DAVID + DAVID : BOOMTOWN

  1. Welcome To The Boomtown
  2. Swallowed By The Cracks
  3. Ain't So Easy
  4. Being Alone Together
  5. A Rock For The Forgotten
  6. River's Gonna Rise
  7. Swimming In The Ocean
  8. All Alone In The Big City
  9. Heroes

Label : A&M Records

Release Date : 1986

Length : 40:46

Review (AllMusic) : Although they only recorded one album, the California duo of David Baerwald and David Ricketts made some of the finest mainstream pop of the '80s. With its slick surfaces and memorable melodies, 1986's Boomtown was deceptively smooth; beneath the production, the songs were tales of despair and broken dreams in the Reagan era. David + David scored a surprise hit in 1986 with "Welcome to the Boomtown"; it was their only single that charted. Baerwald began a critically acclaimed solo career in 1990; Ricketts has not released anything since Boomtown. David + David's Boomtown is a hard look at urban life in the 1980s, a time when many were fulfilling the American Dream of financial success and upward mobility. It is not an easy album to listen to, as the characters depicted in the songs are often dealing with major problems such as drugs and domestic violence. But it is an artful record, full of poetry and convincing stories of the hard times that many silently endured. At times the record is full of pop hooks, and at other stages a more bleak sound dominates. The vocals of David + David are also effective in telling the tales, as often there is a shrill, despondent quality that complements what is being related to the listener. In particular, the drums have kind of a hushed sound to them, and the guitars often purvey sounds of doom through distortion or other means. "Welcome to the Boomtown" is the hit off the album, and is one of various cuts that convincingly detail the many trials of the characters such as Kevin, who "deals dope out of Denny's keeps a table in the back." Although there are often hints of hope and seemingly a sense of compassion toward the subjects in the songs, it is not apparent that most will eventually pull themselves out of their predicaments. One may not want to listen to this record to lift the spirit, but it is a strong reminder of difficult situations faced during what can be perceived by many as the best of times.