Charity disc has hits, but more misses
Compilations are usually hit or miss. Most of the time you will not find a complete record that is filled with artists you like, and it is inevitable that you will be hitting the skip button once or twice.
War Child Presents HEROES is no different. There is much doubt in my mind that someone could pick up this CD and thoroughly enjoy every song on this album. It is too diverse. But that is where this album actually gets its uniqueness. Some of the most established artists ever in music handpicked some of today's best artist to remake their tracks. This is all to help out War Child, a charity that helps child victims of warfare. Here are the highlights of the album:
Track#1: Beck covering Bob Dylan's 1966 ‘Leopard Skin Pill-Box Hat'
In his song, Dylan is making fun of a woman who is wearing a Pill-Box hat, a fashionable piece women put on their heads in the 60s. Dylan's original has a folky taunting swagger with his electric guitar poking fun as if he was judging this lady as he stood across the street. However, if Dylan is saying this to himself so no one can hear, Beck is throwing a parade so everyone can hear the mockery, with the powerful distortion of the guitar and a laughing hyena of a horn, that cannot help but make you move around in some sort of motion that surely resembles Elaine from Seinfeld dancing, if she had ants in her pants. Sounds fun, I know. This song puts a party in your head for days.
Track #2: The Kooks Covering the The Kinks' 1969 ‘Victoria'
The Kooks covering the Kinks. That is just fun to say. It just goes together perfectly, actually almost too perfectly. Both the bands are from London, England and The Kooks actually went to the same studio the Kinks recorded the original version of ‘Victoria' in. Even though the young voice of Luke Pritchard doesn't match up to the booze drowned voice of Ray Davies, the Kinks lead singer, the Kooks covering a classic Kinks composition couldn't be cooler. Now that's alliteration.
Track #3: The Hold Steady Covering Bruce Springsteen's 1982 ‘Atlantic City'
Lead vocalist of The Hold Steady Craig Finn admits “We've been compared to Bruce Springsteen a lot and he is a hero to all of us.” The first time I heard the Hold Steady's remake of Springsteen's I hadn't heard the original. But I could definitely feel Springsteen in the cover.
However, unlike Springsteen's melancholic harmonica driven acoustic, the Holy Steady bring in an E-Street Band like presence with horns that still sound depressing as hell, but absolutely rocks amongst the heavier punk persona. This is one of the better covers on the album.
Track # 4 Hot Chip Covering Joy Division's 1979 ‘Transmission'
I know the point is for the artist to a version of their own that should sound distinctively different than the original. But when Hot Chip opens their remake by putting a leash on that introductory bass line, I cringed. And then that computer/electronic effect on the first voice you hear isn't even in the same league as the dysfunctional voice of JD front man Ian Curtis. Next!
Track #5 Lily Allen ft. Mick Jones Doing The Clash's 1982 ‘Straight To Hell'
The fact that former member of the English group Mick Jones helps out on this remake, makes it a little more authentic, even though Allen's version has a lullaby-ish twist to it. But there is just something so sweet about Lily Allen telling you to go straight to hell.
Track #6 Yeah Yeah Yeah's Covering The Ramones 1977 ‘Sheena Is a Punk Rocker'
I couldn't picture any other female singer better for the job than Yeah Yeah Yeah's Karen O. With the guitar sounding as if Joey Ramone was playing it himself, there is a killer juxtaposition with the vocals and the six-strings. O is Sheena the Punk Rocker.
Track #7 Franz Ferdinand Covering Blondie's 1980 ‘Call Me'
Half of you reading this article are secretly a huge closet fan of this Blondie hit. It's OK. Coming off loud momentum from their third studio album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, the Scotish foursome do an absolutely rocking sing-a-long of this fun 80's dance track. Ferdinand almost makes it cool to still be a Blondie fan. Almost!
Track #8 Duffy's Butchering Paul McCartney's 1973 ‘Live and Let Die'
I don't mind Duffy. But when the most climatic lyric screamed out by McCartney, “And you got to give the other fellow Hell!”, is minimized to a slur by Duffy that compares to a drunken, dying cat (seriously listen to it!), I cannot not help but jump for the skip button. Next!
Tracks #9-13 offer mediocre remakes
Estelle gives justification to Stevie Wonder's ‘Superstition' with that funk-a-licious guitar present. Rufus Wainwright survives mashing two Brian Wilson tracks together and manages bringing in a Baroque style harpsichord . The weird Scissor Sisters do a weird cover of the weird 70's band Roxy music. Peache's cover of Iggy Pop's Search and Destroy is simply alright and it is neat to see Adam Cohen cover his dad's, Leonard Cohen, ‘Take This Waltz.' Yup, I said “neat”.
Track #14 Elbow covering U2's 1987 ‘Running To Stand Still'
The mope rock misery of lead singer Guy Garvey and his band Elbow is perfect to sing this U2 classic. Elbow makes you feel like you are sitting in a rain storm that you cannot help but enjoy as every word splashes on your face and that guitar strikes quickly but powerfully like bolts of lightning.
Track #16 TV On The Radio Covering David Bowie's 1976
The album couldn't have ended on a better note. I was pleased to see that Bowie picked this band to cover his classic anthem. The haunting vocals of TV On The Radio's lead singer, Tunde Adebimpe, reminds us why the album was made. The depressing encouragement of “We can be heroes for just one day” has to be a feeling for anyone with a conscience that listens to this.
War was a problem back in 1966 when Dylan wrote ‘Leopard Skin Pill-Box Hat', and is still a problem today.
