The Call (band)
| Company type | Rock band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Santa Cruz, California , United States |
Key people | Michael Been, Scott Musick, Tom Ferrier, Jim Goodwin |
| Products | Studio albums, live albums, compilation albums |
The Call is a rock group originating from Santa Cruz, California, established in 1980. The principal members consisted of Michael Been, Scott Musick, Tom Ferrier, and Jim Goodwin. Across a span of more than twenty years, they produced nine studio albums before their split in 2000. Their 1986 song "I Still Believe (Great Design)" gained recognition through Tim Cappello's cover featured in the movie The Lost Boys. Additionally, their 1989 hit "Let the Day Begin" reached the top position on the Billboard U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and was later adopted as the anthem for Al Gore's 2000 presidential bid.
Formation and early career
The band’s initial formation included Been on lead vocals and guitar, Musick on drums, Ferrier handling guitar duties, and Greg Freeman playing bass. Steve Huddleston contributed keyboards from 1981 until 1983, after which Jim Goodwin took over that role. Freeman departed in 1984, with Joe Read stepping in on bass for the album Scene Beyond Dreams. Both Been and Musick hailed from Oklahoma and connected after moving to California. Before settling on The Call, they performed under the names Airtight and Motion Pictures and also served as the backing band for Phil Seymour. A collaborative track with Seymour was released posthumously in 2020.
Their self-titled debut album, The Call (1982), recorded in England, reflected an exploratory sound characterized by Been as "compassionate but probably angry." Renowned musician Peter Gabriel lauded them as the "future of American music" and invited them to support his "Plays Live" tour during 1982–1983.
The follow-up album Modern Romans presented politically infused content mirroring the global unrest of the time. Been referenced conflicts such as those in Grenada and Lebanon as influences for songs like "Walls Came Down." Both initial albums featured keyboard contributions from Garth Hudson of the Band.
With Scene Beyond Dreams, the band embraced a more poetic lyrical approach alongside a stylistic shift that Been described as their "metaphysical" project.
Commercial hits and extended break
In mid-1985, The Call recorded Reconciled, with Been assuming bass guitar responsibilities. The group had experienced a two-year gap without a recording contract due to disputes between their former label Mercury and their management team. After securing a deal with Elektra Records, they released their most commercially successful album in 1986, which included guest performances by Peter Gabriel, Jim Kerr of Simple Minds, and Robbie Robertson. Multiple tracks from this album charted on the Mainstream Rock Chart, including "I Still Believe (Great Design)", which was also featured on the soundtrack for the 1986 film The Whoopee Boys.
Tim Cappello’s 1987 cover of "I Still Believe" for The Lost Boys brought significant attention to the song through his performance. The track was also interpreted by Contemporary Christian artist Russ Taff in 1987 and by The Protomen in 2015. In 2017, Klayton of Celldweller covered "Too Many Tears". The song "I Still Believe" appeared in the 2018 Paramount series Waco and played a prominent role in the season two finale of Reservation Dogs (2022), which featured a cameo by Cappello himself.
The Call’s 1987 release Into the Woods was noted as Been’s personal favorite album. Their 1989 record Let the Day Begin included a title single that achieved No. 1 status on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart; however, insufficient physical distribution by their label hindered overall sales and chart impact.
Their last major-label release, Red Moon (1990), featured background vocals from U2’s Bono on the track "What's Happened to You". This album incorporated Americana elements but diverged from the grunge movement dominating radio at that time. After completing the Red Moon tour, The Call entered a prolonged hiatus.
Reunion and legacy
During the early 1990s, Been pursued solo projects such as "To Feel This Way," featured in the 1992 film Light Sleeper, and his 1994 solo album On the Verge of a Nervous Breakthrough. These efforts generated speculation about the band's dissolution. Nevertheless, in 1996, Warner Bros. Records issued The Best of The Call, a compilation that included both classic tracks and newly recorded full-band versions of Been's solo songs "Us" and "To Feel This Way".
The band followed up in 1997 with the release of To Heaven and Back on Fingerprint Records. A fan-assisted restoration of a 1990 tour recording led to their inaugural live album, Live Under the Red Moon (2000), which was released through the indie label Conspiracy Music. That same year marked the band's official breakup.
