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There have been a lot of really excellent tribute albums recently, and the common element is that the artists respect the source material enough to honor the original arrangements. They didn't try to make the material sound like their own work, the played as the original artists did. And that is a failing of this album, too many of the artists sang the songs in their own style, and it just doesn't work.
The biggest failure is also the biggest name: David Bowie. He does Pictures of Lily in a painfully slow, plodding manner. He is basically a contemporary of The Who, so it's a bit surprising that he would take such a self-serving way, but the end result is something that barely resembles the original tune.
Park Jam does much better, giving a rocking version of The Kids Are Alright. It's close to the original arrangement, but definitely sounds like a Pearl Jam song. As one would imagine, it's like the source song with their trademark grunge-y guitar sound, and Eddie Vedder's growling vocals.
Fastball also turns in a good effort, with their version of The Real Me, from The Who's Quadrophenia album. This is another fun one, as they keep close to the original, adding just a touch of their own style. Phish also picks a song from Quadrophenia, choosing 5:15. Their style doesn't work as well here. They are a meandering jam band, and this song really demands more of a rock mentality to work. They do OK, but nothing special, nothing interesting.
Some of the lesser known bands seem to miss the mark a bit as well. Ocean Color Scene take a shot at the early Who hit Anyway Anyhow Anywhere, and again, it's not terrible, but it's not terribly interesting. The same can be said for Cast's take on The Seeker. It's OK, but nothing that makes you want to seek out the band for more.
Sheryl Crow is also her, giving her version of the classic rock ballad Behind Blue Eyes. Crow always put forth a good effort, this one will depend on if you like her style in the first place. She's a great talent, and does a decent job. I'm not sure this one is for me, but it's not bad, and fans of Crow will be happy with it.
Like a lot of tribute albums, this is hit and miss. But unfortunately, it's a bit more miss than hit. The artists need to sick closer to the original arrangements to really make fans of the original artist happy, and come across less like they are promoting themselves, and more like they are actually paying tribute to the artist. There are a couple of good efforts, but overall this isn't one you will be returning to very often.
The biggest failure is also the biggest name: David Bowie. He does Pictures of Lily in a painfully slow, plodding manner. He is basically a contemporary of The Who, so it's a bit surprising that he would take such a self-serving way, but the end result is something that barely resembles the original tune.
Park Jam does much better, giving a rocking version of The Kids Are Alright. It's close to the original arrangement, but definitely sounds like a Pearl Jam song. As one would imagine, it's like the source song with their trademark grunge-y guitar sound, and Eddie Vedder's growling vocals.
Fastball also turns in a good effort, with their version of The Real Me, from The Who's Quadrophenia album. This is another fun one, as they keep close to the original, adding just a touch of their own style. Phish also picks a song from Quadrophenia, choosing 5:15. Their style doesn't work as well here. They are a meandering jam band, and this song really demands more of a rock mentality to work. They do OK, but nothing special, nothing interesting.
Some of the lesser known bands seem to miss the mark a bit as well. Ocean Color Scene take a shot at the early Who hit Anyway Anyhow Anywhere, and again, it's not terrible, but it's not terribly interesting. The same can be said for Cast's take on The Seeker. It's OK, but nothing that makes you want to seek out the band for more.
Sheryl Crow is also her, giving her version of the classic rock ballad Behind Blue Eyes. Crow always put forth a good effort, this one will depend on if you like her style in the first place. She's a great talent, and does a decent job. I'm not sure this one is for me, but it's not bad, and fans of Crow will be happy with it.
Like a lot of tribute albums, this is hit and miss. But unfortunately, it's a bit more miss than hit. The artists need to sick closer to the original arrangements to really make fans of the original artist happy, and come across less like they are promoting themselves, and more like they are actually paying tribute to the artist. There are a couple of good efforts, but overall this isn't one you will be returning to very often.