roll / Blue Monday / Searching For My Love / (She’s) Some Kind Of Wonderful / But It’s Alright / If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody / Mother In Law / Little Bitty Pretty One / Good Morning Little School Girl / Stagger Lee / She Shot A Hole In My Soul / Surely I Love You / You Left The Water Running / Your Cash Ain’t Nothin’ But Trash / Function At The Junction / Better To Have And Not Need / Going Down Slow

See? Honestly, this sounds like the band was just having so much fun, like (maybe) they were finally getting to make the record they always wanted to make. This is a truly soulful album, and the joy really comes through in the music. Fun times!

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