Michael Been obit

MICHAEL BEEN, the former leader of The Call, passed away of cardiac arrest Thursday night in Hasselt, Belgium, following a performance by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at the Pukkelpop Music Festival. He was just 60, and had no history of heart problems. For the last several years, Been had been doing front-of-house sound for the band, which was co-founded by his son, Robert Levon Been. An Oklahome native, Been formed The Call in Santa Cruz, CA, in 1980, recording 10 albums during the following 20 years. The most successful of these was 1986’s Reconciled (Elektra), which featured contributions from The Band’s Robbie Robertson and Garth Hudson, Simple Minds’ Jim Kerr and early fan Peter Gabriel. Been also recorded a solo LP, 1994’s On the Verge of a Nervous Breakthrough, and played the role of the apostle John in Martin Scorsese’s 1988 film The Last Temptation of Christ. Among his best-known songs are “The Walls Came Down,” “Everywhere I Go,” “I Still Believe (Great Design)” and the chart-topping “Let the Day Begin,” which was used by Al Gore as his 2000 campaign song. (8/19p)