And from 1996, and what's generally conceded to be a disappointingly uneven tribute album, here's Alex Ballard and Sugarfoot and a radically different interpretation of the very same song.
Some old bandmates of mine, doing business as The Rock Club, have one of the better tracks on Raspberries Preserved (a Badfinger-ish version of "Rose Colored Glasses"), but it is, as I said, a largely disappointing record, and I remember thinking that the Ballard version of "I Wanna..." was a major misfire back in the day. A rockabilly remodel of one of the most perfect power pop songs ever written? Sacrilege!
Listening to it again today, however, it strikes me as kind of charming; in any case, the song itself is clearly indestructible.
The arrangement is a fine idea, but the singers can't handle it
ReplyDeleteThe genre is a little retro but the lyrics make it relevant.
ReplyDeleteBland including the Razz's original.
ReplyDeleteROTP(lumber)
Bland including the Razz's original.
ReplyDeleteIf it were 1972, and you were listening to AM radio without a shred of hope that music would ever get better, and you heard the first golden notes of this song suddenly come chiming out of the speakers, your heart would have leapt right out of your chest. Mine did.
Sugarfoot and Alex Ballard bummed around Milwaukee for a few years. I knew the bass player, saw them quite a few times.
ReplyDeleteThey also do a pretty good cover of the Pretenders' "Talk Of The Town" on the album "Gag Me with A Spoon", all 80s covers by Milwaukee bands. The Mrs. Fun cover of "she blinded me with science" is particularly interesting.
The Flashcubes did a quite respectable version of "Don't Want to Say Goodbye" on that tribute album. And yes, it is rather uneven, to be kind. The album, that is.
ReplyDeleteHow many people own the Rock Club CD? I'm sure it's not many. But, I sure do. They never topped "Time Will Tell on You," which is a terrific little pop gem. Of course, that's just one man's opinion.
Blue Ash Fan:
ReplyDeleteTime will Tell on You is an incredible song. But Bruce from Not Lame warned me off their album. So is it any good?
No. Bruce was right. It's kind of underwhelming and a bit too twee for my tastes. I was hoping for an album of Time Will Tell on You's, but no such luck.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, I paid something like $4 for it in a used book store.
We did a straight up pop version of it and... well....it just seemed kind of pointless,
ReplyDeletewe did the rockabilly thing just kind of goofing around and well...there you have it!
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