by negative1 » Fri Nov 18, 2016 4:52 pm
so we had a cover version album awhile ago from them with mixed
results.
and now much later, we have an acoustic 'cover' version of their
songs, from them now. again with some skepticism.
i'm a huge fan of the band, and have been since 1981, so i've
heard their ups and downs. and seen them live once. i've kept
up with all their albums, singles, and tours up to now.
i think they have settled into a nice pace of having an
album every few years, changing up their style, and releasing
projects as they feel.
there were rumors of an acoustic album awhile back, and then
during their latest tour, a few songs were played that way,
which kind of confirmed it.
i have very low expectations for this album, especially
after hearing the very weak version of 'promised you a miracle'.
fortunately the other songs are much better compared to that.
----------------
luckily the strength of these songs is the lyrics, and some
of the cool arrangements. no, these don't surpass the originals,
and you can hear the lack of the layers in the songs.
however, some are quite beautiful, evocative, and put a whole
new spin on the songs.
i only have the digital version (so i can't comment on the
vinyl extra tracks).
i know the tempo, and key have been changed on most of the
songs, but jim's voice is still very strong.
tracks
-----
01 The American - excellent, and nice strong start, with
great lyrics, a nice beat to it.
02 Promised You A Miracle - horrible, the extra vocals and
backup don't work, and the beat is just the wrong tempo for
this song.
03 Glittering Prize - excellent, taking a nice slow tempo to it,
and building up to the familiar chorus. hummable, and great take
on altering it to fit the guitars. even the backup vocals are
subdued and are a nice contrast and fit with jims lead.
04 See The Lights - very good, sounds very familiar, as the
original had a lot of guitars in it, so it's not really that
much of a stretch to adapt it.
05 New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) - excellent, i didn't recognize
it at first, but once the main chords come in, its a fun take,
with the choruses and verses pretty much matching the original.
the layers of guitars blend well.
06 Someone Somewhere In Summertime - excellent, a nice slowed
down take, but adds some great rhythms and weaves some good
chords around the original tune.
07 Waterfront - good, a somewhat subdued take that brings
everything down a notch from the original. it does pick up
a bit by the middle, but it adds some unnecessary backup
vocals.
08 Sanctify Yourself - very good, a nice upbeat tempo and
throw in some extra guitar chords to match. again, not a fan
of the backup vocals, but they were there in the original too.
09 Chelsea Girl - good, this one is almost a match for the original,
jims vocals aren't as raw as the original. but it's fun to hear
the guitar chords and drums kicking in the way they should.
10 Alive And Kicking - good, another song that doesn't vary
much from the original, brought down by the usual overdone
back up vocalist.
11 Don’t You (Forget About Me) - excellent, bringing their
classic into the present. a lush, and dense version of the
guitars keep the song going, and the hooks are all there.
even if you are tired of hearing it for the millionth time,
there's some life in it still.
12 Long Black Train - excellent, a nice touch for a ballad,
and great at highlighting jims voice. good addition to their
library of songs.
========================
overall, i'm pleasantly surprised by it.
i like the different takes on some of the songs, and the
creativity on altering the songs. i hate the backup vocals,
and how some of the songs don't work.
it's a decent album. nothing groundbreaking, but what do
you expect from an acoustic album.
i would still like to hear the vinyl exclusive tracks at
some point.
later
-1