Reclaiming the 90s: Better Than Ezra
By: Daniel Wipert
I was just about to become a teenager when Better Than Ezra hit it big with the song “Good” in 1995, which drove their first album Deluxe to platinum status. I hated that song, but bought the album because I wanted to be cool. To be my surprise, there were a few actually good songs on Deluxe and at least one great one, “In the Blood.” Better Than Ezra came back with a very solid sophomore album, Friction Baby, but it failed to resonate with the alternative radio crowd despite producing the modest hits “King of New Orleans” and “Desperately Wanting”. Going all in, BTE decided to experiment on their third album How Does Your Garden Grow? It was a total commercial failure, and they were dropped by Electra. They never again tried to make interesting music.
Better Than Ezra is the typical post-grunge success story. Get a radio hit, tour heavily, and then fade away into obscurity. BTE’s journey from a LSU frathouse to a number one altrock hit is not that unusual or uncommon. What makes Better Than Ezra interesting is that instead of cashing in their checks and going back to the studio to make 14 different versions of “Good,” they decided to go for broke and attempt to make music that was special and unique. Now, based on your subjectively, they either succeeded or failed horribly, but there can be no doubt they tried to progress and make something different than what got them famous. This, in of itself, is something to behold, for how many bands, who have made it, decide to throw away more money and success in order to uphold their artistic integrity? Basically none.
Better Than Ezra’s story took a less-tread path when they released Friction Baby in 1996. This, their second album, can not be called anything other than alternative rock. It is not really experimental nor does it deviate from the typical alt radio sound. What makes Friction Baby unique is the passion and sincerity of the songs. This is not to say the songs aren’t pretentious, but every alt rock band was incredibly pretentious in the 90s. I remember reading a review for one of this tour’s performances in which the reviewer felt BTE was far far too serious on stage. This makes sense. Friction Baby is a very serious album that is the product of a band trying to say something important. Do they pull it off? Absolutely not, but the music they make in the process is some of the best alternative rock music from the era. Songs like “Rewind” and “Long Lost” are tight, alternative rock gold. The pull here, and on most BTE songs, is the voice of Kevin Griffin. His warm vocals can make any song sound like it is at least worth a listen. The songs on Friction are just great pop/rock songs with smooth production. This makes them special in a way that the band probably did not intend. I imagine the members of Better Than Ezra were trying to create a piece of art that was confident and wise, a rock album that felt important and alive. They did not accomplish that but they did make some of the most definite commercial rock music of the time, which is something important despite the band’s more ambitious failings. Other notable songs on Friction are of course the hits “King of New Orleans” and “Desperately, Wanting,” both well crafted songs.
While Friction Baby demonstrated that Better Than Ezra actually had some talent and perhaps more ambition than their legs could carry, their third album is where BTE really shines as a band who might have been so much better than were. I first heard the opening track of How Does Your Garden Grow? on the soundtrack for the first X-Files movie. As a big BTE fan by that time, I was very distressed and confused by the song “One More Murder.” It had almost no connection to their previous music besides the voice of Kevin Griffin. The rest of the album continues to devolve into a complete mess. Better Than Ezra experimenting on How Does Your Garden Grow? is basically them grasping at straws trying to find some meaning and dignity in making alternative rock music. In their desperation, they wrote and produced some rather moving songs that were essentially an epitaph for their short-lived artistic careers. “Live Again,” “At the Stars,” and “Beautiful Mistake” are confident and moving songs. It became clear by the end of How Does Your Garden Grow? that Better Than Ezra were done, both emotionally and creatively. They tried to break free from the orbit of the grimy and pathetic business of music, but they were unable to do so either from a lack of talent or boldness.
Better Than Ezra is a band that was made and destroyed by the American music machine. They rose to popularity when the major music labels had powerful fiefdoms ruling over the creative culture of American music. If you wanted people to hear your music, you had to sell your soul. Better Than Ezra got big because alternative radio decided to champion (with the help of their label Electra) one of the worst songs they ever wrote. At the height of their popularity, Better Than Ezra bet their artistic integrity against the fickleness and shallowness of commercial music. They lost, but they were able to make some interesting and significant music in the process of being crushed by the whims of capitalists and the fickleness of popular taste. I imagine the members of BTE look back on their success with a sense of absurdity. They have since returned to their roots as a party band who just likes to have a good time. For a moment, they thought there were something more than a group of good old boys who played for beer and a good lay. Even I believed them for awhile, but the truth wills out even if it is buried in layers of distortion and garbled lyrics.
See other entries in the Reclaiming the 90s series:
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