Look for MFSL 1-472 in the deadwax.
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Throughout the album, the band's chemistry and musicianship are on full display. Hornsby's longtime collaborators, including guitarist Rob Ike, bassist Scotty Johnson, and drummer John "Jock" Mullen, all contribute to the rich, layered sound that has become a hallmark of The Range. Look for MFSL 1-472 in the deadwax
The primary talking point regarding the 2021 release is the remastering process. For many legacy acts, a remaster simply means "louder." For Hornsby, it means "clearer." The original 1988 release was a product of its time—glossy, mid-heavy, and slightly compressed to fit FM radio standards.
Many 2021 digital packages included soundboard bootlegs from the 1988–1989 Scenes from the Southside tour, showcasing Hornsby’s legendary live improvisation. Track-by-Track Impact The primary talking point regarding the 2021 release
The original 1988 mix was notoriously compressed for FM radio. The 2021 MoFi release promised to strip away that "loudness war" fatigue, revealing the subtle interplay between Hornsby’s Steinway and the late Joe Puerta’s fretless bass.
is a collection of live recordings from the band's 2020 tour, which took them to various cities across the United States. The album features 17 tracks, including fan favorites, covers, and even a few surprises. One of the standout aspects of this release is the band's ability to reimagine their songs in a live setting, stripping them down to their essence while still maintaining the energy and emotion that makes their music so compelling. Track-by-Track Impact The original 1988 mix was notoriously
Critically, Scenes from the Southside was well-received. Vik Iyengar of AllMusic described it as "another strong set of piano-based pop with catchy melodies" and "one of Hornsby's best efforts". However, some critics noted that while musically proficient, the album largely stuck to the formula of their successful debut, The Way It Is . It was described as a "challenging second album" that proved the band was "more than just a platinum flash in the pan".
Bruce Hornsby's impact on music goes far beyond his own discography. Following the disbanding of the Range in the early 90s, Hornsby became a vital collaborator with the Grateful Dead, influencing the jam band scene permanently. His embrace of improvisation, complex chord voicings (heavily inspired by jazz pianists like Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett), and literary lyrical themes—all fully matured on Scenes from the Southside —cemented his status as a musician's musician.
The 2021 reissue of Scenes from the Southside is not just a nostalgia trip; it is a restoration project. It restores the album to its intended place in the lineage of American rock: as a sophisticated, musically literate collection of songs that transcended the 80s production gloss. For those who only know Bruce Hornsby for "The Way It Is," this reissue makes a compelling argument that his most satisfying work might actually be the scenes he painted on the Southside.