Scarecrow (Expanded Reissue Edition)
“Scarecrow consolidated the band’s rugged, roots-rock thrash and the ongoing maturation of Mellencamp’s lyrics.” – Rolling Stone
USM are releasing new editions of John Mellencamp’s 5x platinum, classic 1985 album Scarecrow – which yielded three U.S. Top 10 hits, “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.” (#2), “Small Town” (#6) and “Lonely Ol’ Night” (#6) – featuring the newly remixed & remastered album in addition to a full disc of rare & previously unreleased tracks, most of which are not available digitally.
The bonus material includes two previously unreleased full-length songs (“Carolina Shag,” “Smart Guys”), three album track rough mixes (“Lonely Ol’ Night,” “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A,” “Minutes to Memories”), three partial-song demos (“Between a Laugh and a Tear,” “Rumbleseat,” “Small Town”), two b-sides (covers of two Scarecrow influences: The Drifters’ “Under the Boardwalk” and James Brown’s “Cold Sweat”), and a previously unreleased cover of “Shama Lama Ding Dong,” performed originally by the fictional band Otis Day and the Knights in the 1978 film National Lampoon’s Animal House.