Editing The Call (band) (section)

==Formation and early career==
The Call's original lineup was Been (lead vocals, guitar), Musick (drums, percussion), Ferrier (guitar), and Greg Freeman (bass). This lineup grew to include Steve Huddleston on keyboards from 1981 through 1983. Goodwin joined the band as keyboardist in 1983, replacing Huddleston. Freeman departed in 1984, and Joe Read (of Strapps, The Textones, and Code Blue) took over bass duties on ''Scene Beyond Dreams''. Both originally from [[Oklahoma]], Been and Musick didn't meet until moving independently to California.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.the-call-band.com/interviews/scott.html |title=The Call - An Interview/Profile with Scott Musick |year=1987 |website=The Call (official website) }}</ref> The Call were earlier known as Airtight and then Motion Pictures, serving as Phil Seymour's band at that time. A version of the John Prine/Phil Spector song "If You Don't Want My Love" with Phil backed by The Call was released on the 2020 album ''If You Don't Want My Love'' as part of the Phil Seymour archive series.

Beginning with their 1982 self-titled debut, they went on to produce and release nine studio albums by 2000. The Call recorded its eponymous premiere album in England and Been recalled in a 1987 interview that the band was in an exploratory phase at this point. He further noted, "''The Call'' was a compassionate album, but it probably came out as anger."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.the-call-band.com/interviews/mike.html |title=The Call - An Interview with Michael Been |year=1987 |website=The Call (official website) }}</ref> [[Peter Gabriel]] liked the band so much that he called them the "future of American music"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Noland |first=Claire |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-aug-22-la-me-michael-been-20100823-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100825145334/http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/22/local/la-me-michael-been-20100823 |url-status=live |archive-date=August 25, 2010 |title=Michael Been dies at 60; singer was a founding member of rock band the Call |date=August 22, 2010 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=October 29, 2016 |issn=0458-3035}}</ref> and asked them to open for him during his 1982–1983 "[[Plays Live]]" tour.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |url=http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/Michael_Been__The_Call_The_pioneers_of_stadium_rock_bow_out/41181/p1/ |title=Michael Been & The Call: The pioneers of stadium rock bow out |last=Cummings |first=Tony |date=September 12, 2010 |website=CrossRhythms |access-date=February 15, 2017}}</ref>

The Call's next album, ''Modern Romans'', was notable for its political content. Been later stated, "There was a great deal happening politically — Grenada, Lebanon, or the government saying the Russians are evil and the Russian government probably saying the same about us. That kind of thinking inspired me to write the last lines of '[The] Walls Came Down'."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://the-call-band.com/interviews/mike.html |title=The Call – Michael Been |access-date=February 15, 2017}}</ref> [[Garth Hudson]] of [[the Band]] played keyboards on these first two records.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/The-Call-The-Call/release/1096852 |title=The Call - The Call |date=1982 |publisher=discogs  |access-date=April 27, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/The-Call-Modern-Romans/release/8165137 |title=The Call - Modern Romans |date=1983 |publisher=discogs  |access-date=April 27, 2020}}</ref>

This was followed by ''Scene Beyond Dreams'', which Been referred to as The Call's "metaphysical" album.<ref name=":0" /> With a strong poetic sense to the lyrics and a change in musical style, the change in sound is notable.