Marvelous 3 / Butch Walker

Marvelous 3, led by singer/guitarist Butch Walker was a power-pop trio that rose from the ashes of the hair/glam band SouthGang (Tainted Angel anyone?). They put out 3 great albums in the mid/late 90's, had a minor radio hit with "Freak of the Week", then disbanded when Butch decided to go solo.

Butch has put out a few albums and hard to find ep's that are in the same power-pop vein of music, ala Cheap Trick, but has really started to make his mark writing songs and producing albums for acts like Avril Lavigne, Pink, Lit, Sevendust, The Donnas and many others. What I really like about his music, aside from the catchy tunes themselves, is the real stream-of-concsciencess lyrics. He's very clever with his words and the way he structers his songs. I'm missing 2 of his solo releases, but I recenlty picked up his last cd, Sycamore Meadows, and I love it. It's been getting repeated spins and even my wife was digging some of the tunes. The songs on Sycamore Meadows are a little more meloncholy (sp?) and stripped back than his previous work, which from what I've read is a result of losing his house (which he was renting from Flea of the RHCP) and all of his master tapes of everything he's recorded in the California wildfires last year. The album title Sycamore Meadows, is the name of the road were he lived.

I'd recommend any of the Marvelous 3 albums or his solos works to anyone that's a fan Cheap Trick, Lit or any other power-pop music.

Anyone else a fan?

I love Marvelous 3; much more power pop than his solo stuff. I have Hey! Album, Ready Sex Go and Math And Other Problems.

tohostudios wrote:

I love Marvelous 3; much more power pop than his solo stuff. I have Hey! Album, Ready Sex Go and Math And Other Problems.

Have you listened to his solo works? It's still in the power-pop vein, but he's spread his wings a little more. The lead-off track on his latest release sounds like a Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers left-over. I only have 2 of his solo albums, but he's 2-for-2 in my book. I want to get his other stuff eventually. It's pretty cheap on Amazon.

I have Left Of Self Centered and it just seemed too poppy. I read reviews of his other ones and it sounded like he was getting even poppier so I never bothered picking any other ones up.

tohostudios wrote:

I have Left Of Self Centered and it just seemed too poppy. I read reviews of his other ones and it sounded like he was getting even poppier so I never bothered picking any other ones up.

Eh, could be. I guess working with artists like Pink and Avril will have that effect. I have Left of... and this new one which I'm really starting to like. Something about his lyrics. He's a very clever guy. I can appreciate that.

Could also be that I just wasn't in the mood for that style that day. And you know me; Ol' One Spin Toho. Maybe I'll dig it out again.

Marvelous 3 is one of my favorite bands and Butch's first solo CD was pretty much another great Marvelous 3 album.

Everything else he's done since then has been pretty horrible. I think his latest album is his worst. He seems to be trying really hard to get accepted by the mainstream. I guess it worked to some extent: he got to sing with Pink on Ellen Degeneres' talk show.

Toho, yeah, Left Of... is poppier, but it still rocks. It's very much like M3 still. None of his works after that have been as poppy or modern sounding or even really all that much rock. He went the singer/songwriter route.

Metal Misfit wrote:

Marvelous 3 is one of my favorite bands and Butch's first solo CD was pretty much another great Marvelous 3 album.

Everything else he's done since then has been pretty horrible. I think his latest album is his worst. He seems to be trying really hard to get accepted by the mainstream. I guess it worked to some extent: he got to sing with Pink on Ellen Degeneres' talk show.

Toho, yeah, Left Of... is poppier, but it still rocks. It's very much like M3 still. None of his works after that have been as poppy or modern sounding or even really all that much rock. He went the singer/songwriter route.

Can't say that I blame him. He's probably making more money now as a producer and song-writer than he did in his days with SouthGang and Marvelous 3.

I knew I had heard this name before. Sinner covered 'Little Head' on their latest "Crash & Burn" album. Never knew about the band before that, as my write up on MM shows.

I remember "Freak Of The Week" great song!!!

kmorg wrote:

I knew I had heard this name before. Sinner covered 'Little Head' on their latest "Crash & Burn" album. Never knew about the band before that, as my write up on MM shows.

