What has been added to my collection?
The Pursuit of Happiness – Love Junk(1988) on Vinyl.
Why was it added?
I’ve been eyeing this release since I started collecting records and was shocked and delighted to find it 50% off at Sunrise Records’ Boxing Day sale. I had been debating the purchase for so long that I absolutely jumped on that discount. I’ve been enjoying this album for 30 years to some extent or another, and now I get to hear a second album of bonus cuts!
The Music
This album is solid, smart, well-written rock music. And it holds up shockingly well. The music itself is melodic with some great harmonies built-in. It’s just some quality power-pop/rock. On top of that, you have Moe Berg’s incisive, neurotic, poetic lyrics. It’s probably his writing that keeps this so good after so long.
I don’t have any clear favorite on this record, but it’s consistently solid – “I’m an Adult Now” and “Hard to Laugh” still rock hard, “She’s So Young” will never not be applicable to the current generation of kids, and the fact that they managed to make a song titled “Consciousness Raising as a Social Tool” both rock and be super catchy is an impressive feat in and of itself.
The record of extra material is a mixed bag – fantastic if you’re a fan but thoroughly unnecessary if you’re not.
Thoughts
I have no regrets about adding this to my collection. The music still speaks to me, and the Deluxe treatment serves it very well. It comes in a triple-gatefold jacket and includes a very nice booklet with press clippings of the era, band photos, short retrospective interviews with the band, etc. It’s a nice little bonus.
Yeah But What Else
Will I be adding any more TPOH to my collection? Likely not. This album is a) their best work and b) powerful nostalgia. I can maybe see myself picking up a Greatest Hits at some point if the opportunity presents itself when I’m in just the right mood.
Yeah But What Else? 