Field Day by Marshall Crenshaw

Field Day was Marshall Crenshaw's second album, cut in a hurry for Warner Bros. in 1983 while his self-titled debut was still warm, and it's the record where the Detroit songsmith swapped Richard Gottehrer for Steve Lillywhite behind the desk. The change of producer brought a change of style and sound, and the songs, still rooted in Buddy Holly and classic soul, come wrapped in a production some critics felt got in their way.

Crenshaw never saw it like that: he remembers the sessions fondly and has stood by the sound ever since. The public was cooler. After the debut's modest success, Field Day stalled at number 52 in the States, and its lead single, "Whenever You're on My Mind", topped out at 103 on the singles chart. Time has been kinder to that song, which now ranks among the best known he ever wrote.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.