If
you’ve ever been on a band’s email list, you
know that one of the most popular threads it to
create a perfect tribute album, to find like-minded
artists who could truly do justice to the artist in
question. This
topic exists, I believe, because most tribute
albums, while having the best of intentions, are
woefully misguided (the Fleetwood Mac tribute to Rumours,
for example). It
seems that somewhere in between concept and
completion, the record company muckety mucks lose
track of which artists are the right ones for the
songs, and instead choose the artists that they
think will sell the most records.
The problem is, the records wind up not
selling, because they picked the wrong artists.
It’s built in obsolescence.
Not so,
this time. Listen
To What The Man Said features an incredible
roster of talent assembled by polling fans of Paul
McCartney and Beatlesque power pop.
What a novel idea; get the people who were
clearly most influenced by Sir Paul to pay homage,
regardless of star power.
The end result, while not perfect, is
arguably the best tribute album since If I Were A
Carpenter or Sing Hollies In Reverse.
Some
artists wisely chose to stay faithful to the
original, like Owsley’s dead-on remake of “Band
on the Run” that starts things off.
Semisonic stays close to the source of
“Jet” as well, and while singer Dan Wilson does
a great job, the backing track could use some punch.
World Party’s version of “Man We Was
Lonely” just shimmers, with singer Karl Wallinger
turning yet another terrific cover of a song by a
Beatle. (Look for his versions of “Penny Lane”
and “Happiness Is a Warm Gun”)
Ditto Barenaked Ladies Stephen Page and Kevin
Hearn, who teamed up with Lilac Time frontman
Stephen Duffy on a cover of the song “Junk”
that’s so good, so effortless, you’d swear it
was one of their own songs and not a cover.
In some
instances, the covers actually top the originals.
Sloan’s revved up take on the ballad
“Waterfalls” is inspired, as is the John Faye
Power Trip’s reading of “Coming Up.”
Sweden’s Merrymakers, one of the best pop
bands you’ve never heard, does a marvelous job on
“No More Lonely Nights.”
SR-71, however, doesn’t fare as well on
their supposed rockin’ cover of “My Brave
Face,” and Robyn Hitchcock just doesn’t have
enough soul to do justice to the bluesy “Let Me
Roll It.” However,
these aberrations are just that, and the rest of the
artists (I haven’t even mentioned the songs by
Matthew Sweet, Neil and Tim Finn and They Might Be
Giants yet) more than make up for the few songs that
miss the mark.
Listen
To What the Man Said is a gem, a testament to
how much Paul McCartney accomplished as solo artist,
never mind his incredible work with the greatest
band of all time.
Few tribute albums pay as much respect to
their artists as this one does.
-
