Surely there are other fans here. I'm really looking forward to it. Check this out.
Michael Penn utilized the post-World War II state of 1947 LA as the context for "Mr. Hollywood, Jr. --1947."
Album Description
A new ALBUM PRESENTS 12 NEW SONGS SET AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF POST-WWII AMERICA Michael Penn is fascinated with the year 1947. "In so many of my interests and wherever they take me, that year keeps cropping up." On his new record Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947, Penn weaves historical, political and social events and themes into 12 meticulously crafted songs that tell a series of inter-connected stories of human relationships and romance set against the backdrop of post-World War II America. Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947 paints a picture of a Los Angeles that doesn’t exist anymore. "When I was writing these songs I found that I was placing myself, people, places and events into a different world. I knew what it was. I recognized it. It was America in 1947," says Penn. "The events set in motion that year were resonating for me more than ever. Some of it was just little things. The Department of War got a name change. The National Security Act was passed and the C.I.A. was formed. It was the year of the U.N. Partition and the invention of the transistor. The point is, this isn’t what the record’s about, but it’s the sepia it occupies." On the self-produced album, Penn is joined by many longtime collaborators, including Patrick Warren (keyboards), Aimee Mann (background vocals and bass) and former member of L.A. cult band The Grays, Buddy Judge (harmony vocals). Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947 will be released on Penn’s Mimeograph Records via spinART Records on August 2, 2005.
