Mavericks by Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey Reissued on Collectors' Choice Music with Bonus Tracks

Press release
Source: conqueroo / Cary Baker

Mavericks

Holsapple and Stamey had previously worked together as charter members of the dB’s in the early ‘80s, creating two acclaimed albums: Stands for DeciBels and Repercussion. When Stamey left the band to focus on his solo career, Holsapple kept the band together for two more albums prior to departing to form the Continental Drifters. In the summer of ’90, they came together once again to record Mavericks in their old stomping grounds of Hoboken, N.J., mixing at Bearsville Studio in Woodstock, N.Y.,

Holsapple and Stamey produced the album themselves and welcomed several guest musicians of note: Jane Scarpantoni, (Tiny Lights, Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M.), Chris Butler (The Waitresses and veteran producer), Gene Holder (The dB’s), Dave Schramm (The Schramms), Ilene Markell (7 Deadly 5, Wednesday Week) and Michael Blair (Tom Waits).

“Mavericks is the product of an old friendship having new parameters,” says Holsapple. “Chris and I have worked together since we were teenagers, and this album is certainly one of the finest we've ever made. In part due to its comparative placidity (compared to a dB's record, that is) and also its lyrical maturity, Mavericks is rightly considered an acoustic rock treasure by lots of people. I have always loved the buoyant harmonies and intriguing arrangement moves throughout this record. Stripped of the powerhouse rhythm section of the dB's, Chris' and my songs and vocals retain their strength; the album is a quiet gem, not without its rockers, but focusing on the more intimate and peaceful side of our writing.”

The core album contains 12 tracks. The two best known are the lead track, “Angels,” and the Holsapple song “She Was the One.” Eleven of the songs are originals and one (“Here Without You”) was penned by Gene Clark and originally recorded by the Byrds. Other tracks of note include Stamey’s “Geometry” and “I Want to Break Your Heart,” as well as Holsapple’s “Anymore.”

The Collectors’ Choice reissue of Mavericks adds six previously unreleased bonus tracks: the original version of “Angels,” plus “Hollywood Waltz” (bringing the album’s total number of waltzes to two), a more ornate arrangement of “Close Your Eyes,” an acoustic remix of “Here Without You,” an electric remix of “Anymore” and an instrumental, “I Knew You Would.”

In The New York Times’ review, Karen Schomer wrote: “Instead of synthesized keyboards or slashing power chords, they've chose spare arrangements of acoustic guitar, soft percussion and the occasional embellishment of cello; rather than multi-layered synthetic vocals, they sing in classic two-part harmonies, and at times you can even hear a voice crack as one of them reaches for a note at the edge of his range. Mavericks doesn't want to grab your attention through artificial means; it's quietly and gently forceful, like the sound of rain after dark. It strives to be the same size as, not bigger than, life.”

In a separate Times feature, late critic Robert Palmer cited the album as one of 1991’s Top Ten albums.

According to the All Music Guide: “If you're looking for clever and well-crafted pop tunes, both Holsapple and Stamey deliver the goods.”

Holsapple and Stamey are at work on a long-awaited “sequel” duo album titled Here & Now, due for release in 2008.