Interesting pop song for a power metal band to cover. Is it any good? Do they do a straight-up cover or did they "metal" it up a little?

They're okay but they don't turn my insides to treacle and make me all misty eyed when i talk about them.........like the effect certain power pop peers of the M3 have on me.

A lot of power pop crazies bang on about them but it's not like they're as great as say Tsar, Silver Sun or the Wildhearts imo. I reckon it's much more worthwhile checkin' out Butch Walker's mentor Jonathan Daniel's bands Candy/Electric Angels/The Loveless.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

kmorg wrote:

I knew I had heard this name before. Sinner covered 'Little Head' on their latest "Crash & Burn" album. Never knew about the band before that, as my write up on MM shows.

Interesting pop song for a power metal band to cover. Is it any good? Do they do a straight-up cover or did they "metal" it up a little?

I haven't heard the original, but the cover version is "metalized" a little. It is still quite easy to hear that it is originally a pop song though. Then again, Sinner always had that commercial sound in the 80's, so the song fits nicely along the bands other material too.

Gotta love my fellow Georgia boys!

I LOVE BUTCH WALKER!!!!!!

IMO, the man is a genius Pop/Rock songwriter...his solo albums, especially Letters and Sycamore Meadows, are among some of the best albums of the last 10 years...his Marvelous 3 material is absolutel top shelf Modern Pop Rock...espcially Hey! Album...

Since were talking about Butch, any thoughts on his work in SouthGang? I'm only vaugley familiar with them, but I pretty much lumped them in with the last hurrah of generic hair-metal bands that oversaturated the market in the early 90's. I saw 2 of their discs recently and thought about picking them up, but passed.

rattpoison wrote:

A lot of power pop crazies bang on about them but it's not like they're as great as say Tsar, Silver Sun or the Wildhearts imo. I reckon it's much more worthwhile checkin' out Butch Walker's mentor Jonathan Daniel's bands Candy/Electric Angels/The Loveless.

I can't get into Wildhearts. I've given them two chances with Riff After Riff and The Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed. They have a few really good songs (I love "Vanilla Radio") but they're heavier than I was led to believe and it just doesn't work for me.

Tsar *is* pretty good though. Thanks for reminding me about them. I had most of their first album downloaded back in my Napster days. I gotta get that from iTunes.

Anyone ever listen to 40 Ft. Ringo featuring Steve Brown & PJ Farley from Trixter? REALLY good power pop. It's criminal that they and M3 never became superstars.

Southgang is 5th tier Hairband Rock that Butch plays some cool solos on...nothing more.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Southgang is 5th tier Hairband Rock that Butch plays some cool solos on...nothing more.

That kinda what I figured. I listened to a few tracks on-line and was not impressed in the least. This discussion has prompted me to dust off his other cd's again as well as pick another one of his solo discs fom Amazon.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Southgang is 5th tier Hairband Rock that Butch plays some cool solos on...nothing more.

"She's my taiiiiin-ted angel....wooooo, woooooo..." (Shudder)

Leave those Southgang discs in the used bin, MG.

always preferred walker taxes ranger.

Playing some of Butch's solo stuff this morning...

As cool as his band stuff is (Marvelous 3, The Lets Go Out Tonites), his true "solo" albums are my favorite...especially Letters and Sycamore Meadows...

I'm not sure if I have a preference of one over the other, but I've lived with his Marvelous 3 work longer than the solo material, so that tends to get more spins overall.

If anyone cares, Butch has a new solo EP 'Peachtree Battle' coming out....digital & vinyl only.

Stream entire thing here:

https://soundcloud.com/rocksound/sets/butch-walker-peachtree-battle

I've streamed it several times and I am really digging it. It's NOT his rock stuff...more personal, subdued....but still 100% Butch Walker.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

If anyone cares, Butch has a new solo EP 'Peachtree Battle' coming out....digital & vinyl only.

Stream entire thing here:

https://soundcloud.com/rocksound/sets/butch-walker-peachtree-battle

I've streamed it several times and I am really digging it. It's NOT his rock stuff...more personal, subdued....but still 100% Butch Walker.

I care about more Butch material. I don't care for digital or vinyl.  

I'll give it a listen though. I like his clever word-play in the lyrics.