Rising up from the "I can't believe this wasn't a hit" pile is the proud and regal heartache that is Dan Folger's "The Way Of The Crowd", one of the finest examples of Nashville soul. Arranged to perfection by Bergen White, this Bobby Russell and Buzz Cason production bursts into the room ready to create a messy scene before wisely taking a more sophisticated approach, refusing to fulfill the rough neck stereotype expected of it. Romantic politics and class warfare unfold as Dan tries to talk some sense in to the girl who has decided she's a little bit more than she is because she's been picked up by the "better" set. One can't help but notice a heaping helping of insecurity in this argument, no matter how hard the horns try to hide it, and that's probably what makes it so endearing.
Being a firm believer in remembering from whence you came, no matter how high you climb, I keep this one close yet it never gets too familiar. Yesterday, just as I was turning off my work computer it was chosen by my ITunes program and I had to stop to listen again, hoping that the ending might turn out happier this time.
Dan Folger is probably best known as the writer of "Weeping Annaleah", a song that's been covered by an array of artists as diverse as Tom Jones and Nick Cave, but "The Way Of The Crowd" is his calling card in certain circles. And I can't help but feel a little smug about being a part of that crowd.
Go figure.
You can find "The Way Of The Crowd" on the ace Ace compilation, "Phil's Spectre III: A Third Wall of Soundalikes"
and on Kent's "Northern Soul's Classiest Rarities"
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