Have you ever gone to a show for one artist or band that you look forward to seeing so much and, instead, walk away talking about one of the openers so much more because of the impression that they left (and that is not a knock on the band or artist that you originally went to see in any way)? I will never forget the first time that I witnessed Saturday Looks Good To Me as this rather large group of people ascended the tiny stage and proceed to play some of the most fun music that I had heard in a while (at that point on that night) that just struck the right chord with me; they immediately turned me into a fan and influenced my purchasing their CD for All Your Summer Songs that night (I cannot remember why I did not grab the LP at that point though).
Fast forward a slew of years and the vinyl version of All Your Summer Songs gets the deluxe re-issue treatment for Record Store Day (much to my pleasant surprise). Upon seeing the artwork, I immediately grabbed said LP version (with its bonus track) so that I might excitedly relive that moment in some small way when I popped this sucker on my turntable.
After ripping open the package like a little kid and carefully opening the actual record like an obsessive compulsive vinyl nerd that has an addiction problem, I laid the musical platter on my turntable and proceeded to smile four miles wide as the woefully underrated sounds of Saturday Looks Good To Me wafted throughout my house. The horns and jangly guitars of the opening untitled track blare loud and clear (with what is basically a strangely catchy introduction to the album) before segueing into the wonderfully bouncy “Meet Me By The Water” and its simple but sweet sounding musical arrangement that underscores the muted but wistful female vocals.
All Your Summer Songs continues laying out awesome pop in the same manner whether it be the sound of “Underwater Heartbreak” (this sucker sounds like it should be played at a sock hop circa 1962 (and early but definitely pre-dating Beatles craze) and has a great vocal melody) or the boy/girl duet balladeering of “Ambulance” or the slow mournful title track that might be one of the sweetest, sad break-up songs in my memory. But maybe it is the upbeat “Alcohol” that arguably shows Saturday Looks Good To Me at the top of their game as the fuzzed out guitars and vocal hooks just batter your ears with sweetness.
Saturday Looks Good To Me created a lo-fi masterpiece with All Your Summer Songs that has always seemed to be criminally overlooked over the ensuing years since its original release, and this re-issue certainly is a welcome revisiting of an album that seems to be nostalgia incarnate without being a maudlin mess of rehashed musical platitudes. But none of this really matters, ultimately, because when you pop this sucker on it proves one thing: if you are not dancing, you have no soul.
