The Call

Even with widespread critical praise for their thoughtful and intense brand of rock, endorsements from respected fellow musicians, and multiple well-received albums, the San Francisco outfit the Call stayed locked in cult-favorite territory. The expected leap to mainstream success never arrived. Launched in Santa Cruz during 1980, the four-piece group fronted by vocalist and guitarist Michael Been issued its self-titled debut album in 1982 and collected favorable notices. The next year the band delivered Modern Romans, expanding its following after the track “The Walls Came Down” registered as a modest chart entry. By 1984 keyboardist Jim Goodwin had taken over bass duties from Greg Freeman, completing the lineup that recorded Scene Beyond Dreams; although the album drew further acclaim, it could not extend the group’s commercial gains. Reconciled appeared in 1985 and included guest contributions from Peter Gabriel—who had once called the band “the future of American music”—as well as Robbie Robertson. Both “I Still Believe” and “Everywhere I Go” received notable rotation on college-rock and AOR outlets, lifting the band’s visibility.

The Call eased away from the anthemic style of Reconciled on Into the Woods yet still connected with college audiences through the reflective single “In the River.” In 1988 Michael Been stepped away briefly to portray the apostle John in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. After moving from Elektra to MCA in 1989 the group edged toward more radio-accessible material on Let the Day Begin; the energetic title song became their strongest hit, topping the AOR chart and peaking at number 51 on the pop chart while pushing the album to its highest chart position. When the band returned with Red Moon it had shifted toward a warmer, roots-based sound reminiscent of the Band—fitting, given that Garth Hudson and Robbie Robertson had already appeared on earlier releases. Though widely regarded as the group’s most polished and accomplished work, Red Moon made little headway outside its established audience despite Bono adding vocals to “What’s Happened to You?”

Been explored solo waters with the harder-edged On the Verge of a Nervous Breakthrough in 1994, which earned modest airplay for the track “Us.” The Call received compilation retrospectives during the 1990s and regrouped for the 1997 album Heaven & Back along with supporting dates. A live document, Live Under the Red Moon, followed in 2000. Michael Been suffered a fatal heart attack in 2010 while touring and serving as sound engineer for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the band led by his son Robert Levon Been. Several years later the Call reconvened for a series of concerts featuring Robert on bass and vocals, yielding a 2014 live album. The group kept performing and touring through the remainder of the decade.