Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Johnny Kidd And The Pirates - Please Don't Touch (Cover Version) - #147

Johnny Kidd And The Pirates - Please Don't Touch (Cover Version)

I really think that "Shakin' All Over" is unkaputtbar. I heard more cover versions of this song than I care to remember and somehow, they all pulled it off. None of these bands killed the song. The same goes for "Please Don't Touch". Until now, that is. I'm really into the weird side of Rock'n'Roll, but today I listened to an LP by a band from Japan, Mad 3 and their album "Teen-age Delinquent!" from 1998. And what can I say ...

... although they pull it off quite nicely, a cross between a Rock band and a Punk outfit, you can easily listen through the two sides. A bit pretentious maybe, but that's o.k., I assume they've just tried very hard to be different. If this trio would have just stuck to the likes of "Twangy Eddie", this being some kind of Rockabilly instrumental, which is quite enjoyable, the LP could have made four out of six. But, they murdered "Please Don't Touch" with a kind of arrogance, I don't mean this positively, seldom seen. To make a song your own by adding something to it makes every selfrespecting musician proud, and quite rightly so. But being just inept at your go to sound original, leaves a foul taste.

As much as I'd like to recommend this band, this one is really for the weird section, where you've hidden all your old Frank Sinatra vinyl. Thanks, but, no thanks.

Ceers

Devon

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Norman Watt-Roy - Faith & Grace - #146

Norman Watt-Roy - Faith & Grace

It took a while until the CD was released here in Europe (September 13, 2013) and it occupied a slot in my letterbox yesterday. It would have been easy for Norman to go the Ian Dury/Wilko Johnson way, but he presents a very eclectic album here. I don't know wether this could have been expected, but to me this is a hell of a CD. There's a lot there that I like about music in general, the fast bits and the quiet parts. There's a certain Jazz influence, and since I have a very soft spot for this genre, Norman is preaching to the already converted. Not that I would call this a Jazz record by any stretch of the imagination.

Very interesting take on "Roxette" (with Wilko on guitar and vocals), by no means a straightforward delivery as is known to mankind. I'm not sure wether a diehard Wilko fan will appreciate this (I do!), but I think your taste of music needs to be a little bit out of the box as well. This CD is near perfect and there's no use to revert to beancounting. A real contender for album of the year.

Cheers

Devon