‘Abbey Road’ by the Beatles. ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson. ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ by Kanye West. All great records. But only one album can stand at the top.
‘Before the Crowd’ is an acclaimed LP recorded by former River Dell teacher, author, and singer-songwriter Dr. Glen Coleman. It is a thought-provoking analysis of the human experience, deceptively expressed in whimsical melodies and angelic vocals.
The eight-track, 29-minute album features a wide variety of tunes, from the reflective “Something Better” to the upbeat “Love the Self” to the hopeful finale “Road.”
Although Before the Crowd was robbed of a deserved “Album of the Year” Grammy by Mumford and Sons’ subpar Babel in 2013, we can look back and give the album its deserved recognition.
The album’s mastermind, Dr. Coleman, formerly taught freshmen World Civilizations at RD.
“He was open-minded to all opinions and made sure every student felt safe to speak their truth during class conversations,” said former student, sophomore Kokomi Yoshikubo.
She continued, “Dr. Coleman’s dedication, joy, and care for his students made him stand out as a teacher. He was the real deal.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Dr. Coleman’s class,” said former student, sophomore Joseph Bushi. “Especially looking back, I’m really glad that I got to have him as my teacher.”
The legendary album has been mythologized by his students at RD. The most popular track, ‘Fish’, has garnered nearly 1,500 streams on Spotify. While he was still teaching, he reached more than 3,000 monthly listeners, heavily comprised of the students he helped teach.
Seemingly, the popularity of ‘Fish’ transcends the album as a whole. “I haven’t really listened to the album,” said Bushi. “I have heard ‘Fish’ though. The song is pretty good,” he finished.
Despite the popularity of ‘Fish’, Dr. Sasso said the sixth track, ‘Wedding Ring Blues,’ is his personal favorite song on the album.
Sasso, about the album: “It was fun. By that time [2013], Dr. Coleman and I had been teaching together for a dozen years, so we knew each other very well. I was one of several people who were gifted an actual CD with a personalized note inside. Still have it.”
The album starts off with the reflective and nostalgic song ‘Something Better’. Coleman opens his album, and the song, with the line: “Everyone, stepping over something good, hoping they can find something better.” The song urges its listeners not to go through life too fast and to cherish all the good they have in the present. He warns that those who spend their whole lives yearning for more will watch their loved ones go away in their pursuit of more wealth, riches, or fame. The theme of ‘Something Better’ also frames the rest of the album as a reflection, with Coleman looking back through his life and telling the tale that made him realize all these things in ‘Something Better’.
The next track, ‘Lampposts,’ is a dark look into the mind of a lover who is going through struggles with alcohol abuse, unable to let go of the lampposts of the past, whilst their lover tries to drag them away. It is the true beginning of the story of the album. He’s “holding on to [his] own self-destructive ways,” but despite this, he still wants to be better and to get better for the one he loves, who is also trying to stick it out with him and help him through these trying times.
‘Mistreated’ continues this motif of love, in which Coleman expresses his gratitude toward his lover, but also his doubt as to why his lover stays with him through his issues. He claims that he is completely unworthy of the unadulterated love he is receiving. Coleman asks, “Don’t you know, I should be mistreated? Don’t you know, I should be torn apart? Don’t you know, I should be rotted and screaming?” He is left to question what could make his “Angel” stay with him, unable to realize that he is growing away from the version of himself we saw in ‘Lampposts’. Despite his doubt, his lover reassures him of her love, and by the end, he is content with the fact that he has someone to love.
The album takes a tonal shift, as the next track, ‘Fish,’ an RD fan favorite, begins with a much more upbeat tempo. Coleman has seemingly learned to love after conquering his demons in ‘Lampposts’ and learning to accept love in ‘Mistreated’. Now learning about how to love, Coleman claims that “Love is just the thought of you [his lover], a gentle touch of wind,” before declaring: “I leap into your kiss…” His troubles aren’t all over, however, as “pain is crashing down again.” Coleman expresses that he feels he was always meant for something more, saying that he was meant to go out and do great things, which he would only be able to do if he wasn’t a fish. Coleman uses a fish because, commonly throughout literature, fish represent transformation, spiritual nourishment, and freedom. As a fish, he takes “any bait” just to get near his lover, showing that he is entranced and deeply in love. He ends with “I swim in my emotions,” painting the vivid picture that Coleman has a lot of conflict running through his mind. He loves his lover, but he is scared to be hurt again, and he wants to go off and do wondrous things in the world, but once again, he is held back by fear.
His metaphorical rebirth is finalized in the next track, ‘Love the Self’. Coleman realizes he has been choosing between loving someone else or loving himself this whole time. When it comes to being in a relationship, he realizes that he has been putting his own mental health on the back burner instead of loving someone while also loving himself. Coleman finally begins to see what his lover saw in him in ‘Mistreated,’ and now he begins to love himself again. He expresses the idea that when no one is there to love you, you must be there to love yourself and give yourself the support you need to go on.
The next track, ‘Wedding Ring Blues,’ is one of the most musically interesting from a sound perspective. It is extremely distinct, lively, and full of passion and life. Coleman describes himself at the altar, set to get married to his lover, and the two of them have the ‘Wedding Ring Blues’. At the beginning, Coleman remarks that his wedding ring won’t fit right, and by the end of the song, he claims he will get it tattooed on so it can be a part of him forever. The song shows the duality of what is described as the happiest day in people’s lives, in which they are united forever with the one they love, along with the fear and worry of jumping into the unknown. However, the unknown becomes less scary, knowing that they have someone right beside them through it all.
The penultimate track, and the shortest, ‘Robin,’ is a song in which he thanks his lover, expressing his gratitude that she helped send away the rain in his life and bring light and joy into it. He reflects back on all that has happened, like the darkness in ‘Lampposts,’ and how she helped save him in songs like ‘Mistreated’ and ‘Fish,’ ultimately leading him to learn to love himself in ‘Love the Self’.
The shortest track is followed by the longest, ‘Road,’ which is the final track on Before the Crowd. Coleman describes the ‘Road’ as the path to love, and he is following the path home to his lover. He has finally found his place to belong, and he has followed the road of love to find it. Guided by his lover, he has managed to go through the lowest of lows, come out through it, and find a place back in the world. The ending of ‘Road’ perfectly sets up ‘Something Better’. Upon getting home and finding his love, he reflects on all that has happened in that song, which then goes on to set up the entirety of the rest of the album, making it a perfect loop. It is the most ethereal song, and it helps tie the entire album together. Coleman’s voice fades off as he vows that he won’t stop until he gets back home, ending the eight-track experience.
Although the memory of Dr. Coleman and Before the Crowd will fade from River Dell as his former students graduate, the kids who had him will always remember the positive impact he had on their lives. We know that every time we hear “Fish,” we are reminded of Dr. Coleman’s passionate teaching and hilarious moments.
The Doc’s album: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Tv8JU26SwfyveOcw6Cgys
