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Crossroads #57 - Sep 2007

by D Kelvin

Kevin Coyne Tribute – Whispers from the Offing

3 stars

Three years ago, Kevin Coyne would have had the pleasure of hearing Nikki Sudden sing a cover of his « Marlene » ; both would have probably celebrated this over a glass of beer […] Alas, both are now dead and the temporary living I am is left with only his eyes to cry, while hearing the ghost of one singing a song by the ghost of the other one. The album where this after-life meeting takes place is one of these traditional tribute albums where some twenty people try to take over part of the soul of a departed artist and have him live again through their own reincarnation, since music is in the end one of the last doors to spirituality left to atheists.

If you read the December 2004 issue of Crossroads where Pascal Regis signed a fantastic « Learning to Fly » [album by album review], you probably rushed to your internet CD sellers (forget about music shops) to buy at least the essential albums the passionate exegete recommanded (I actually much doubt it but we’ll just pretend). Pascal Regis can be heard in the tribute album in an absolutly fascinating re-invention of « Case History #2 », not far from being the highlight of the CD, with its Syd Barrett like vision (although the voice sounds like someone else I can’t remember now who) combined with the strength of the best of the TV Personalities (and one knows this is a compliment coming from me). He sings the overwhelming line « I'm not undressed that you see the level best of me when I say I love you I try to mean it  » with some sort of resigned neutrality that goes right through you heart.

The album profits will go to « Life and Living », an organisation helping the patients in Maudsley Hospital in London. There is no way you can not find among the 22 tracks a handful of pearls that will make your caritative investment worthwhile. Contributors are of various fame, although rather more famous that in most of Tribute albums of the same kind (Nigel Burch, Jackie Leven, Lee O’Kelly, ex Tir Na Nog or Chris Connelly, ex Revolting Cocks and Ministry), most of them are unknown to me though.

My handful includes – apart from Pascal Regis of course – Goldfish, although their cover of « Sand all Yellow » is the kind of sloppy space-pop complete with arpeggio and violon section, a genre that I usually hate but whose magic really works this time – I was about to say « a  genre invented 20 years ago by the Passions », but it happens that Barbara Gogan from Goldfish used to sing with the Passions, so there you go - happy to hear you again Barbara. The other jewel here is Joey Stack – unknown singer to me – who sings « Weirdo » ; her voice recalls Melanie with this breaking and cheeky quality that keeps me under her spell. A heart-rending contribution.

I will not mention Alternative TV, most rocking band of the lot (the usually deranged Otters being strangely toned down here), I am way too much of a fan to give any kind of objective opinion on their performance. Same for Jowe Head (ex Swell Maps and TV Personalities) whose « Evil Island Home » sounds like goth-americana band The Handsome Family : I like it !

I will also recommend « Raindrops on the Window » by Kevin Hewick (who wasn’t born yesterday since he briefly filled Ian Curtis’ shoes in Joy Division, then was a leading act on Cherry Red Records in 1982-84), so beautiful you could cry.

The rest of the album I don’t care much for (with the exception of Dave Russell – the old one, not the good looking country-music singer – and his very Dylan-like version of « Strange Pictures », and Clive Product, whose voice reminds me of French singer Gérard Manset), yet, I’m sure you will find your pleasure among all these covers. Two bonus tracks by members of the legendary Mekons Sally Timms and Jon Langford are downloadable.

P.S. Although I like sea-side metaphors and Larus Ridibundus (a.k.a. sea gulls), I have to say I hate the CD photos : the mini skirted, torn stockinged, coke drinking creature I find out of place, unless I missed some illustrative semantics here.

 

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