Material Issue was not a band that was exactly adored—neither by alt-rock fans nor the critics at large. Other combos didn’t generally take to them, either. It might have been due to the band’s show-off approach, which could sometimes be described as the rock-music equivalent of Tarzan thumping his chest. The group’s in-your-face immediacy had little to do with the prevailing trend toward introspection. But Material Issue’s live show was all about fun; about reclaiming the joy that burned down in the grunge fire. Front man Jim Ellison apparently never got the memo that said it was uncool to bounce around the stage and treat his guitar like tuned-up testosterone. And although the band was completely in its element on stage, it’s the clever, highly personal songwriting of Ellison that gave Material Issue the edge. There are plenty of bands who write catchy melodies and match them to evocative lyrics. But Material Issue had an X factor—that elusive “can’t put your finger on it” quality—that made them akin to a better mousetrap. And Ellison’s lyrics were confessional. Even Cheap Trick—Illinois’ Beatles, and clearly an influence—seemed to eschew emotional honesty in favor of lyrics built for the arena.
In retrospect, of course, Material Issue’s words have taken on a new level of meaning. This is because Ellison committed suicide in the mid-'90s—precisely when the band was, it seemed, beginning to catch a radio wave. They were particularly popular in St. Louis, in fact, where the Point made a regional standard of “Kim the Waitress”—the one girl’s-name song composed not by Ellison but a combo called Green Pajamas. Material Issue’s final few shows in St. Louis were sell-outs, and they earned their loyal audience fair and square by playing their songs with Arch-hurtling energy.
It should be pointed out that Ellison was a gigantic early-days supporter—and occasional promoter—of ‘90s Chicago alt-rock. Bands like the Smashing Pumpkins, Urge Overkill and Liz Phair all benefited from his lead.
The first time I saw Material Issue was at Cicero’s basement bar, that undersized cavern of a venue that had a way of minting unforgettable live performances. With a microcosmic nod to cocky big-arena energy, the band rocked the five audience members with a highly charged largess that had little respect for small enclosures.
Not long after that show, at which they were hawking copies of their “Renee Remains the Same” single, Material Issue’s first album, International Pop Overthrow, was released on Mercury. The disc is jam-packed with “hits,” and could accurately be referred to as The Girls’ Names Album, as it has no fewer than four tunes titled after women—names which were likely changed in the translation from unrequited romance to song title. It may sound dismissive to claim Ellison’s songs are, by and large, mini love stories with tear-jerking denouements—but listen closely. They’re wolves in sheep’s clothing. And it may sound trite to say that Ellison’s breadth of work constituted a cry for help sliced into song-sized bits—but that also seems true. In hindsight, those lyrics form a despairing diary—one to which nobody was privy, even as the words unfurled openly for all to hear.
International Pop Overthrow has just been reissued in a limited-edition two-CD set. It contains the full album, plus various b-sides and non-LP tracks—even a previously unreleased song called “The Girl with the Saddest Eyes,” whose lyrics quintessentially capture the projected sense of melancholy running through so many Ellison tracks. Among the band’s best material is the b-side “The Girl Who Never Falls in Love,” which has a Buzzcocks-y guitar sound and two distinctive hooks. That song’s on the bonus disc, too, along with wily, out-sized covers of tunes by Sweet and Paul Simon.
It’s also worth mentioning that International Pop Overthrow provides the title for an ongoing music festival that pitches its tent everywhere from New York to Liverpool. As of this writing, the Chicago International Pop Overthrow fest is underway, and among its line-up of bands is a new incarnation of Material Issue, with original bassist and drummer Ted Ansani and Mike Zelenko, and replacement front man Phil Angotti. I have mixed feelings about this good-natured attempt to breathe new animation into a band that died with Ellison—but, unlike the depressing Big Star reformation of several years ago—the one in which the Posies plus Alex Chilton added up to mere BS—this isn’t a cynical maneuver to scratch up a few bucks. It’s literally a tribute to a sadly departed genius.
International Pop Overthrow: 20th Anniversary Edition was released April 5, 2011, and includes eight bonus tracks. The Material Issue reunion show, "Material Reissue, " takes place April 23 at the Abbey Pub in Chicago; the band will play International Pop Overthrow in its entirety. For more information on the festival, visit the International Pop Overthrow website.
