365 Days, 365 Files: All About Eve – December

Admit it — you’ve bought an album you’ve never listened to before because you liked the cover. Before the days of 30-second online previews and evil sharing networks, buying an album just because the cover looked cool was a gamble. Oftentimes, it was a gamble I ended up losing, but once in a while, I would strike some gold.

I was intrigued by the cover All About Eve’s Scarlet and Other Stories, so I asked the guy behind the counter at the record store whether he had heard of the band. He did one better, opened up a copy of the album and played it right there. I liked what I heard and bought it. On my limited allowance, Scarlet and Other Stories ended up being a favorite of mine in 1989.

I couldn’t really warm up to the band’s 1988 self-titled debut, and when I heard the news that original guitarist Tim Brechino left the band, I lost interest. Although singer Julianne Regan has a pleasing, attractive voice, it was Brechino’s guitar work that gave real meat to some rather pretty music. Brechino somehow found the balance between Johnny Marr and Jimmy Page.

"December" drips with poignancy. As a teenager, I dug its preciousness, and as an adult, I like the tension between Brechino’s big guitars and Regan’s ethereal voice. I would really love to hear the album remastered.

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