Afoot

Afoot is the debut six-song EP by the American indie rock band Let's Active, first released in 1983 by I.R.S. Records.

Afoot
EP by
Let's Active
Released1983
RecordedJune 1982 – March 1983
GenreIndie rock, jangle pop, power pop
Length22:42
LabelI.R.S. Records
ProducerMitch Easter
Let's Active chronology
Afoot
(1983)		 Cypress
(1984)

Recording

The music on Afoot was recorded from June 1982 through March 1983.[1] Recording was done at bandleader Mitch Easter's home recording studio, Drive-In Studio in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.[2] The songs were presented as a demo to I.R.S., who quickly signed the band. The six songs were packaged as a mini album debut for the band and released in 12" vinyl EP format in late 1983.[1]

Track listing

All six songs were composed by Mitch Easter:[1]

  1. "Every Word Means No" – 2:57
  2. "Make Up with Me" – 3:40
  3. "Edge of the World" – 4:00
  4. "Room with a View" – 3:48
  5. "In Between" – 3:55
  6. "Leader of Men" – 4:22

Personnel

Let's Active:

  • Mitch Easter – Guitar, vocals
  • Faye Hunter – Bass, vocals
  • Sara Romweber – Drums

Production

Easter produced all six tracks at Drive-In Studio.[2] Scott Litt provided assistance with mixing.[1]

Bassist Faye Hunter painted the cover art, musician/friend Richard Barone contributed additional photography, and the album design was credited to Carl Grasso.[1]

Reception

Although it sold only modestly, the EP was a prominent critical success.[3][4] Trouser Press described the record as giving "new meaning to such overused pop adjectives as crisp, bright and ringing".[5] In a particularly effusive retrospective review, AllMusic said "the entire EP is simply flawless" and called all six songs "brilliantly catchy".[6]

Afoot was a major hit on college radio stations in late 1983–early 84.[2] The opening track, "Every Word Means No", was particularly popular, and came to be regarded as a signature song for the group.[7] In the late 1990s it was covered by Smash Mouth and featured on the Friends Again soundtrack (1999).[8] It lent its name (partially) to the multi-band compilation Every Word: A Tribute to Let's Active (2003),[8] and continues to endure as "a mainstay of '80s pop retrospectives".[9]

Afoot was followed by the full-length album Cypress in 1984, and the two were combined in a single CD release in June 1989.[6] This CD included two extra tracks, "Two Yous" and "Grey Scale," which had been available previously only on the UK vinyl release of Cypress.[6]

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References
  1. Afoot (1983) at AllMusic. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  2. McCormick, Moira (Oct 6, 1984). "Producer Easter Gets Active As Performer". Billboard. Billboard Publications. 96 (38): 36. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  3. Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2001). All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music. San Francisco, CA: Backbeat. pp. 232–233. ISBN 9780879306274.
  4. Miller, Scott (2010). Music: What Happened?. Alameda, CA: 125 Books. p. 117. ISBN 9780615381961.
  5. Phillip, Elizabeth (1989). Robbins, Ira A. (ed.). The New Trouser Press Record Guide (4th ed.). New York: Collier/Macmillan. p. 383. ISBN 0-02-036361-3.
  6. Cypress/Afoot (1989) at AllMusic. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  7. Borack, John M. (2007). Shake Some Action – The Ultimate Guide To Power Pop. Fort Collins, CO: Not Lame Recording Co. p. 27. ISBN 9780979771408.
  8. Harris, Will (November 19, 2003). "Various Artists: Every Word: A Tribute to Let's Active". PopMatters. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  9. Mills, Fred (October 2003). "Let's Active: Re-Activated". Harp. Retrieved August 27, 2019 – via Rock's Backpages.
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