Covers albums. Covers bands. No small shortage of perils with either proposition, and this one ain't much different. The Replicants were a one-off mid-90s endeavor featuring members of three bands - one prominent, one considerably less prominent, and one virtually unknown. I will reveal nothing further of the Replicants roster, but will kindly provide a link for your perusal here. The four Replicants were utter perfectionists (to this day even) and were not shy about sporting a high-tech aptitude even on songs they didn't write/compose. Sometimes the renderings here are a bit too straightforward and stiff for their own good (i.e. "Just What I Needed" and "Cinnamon Girl") - but powerful, boy these gents were powerful. Much of this rigidity is eschewed a bit further in, with a jaunt through Steely Dan's "Dirty Work," fittingly accorded a more relaxed treatment. Elsewhere, Paul McCartney's played-out ballad "Silly Love Songs" is turned inside-out into something considerably more insufferable than the original. Signature tracks by Gary Numan, Missing Persons and T. Rex are also represented, as are much less obvious selections from Pink Floyd and Bowie. Deep tracks baby, deep tracks. As an album, Replicants is an eye-of-the-beholder affair, but it's architect's collective prowess (and taste) is virtually indisputable.
01. Just What I Needed
02. Silly Love Songs
03. Life's a Gas
04. Cinnamon Girl
05. How Do You Sleep?
06. Destination Unknown
07. No Good Trying
08. Are Friends Electric
09. Dirty Work
10. The Bewlay Brothers
11. Ibiza Bar
Hear
3 comments:
I've always liked this one, except for that tool who sang "Silly Love Songs". Ira Robbins called the version of "Just What I Needed" a "constantly downshifting modulation joke", but he can be a bit of an insufferable crank himself. "Dirty Work" is clearly the highlight, but the whole thing is worth a listen, and the band members clearly put a lot of thought and work into not merely replicating the original songs.
Yeah, that "tool" literally. I'll have to see Ira's entire review. Sounds entertaining.
Please Re-UP!
THANK YOU!
D.C.
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