Freedy Johnston’s debut record, 1990’s Trouble Tree was a bit of a disjointed affair. But within the album’s 13 tracks was something that critics and fans alike felt was worthy of more. They would find it in the follow-up, 1992’s Can You Fly. It was quickly called “a perfect album” by The Village Voice, and Freedy Johnston started to be compared to his early influence, Elvis Costello. Like Costello, his crafty approach to lyrics with clever wordplay and crafty arrangements sat at the center of what made his music so compelling.
After years of filling live show set lists with songs from the album and hearing fans endlessly ask for a re-release, the record is getting just that. Can You Fly is available again for the first time in a quarter-century, remastered for compact disc and vinyl, including a clear vinyl first pressing, all released by Sunset Boulevard Records.
Originally released on Bar/None Records, Can You Fly earned Johnston a major label deal with Elektra Records, for whom he released four albums. He was declared Songwriter of the Year by Rolling Stone (just ahead of a Kurt Cobain). AllMusic dubbed the album “stunningly accomplished,” while People described it as, “an extraordinary second album, one of the most tuneful, propulsive and penetrating of this or any year.”
Freedy Johnston. Courtesy of Collin Davis.
Can You Fly was also named as one of the ten best albums of 1992 by Fast Folk.
The song "California Thing" appeared on the soundtrack of the film Heavy, starring Liv Tyler and Deborah Harry. And, "The Lucky One" was also covered by Mary Lou Lord on her 1998 album Got No Shadow. With this re-release, it’s fun to imagine who might decide to tackle one or more of its 13 tracks, make it their own, and introduce an entirely new audience to the creative output of this American master.
The record was co-produced by Joe Jackson bassist Graham Maby, and features Maby on bass, drummer Brian Doherty (Ben Folds, They Might Be Giants), and Marshall Crenshaw (“Someday, Someway”). The new Can You Fly re-release was mastered for CD and vinyl by Scott Hull (Steely Dan, John Mayer etc.)
Growing up in Kansas, Johnston was initially influenced by bands like Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith. But it was his later love for Elvis Costello that most influenced this early work.
Copper caught up with Johnston to talk about the making of this classic, what working with top-rated producers like Danny “Kootch” Kortchmar and T-Bone Burnette has taught him, and what lies ahead as he looks toward the second half of this landmark year and moment.
Ray Chelstowski: I read that you sold off part of your family’s farm to pay for the making of this record.
Freedy Johnston: I am extremely lucky that that it worked out the way that it did. In retrospect it was such a roll of the dice, such a dumb move. But I’m lucky it worked out.
RC: You were working as a typist when the record came out. How long after its release did you leave that job?
FJ: I had my day job until my major record label deal. I was a word processor at Perkins/Eastman, an architecture firm in midtown [New York City]. Ironically, I just saw a bunch of the folks I worked with on July 4th. I loved my last job and I would still be there if it wasn’t for the success of Can You Fly.
RC: There’s a lot of talent on this record. How were they recruited?
FJ: My manager at the time, who was the executive producer of the album, brought in Graham and Marshall Crenshaw. He also brought in Kenny Margolis and Jane Scarpantoni, an amazing cellist. I’m not sure how we hooked up with Syd Straw. But that’s how this record was really cast.
RC: Marshall had already had great success. What did he bring to the project?
FJ: Marshall wasn’t there very long. He was there only to do the lead on “Remember Me.” He was only in the studio for a few hours. It was amazing. He needed to do only one take. We did a few more but we ended up using the first one.
RC: What direction did you give Scott Hull on the remaster?
FJ: I just wanted him to be true to the original and get that on wax. In the end I think that it turned out great.
RC: You have been playing these songs in concert for years. Fans must have played a role in getting this back out there.
FJ: People have been asking that for a long time. It’s just a simple matter of money. Now I’m able to do it through Sunset Boulevard Records. I haven’t been able to do it on my own and I can’t do crowdfunding anymore. I’m not very good at it.
RC: You’ve worked with some of the best producers in the game. What have they taught you?
FJ: I’ve learned from them all; “Kooch,” T-Bone, and my friend Richard McLaren. I learn something on every record about how to capture what’s in your head in the least painful manner possible.
RC: Elvis Costello was an early influence. Do you still follow his work?
FJ: Back when his first record came out in like 1977 was when I was first learning to play guitar. I really latched on to it. It was received as some new kind of music but I just thought it was a really good record. But just like me, [where] some people stop following me for a few decades, I honestly I don’t really know what he’s been doing. I know his first four records the same way a lot of people know me. That said, I’d love to see him live. I saw him three or four times in the old days. He’s a great intellect, player, and I think he knows more about music than almost any journalist.
RC: Are there any other albums you’d like to re-release?
FJ: I don’t know. The Elektra records that followed [Can You Fly] are ones that I don’t have control over. Right now, I’m making a new record in the fall with Kevin Salem, Maby, and Brian Doherty [who played on] Can You Fly. It’s a full circle kind of thing. It’s all coming together in a great way.
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