Review – Saturday 2

Review – “Saturday”. Eric Flaum. The Bob, issue 31, Sep.-Oct. 1987.

This is it. The album their live shows indicated was possible, and that their first album only hinted at. An ultra-smooth band that had a penchant for slipping into the bland, is here hooked with a masterful pop producer, Don Dixon, and the result is a wonderful album. The vocals are vastly improved, and the instrumentals infinitely more compelling.

As much as I liked Zeitgeist in the past I never imagined they had this in them. Side one in particular is a non-stop exhibition of first-rate songwriting and superb performances. “What Am I Doing?” opens up with some studio trickery made possible by the band’s move to the big times, but it takes more than money to come up with songs like “Electra” and “Secretariat.”

I’d go into more detail about specific songs, but there’s something about Zeitgeist’s music I’ve always found personal. Maybe it’s because of the intimacy of the band members, two Austin couples [well, not quite- the band members weren’t involved with each other…, Ed.] who took a long break since their ’85 debut to tour, make babies and hone their skills. It was beginning to seem like too long a wait, but “Saturday” justifies the delay.

And in case you’ve mistaken these folks as an overly lyrics-oriented country band check out “Karate Party.” You think “White Tornado” was hot? Ha! While I’d still have preferred Zeitgeist’s great version of the Peanuts theme, this monster proves they’ve got some serious chops, too.

Buy this album. See them live. The commitment of the indies teamed with the professionalism of the majors is a great combination. As a result, “Saturday” is a great album. (Distributed by Capitol)