Jangle Folk Pop, Power Pop: The Grapes Of Wrath - Treehouse 1987 (Capitol EMI)

Early comparisons to R.E.M. are clearly justified on Treehouse, a jangly folk-pop masterpiece. On this, their second album, the band seem considerably more confident and focused. Crisp and bright production, courtesy of Tom Cochrane (ex-Red Rider), compliment the glorious harmonies and melancholy, introverted songs perfectly. A sadly overlooked classic of '80s guitar rock.(allmusic.com)

The Grapes of Wrath were a jangly alternative folk-pop quartet formed in Kelowna, British Columbia in 1983 by brothers Chris Hooper (drums) and Tom Hooper (vocals, bass), along with Kevin Kane (vocals, guitar) and the later addition of keyboardist Vincent Jones. In 1984, they signed to Nettwerk Records and relocated to Vancouver where they recorded a four-song, self-titled EP that earned the band some initial local exposure.

1985's full-length, September Bowl of Green, however, brought them national recognition and critical acclaim. Ready to make a stab at the U.S., they enlisted the help of Tom Cochrane (ex-Red Rider) for production of the follow-up, Treehouse. Though it failed to break big, it did yield a hit single in Canada with "Peace of Mind." Subsequent singles and two more albums, Now and Again (1989) and These Days (1991), did well in their homeland but earned little sales elsewhere. In 1992, Kane left the band, and the remaining members went on to become Ginger. Ginger released Far Out on Nettwerk in 1994 (released in the U.S. in 1995) and followed with Suddenly I Came to My Senses in late 1996. Kevin Kane released a solo album, Neighborhood Watch, in 1996 for On/Off Records in Canada.

High Road In the summer of 2010, after 18 years, the original founding members (Chris and Tom Hooper and Kevin Kane) joined together to play the Surrey B.C. Fusion Festival. Due to the show’s success, the band once again began touring Canada and subsequently signed with Aporia Records to put together a new album. High Road, recorded in the spring of 2012 with co-producer Darryl Neudorf (Neko Case, Blue Rodeo), was scheduled for release the following March. In the meantime, EMI-Canada released the album Singles in October 2012, featuring each of the 15 radio singles from GOW's catalog, as well as two new songs. The first new single, "Good to See You," reached the Top 40 on Canada's Active Rock and Alternative Rock charts.(allmusic.com)

Es ist kein Geheimnis daß ich so meine Schwierigkeiten mit den Achtziger Jahren habe. Musikalisch meine ich. Natürlich kamen großartige Power Pop Alben aus dieser Zeit und auch hier und da gab es einige großartige Alben aus anderen Bereichen. Aber alles in allem, vor allem verglichen  mit den beiden vorhergehenden Dekaden empfand ich die Achtziger eher schwach. Und vor allen Dingen begann in diesem Jahrzehnt der Siegeszug der Oberflächlichkeit und für eine zum Glück eher kurze Zeit ebenfalls der Siegeszug der grauenhaftesten Synth Sounds, gnadenlos grottenschlechten Gitarrensounds und und und. Aber es gab auch Ausnahmen. The Grapes Of Wrath waren eine dieser Ausnahmen. Mit diesem Album legten sie eine größtenteils angenehme Popscheibe vor, die an manchen Stellen vielleicht manchmal fast glatt klang aber meistens mit feinen Gesangsdarbietungen, die sich perfekt in die Songs einbetteten, alles ins richtige Lot brachten. Definitiv eine der besseren Kommerzplatten der Achtziger Jahre. Um Mißverständnissen vorzubeugen, dies ist keine Musik aus der Subkulturecke und es lag in meinem Interesse eben auch mal keine solche hier vorzustellen mit diesem Album.(Frank)