FATEA ROCKS
Fatea takes a break from it's conventional acoustic coverage and looks at a rock release or three.
Artist:Led Zeppelin
Album:Mothership
Label:Atlantic
Tracks:24
Rating: *****
It's hard to argue with the millions of rock fans that tried to get tickets for the Led Zeppelin concert that forms part if the tribute to Atlantic founder Ahmet Ertegun and raises funds
for his education foundation, that Led Zep aren't the best rock band in the world.
If you're one of the significant majority that didn't get tickets than "Mothership" might just be the record to remind you of that fact. It's a twenty four track best of album that features
remastered tracks for all eight of the band's studio albums.
Essentially there's three releases, the standard package, which spreads the 24 tracks across 2cds. The Premier edition takes those twenty four tracks and adds a 90 minute DVD. Finally the collectors
issue takes the deluxe edition and wraps it up in a whole host of limited edition packaging.
You can argue the toss about this being a greatest hits or a best of. It includes "Whole Lotta Love", "Stairway To Heaven", "Kashmir" and "Houses Of THe Holy" amongst it's number. This is what
rock 'n' roll and particularly rock is all about.
Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones & John Bonham wrote and performed some of the best rock of the 20th century. The 21st century will be live to their music for years to come. Five stars
no question.
Artist:Alfie Kingston
Album:Creatures & People's Way
Label:Whimsical Records
Tracks:10
Rating:***
Website:http://www.alfiekingston.com
Whilst Led Zep are a long way through their career, Alfie Kingston is very much at the beginning of his. He comes into it with a key lesson already learn't. When push comes to shove the beating
heart of rock is the songs. "Creatures & People's Ways" is an album of ten decent songs penned by afore mentioned Mr Kingston.
He appears to be a man that likes to think about his words, the feel of the song. The lyric, the poetry are as important as the guitar phrasing and the licks and there's some pretty good licks
to draw you into the words. Without wanting to sound patronising, this is thinking man's rock. If you just want power and screams you really should think about looking elsewhere.
Alfie, finds more than capable support in producer and fellow musician on the album, Paul Miro, who also did a tour of duty as part of Apes Pigs and Spacemen. He gives the album a mature sound, one
that speaks to you rather than wrapping it's self in posturing. The song is the skeleton upon which the sound is built.
Alfie Kingston is a bit of a conumderum. He's obviously a talented singer/songwriter. He perfectly pitches his blend of songwriting into the rock vein, like neat bourbon. His music has an edge, at times
country tinged, but always with passion. "Creatures & People's Ways" is an album that makes the mark, except, and this is the dilema, it's not a solo album. Whilst singer/songwriter is a solo name thing
rock is not. He can write, sing and play, but I think that even as the Alfie Kingston Band he would find it easier to reach that wider audience.
"Creatures & People's Ways" has a lot going for it and will hopefully provide Alfie with a platform to launch himself into the wider world.
Artist:Various Artists
Album:Sensory Lullabies
Label:Burning Sky Records
Tracks:35
Rating:***(*)
First up I'll hold up my hands and say that I've always found tribute albums a bit stalkerish. They tend to have issues. If the tribute album is of a top name act, the issue is that of comparison. Similarly
if the act having tribute payed was a crash and burn act is there still enough interest in their material? Then there's the question of how to cover. Do you go for as close a representation as possible or
interpret the song with some of your personality? The last issue really stays with the record company. Who gets to do the tracks the band became famous for and who gets to play the rest?
The last one really belongs to the record company to sort out, the rest is for the understanding of the listener.
I have to say Burning Sky Records set themselves an ambitious target with this release. Across the two cds, thirty five of the thirty eight tracks that Jellyfish commited to CD are featured, not a bad haul.
Some of the cuts are very close to the originals, others have a few more liberities taken with them. That's not just because some bands want to make a track their own, ironically something that's easier to do with
the album tracks that never made tghe singles or the tracks that never made the albums at all and , because your recollection of them isn't as clear. You remember "The King Is Half Undressed"(Covered by Fredmusic), you're probably less familiar with "That Girl's A Man" (Covered by Maxi Dunn, who
is well, a girl. I'm not sure, but in this post modernist world is that ironic or not?) It doesn't matter either way the key is the quality of the performance and there ""Sensory Lullabies" scores very well indeed.
Maxi Dunn delivers a strong rendition, that captures the energy and feel of Jellyfish. It's a spirit that is matched by most of the thirty five bands paying tribute. It reminded me what a strong band Jellyfish were
in their short career at the top. It made me go back and dig out the originals and much compares well.
I'd barely heard any of the bands on this compilation, before it popped through the letterbox. There are just two that I wouldn't want to hear anything else from. The rest prove that there is a lot of talent out there.
I'm guessing many of the bands have already got albums out in their own right. A track here may well bring them to the attention of rock fans that wouldn't otherwise get to hear them. I found "Sensory Lullabies" to be a
great journey of discovery.