The Call's track "Let the Day Begin" gained political prominence when Al Gore used it during his 2000 U.S. Presidential campaign, and later by Tom Vilsack in his short-lived 2008 campaign.
In 2009, the Oklahoma History Center hosted "Another Hot Oklahoma Night: A Rock & Roll Exhibit," celebrating Oklahoma’s rock heritage and spotlighting The Call’s song "Oklahoma," which had been a finalist for the state’s rock anthem. The exhibit inspired a book of the same name that featured The Call alongside other notable Oklahoma musicians.
Michael Been tragically passed away from a heart attack on August 19, 2010, backstage at Belgium's Pukkelpop festival. At the time, he was serving as sound engineer for his son Robert Levon Been’s band, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (BRMC).
On April 18–19, 2013, Scott Musick, Tom Ferrier, and Jim Goodwin reunited for performances in San Francisco and Los Angeles, joined by Robert Levon Been on bass and vocals. These concerts were captured in A Tribute to Michael Been featuring Robert Levon Been (of BRMC), released on September 2, 2014. The album was available in multiple formats including CD, CD/DVD combo, digital deluxe editions, and limited-edition vinyl. In 2015, footage from these shows was broadcast on VH1 Classic and Palladia.
The Call came together once more on April 22, 2017, for a New Orleans concert featuring guest vocalists Ray Ganucheau, Michael Divita, and J.D. Buhl.
An extensive band history titled Recalling The Call was published on June 4, 2021.
On August 28, 2021, The Call received induction into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. Scott Musick and Steve Huddleston accepted their awards in person while Michael Been’s sister accepted his posthumous recognition.
In 2023, members Tom Ferrier, Jim Goodwin, Scott Musick, and Ralph Patlan discovered live recordings along with nearly finished studio tracks showcasing Michael Been’s vocals. They committed to completing these recordings for a forthcoming studio album entitled The Lost Tapes, scheduled for release in 2024. This collection features previously unreleased material from earlier sessions as well as rare tracks dating back to when the band performed under the names Airtight and Motion Pictures (1978–1981). Additionally, remastered editions of Reconciled and Into the Woods are planned.
The first single from The Lost Tapes, titled "Welcome to My World," was released on January 26, 2024 via Spotify and other digital platforms.
Members
- Michael Been – lead vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards (1980–2000)
- Tom Ferrier – guitar, vocals (1980–2000, 2013, 2017, 2023-present)
- Greg Freeman – bass, vocals (1980–1984)
- Scott Musick – drums, percussion, vocals (1980–2000, 2013, 2017, 2023-present)
- Steve Huddleston – keyboards, vocals (1981–1983)
- Jim Goodwin – keyboards, vocals (1984–2000, 2013, 2017, 2023-present)
- Joe Read – bass, vocals (1984–1986)
Albums
Studio
- The Call, 1982
- Modern Romans, 1983 (US No. 84, AUS No. 50)
- Scene Beyond Dreams, 1984 (US No. 204)
- Reconciled, 1986 (US No. 82)
- Into the Woods, 1987 (US No. 123)
- Let the Day Begin, 1989 (US No. 64)
- Red Moon, 1990
- To Heaven and Back, 1997
- The Lost Tapes, 2024
Live
- Live Under the Red Moon, 2000
- A Tribute to Michael Been featuring Robert Levon Been (of BRMC), 2014
Compilation
- The Walls Came Down: The Best of the Mercury Years, 1991
- The Best of The Call, 1997
- 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Call, 2000
- The Call - Collected, 2019
Singles
| Year | Single | Highest Chart Positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | Australia | UK | |||
| 1983 | "The Walls Came Down" | 74 | — | 17 | 21 | — | Modern Romans |
| 1986 | "Everywhere I Go" | — | — | 38 | — | — | Reconciled |
| "I Still Believe (Great Design)" | — | — | 17 | — | — | ||
| 1987 | "I Don't Wanna" | — | — | 38 | — | — | Into the Woods |
| 1989 | "Let the Day Begin" | 51 | 5 | 1 | 74 | 42 | Let the Day Begin |
| "You Run" | — | — | 29 | — | 78 | ||
| 1990 | "What's Happened to You" | — | 25 | 39 | — | — | Red Moon |