American Band Rock: Charlie Sexton's Pictures for Pleasure

I saw Charlie Sexton first on MTV in the 1985 video for “Beats So Lonely.” As that clanging acoustic guitar led into the electric riff at the beginning of the song, I was taken. But I looked around. I was already terribly self-conscious about liking anything too much in the pop music focus. (This coming from a kid who marks the day when I got a-ha’s Take on Me cassette to listen to on my first mono speaker Sony tape player).

But I can’t deny it. I looked both ways to see who might be watching, and then I sunk into the pop rock of Charlie Sexton. Yet, in it, I heard something more, something that made it different from the rest of the 80’s pop rock.

Yeah, once I got the album, it had the trappings of 80’s production: electronic drums, keyboard-leads that border on cheesy, and a lack of atmosphere making the music a little too tight sounding. But still I was ready to say there was something more, something about what Sexton was doing that would last longer than the other music of 1985.

And indeed, Sexton most recently toured with Bob Dylan providing guitar for his rockabilly sound from the Love & Theft album. After 1985, Sexton continued to put together music that goes beyond pop and discovered the depths of catchy, melodic rock.

What was it though that I heard that made Sexton’s band stand out from other 80’s pop rock groups, the Cutting Crew, The Outfield, Mike & the Mechanics, or Mr. Mister? What made Sexton different from the pop quasi-singer-songwriters, Rick Springfield, Corey Hart, Bryan Adams, or Richard Marx?

Like I said, it wasn’t the production; listen to Pictures for Pleasure now and you’re all too aware of being in the 80’s. It wasn’t innovative, paving new paths for rock music; it wasn’t alternative, challenging the powers that be. It was pure radio pop that never made it big; it was pop rock that threatens but never gets too hard.

Yet, even as I listen to it today, Sexton still takes me right along with him. It’s his guitar skills—present even in the stilted production. A guitar that keeps working throughout the song providing thematic flourishes to move the pop songs forward. It’s his back of the throat baritone, dare I say a touch of Elvis at times. A voice that brings more emotion to bear on what could be flat or trite sounding with someone else at the mic. It’s the way the Sexton takes the songs beyond the normal pop flow. He takes advantage of bridges, intros, guitar solos, and drum breaks.

I would love to hear Sexton rerecord Pictures for Pleasure today. The songs go beyond 1985. Sexton began building something more than just another pop record for a pop career. This is why Sexton belongs in the American Band Rock in The Spectrum, a section that I reserve for music that is built from the entire band. Yes, Sexton’s guitar takes a honest lead, but never drowning out the rest of the band. Yes, Sexton’s band is stifled by the 80’s pop production, but there’s much more going on here. So while all of those other pop rock groups and quasi-singer-songwriters are in the American Pop Rock section, Sexton is part of the American Band Rock category.

To hear another phase in Sexton’s career where his craft comes through even more clearly, check out the Charlie Sexton Sextet’s Under the Wishing Tree (1995), a blend of Americana, altCountry, and American Band Rock.