In June 1990, Kramer and Dean Wareham made Galaxie 500’s final album, This Is Our Music. “Things were tense in the band,” recalls Dean, “but there were exciting moments too. Kramer would suggest things like playing up high on the neck for ‘Fourth of July.’ I also remember taking a break to catch Total Recall on opening day.” Kramer also toured with the band as their sound engineer, often sharing hotel rooms with Dean. However, their paths diverged after Galaxie 500’s breakup.
Over the years, they stayed in touch, with Kramer often suggesting they make another record. It wasn’t until the pandemic, after Dean lost close friends, that he decided to move forward. The result, That’s the Price of Loving Me, was recorded over six days in Los Angeles. Kramer stayed with Dean and his wife, Britta Phillips, and they even paused recording one day to see Kurosawa’s Ran. The album’s 10 tracks retain echoes of Wareham and Kramer’s earlier work but are more complex, with influences from Bacharach, Gainsbourg, and Norma Tanega. Dean’s signature guitar stylings anchor the songs, and Kramer encouraged him to play all the guitar parts. “Kramer believes two takes yield more treasure than twenty,” says Dean. Kramer’s touch is evident throughout, playing piano, organ, and synthesizers. Phillips contributes bass and vocals, while Roger Brogan and Anthony LaMarca handle drums. Gabe Noel arranged and performed cello on four tracks without hearing them beforehand. Dean’s voice is now lower and more intimate but still hits high notes, as heard on his cover of Nico’s “Reich der Träume.”
The album’s lyrics are both melancholic and witty. “The Mystery Guest,” structured as an acrostic poem, mourns a friend, while “We’re Not Finished Yet” celebrates Dean’s 1968 Gibson ES-335. The lead single, “You Were the Ones I Had to Betray,” driven by Noel’s cello, explores friendship and betrayal. The title track features conga rhythms and a vintage Moog solo, reflecting on the sacrifices of a performer’s life.
Dean also covers Mayo Thompson’s “Dear Betty Baby,” creating symmetry with Galaxie 500’s earlier cover of The Red Krayola’s “Victory Garden.” This time, he draws from Thompson’s solo album, Corky’s Debt to His Father.
That’s the Price of Loving Me is Dean’s fourth solo album and his first for Carpark Records. While the album nods to Galaxie 500, it focuses on the passage of time. “Imagination is memory,” Dean notes, “expanding everything we can remember.”
“34 years is a long time,” says Kramer, “but working with Dean again felt seamless. The ‘full circle’ air still lingers. Collaborations like this are incredibly rare, and I’m grateful to have been invited inside again.”
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