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by
Mees van Ditzhuyzen
How many groups have been
dubbed "the new Beatles"? Weˆve heard it so many times: a group
is launched that sounds "just like the Beatles". But what a
strange expression that is, when in reality the Beatles did not have a
one sound. In fact, the only thing Beatles about a Beatles record, was
an element of surprise. Paul McCartney often has said, that when they
were recording the Beatles were always looking for a new sound, always
looking for new ways to tread. That indeed made the Beatles the unique
group that they have become. You really never knew what to expect when
you listened to a new album, or any new track for that matter. And now
there's the Vinyl Kings, who make no secret of their big influence as
written in the liner note:
"To PAUL, RINGO, JOHN and GEORGE (wherever you are) and George Martin
The intent of this project was to have fun, born of love, and respect.
It is important that you know that. The Beatles and the time in which
the band existed were, for all of us, the gift of inspiration that drove
us to a life of music. In its own way this album is our reconnection to
that gift, that spark, that desire and love. And most of all, our way
of saying, in a musical kind of way, THANK YOU!˜
And guess what: if, in all those years, one album indeed stands out as
sounding like a new Beatles album, it is this one, no competition. Forget
Klaatu, forget Oasis, forget them all; the Vinyl Kings have taken over.
Relive those times when you were stunned upon hearing for the first time
the tracks of a new Beatles album. The excitement over what had they done
this time. Well, thatˆs what I felt when I heard these tracks. The Beatles
influences are everywhere: the harmonies, "George's" guitar,
"that" drum sound of Ringo Starr, tempo changes, several sound
effects and of course, Strawberry Fields' mellotron. Sometimes the influences
are obvious: a Come Together riff in Losing My Mind; Chocolate Cake, which
is a sort of Savoy Truffle meets I Am The Walrus and the Indian sounds
in Leave This Town. And don't be surprised when you've played this album
so many times that you expect Don'ˆt Worry 'Bout Me to be set in when,
in fact, you hear the first sounds of Things We Said Today. Mostly, though,
you will be as astonished as I was upon hearing a completely new "Beatles"
song. The only thing that
comes close to all this may be the albums by the Rutles. But those were
done as an, albeit successful, spoof. This, by all means, is the real
thing. The Beatle have split; long live the Vinyl Kings!
VINYL KINGS
| A LITTLE TRIP
CD, Vinyl Kings / Self-Released
By Norbert Pek
We all know the regular
tribute albums, where a lot of bands and artists cover songs by one band
or artist. Not only does this lead to really great albums, like the tributes
to the Smiths (with, e.g., Placebo, Bis, Billy Bragg, High Llamas) and
the Clash (with, e.g., Afghan Whigs, Rancid, Silverchair, Moby, and Heather
Nova), but it's also very interesting to listen to the different interpretations
of the (mostly) very-well-known songs. Vinyl Kings don't take the relatively
easy route of covering the songs. Instead, they made their very own album
of their favorite band: the Beatles. They just copied the Beatles sound
and little parts of Beatles songs and put them together on A Little Trip.
And guess what? They succeeded. They made some pretty nice songs the Beatles
could be proud of. And the Vinyl Kings also took parts from the whole
Beatles lifeline. On opener 'A Little Trip,' you hear the Penny Lane trumpet;
'Bang Bang' is the new Maxwell's Silver Hammer; and 'Here We Go Again'
is, well, #1-hit-worthy, as if the Beatles had made it themselves. You
wonder: How can the Vinyl Kings accomplish such a thing? Well, they're
well-practiced musicians who have played with (take a deep breath) Sting,
Bob Dylan, Elton John, Neil Young, Shawn Colvin, Jimmy Buffett, Steve
Winwood, Dan Fogelberg, Glenn Frey, J.D. Souther, Kim Carnes, Peter Frampton,
Rita Coolidge, Bobby Womack, Steve Earle, Shania Twain, Bob Seger, Vince
Gill, John Fogerty, Mark Knopfler, Faith Hill, Tina Turner, Martina McBride,
James Ingram, Leann Rimes, Michael McDonald, Trisha Yearwood, Rosanne
Cash, Wynonna Judd, Brooks & Dunn, Alabama, Bad Company, Lynyrd Skynyrd,
Reba McEntyre, Steppenwolf, Ozark Mountain, Daredevils, Kathy Mattea,
Lyle Lovett, and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Well, they did it on their
own this time, with a fine result. Hardcore Beatles fans: Instead of looking
for even more low quality bootlegs or vague sessions, just get A Little
Trip, and you will be very satisfied.
Lord Have
Mersey!
By Gary Glauber
Musical grazing is never so dangerous as when one treads the pastures
of the sacred cows. You'll never encounter more resistance and grumbling
than when you take on the sacrosanct fab four, even lovingly. This is
the oracle, the holy pop mother lode from which so much has followed,
and the Vinyl Kings are well aware of it. The seven veteran studio musicians
take great care up front to make known that this is just a musical thank
you, a project of fun, born of love and respect.
Such is the message clearly laid out to Paul, Ringo, John & George
(and George Martin too) on the sleeve of the CD: "It is important
that you know that The Beatles and the time in which the band existed
were, for all of us, the gift of inspiration that drove us to a life of
music. In its own way this album is our reconnection to that gift, that
spark, that desire and love."
And while many may balk at the way much of the music comprising these
13 "new" songs is borrowed, most will find that A Little Trip
is one worth taking. This is a different take on matters than that of
Neil Innes and The Rutles, who did a masterful job of re-interpreting
the original music in the tongue-in-cheek spirit of intelligent parody.
It also differs from the stylistic retro collections of Utopia's Deface
The Music or XTC as the Dukes of Stratosphear, or even the Beatles-inspired
discs of such groups as The Spongetones.
This is all of that and yet something different, invested with the warmth
and spirit of the originals, with great pains taken to getting the details
just right. My suggestion is to skip the "homage versus larceny"
issue and let the music be your guide. For many Beatle-maniacs, this offers
37-plus minutes of manna from heaven, a respectful reminder of all that
was translated through some very talented musicians. While nothing can
take the place of the originals, this is (to paraphrase that old stage
production of yore) "an incredible simulation".
As with any such undertaking, half the fun is in locating the musical
reference points. A Little Trip gives you plenty of that. Five of the
seven Vinyl Kings have contributed to the songwriting, which gives this
collection a nice variety of different Lennon/McCartney and Harrison styles.
Another smart thing is that they've kept the songs short (as many of the
originals were); only one song here breaks the four-minute mark. As a
result, these songs don't overstay their welcome. They come, entice and
leave you wanting more.
Josh Leo's title song appropriately arrives out of screaming audience
noise, opening the proceedings with the whimsical tale of a 10-year old
who, watching the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, finds his calling in rock n'
roll. Musically there's a little "Got to Get You Into My Life",
with some "Penny Lane" horn and bell-ringing and even some "Day
in the Life" string progression thrown in for good measure (see how
many additional references you can find). In general, you get nicely executed
harmonies and a hint of what's yet to come.
With "I Took a Chance" (Photoglo/Leo), you get the real sense
of what this project is about. Working off a guitar intro that recalls
the Beatle treatment of Buddy Holly & The Crickets' "Words of
Love", the song also evokes many other early Beatle classics. This
is an effective clone; the middle bridge and lead really capture the whole
1960s love song genre.
Similarly, "Don't Worry 'Bout Me" (Stinson/Lee) comes at the
past with more of a Lennon edge, including the fuzzy bass of a "Think
For Yourself" (along with plenty of Harrison guitar riffs thrown
into the mix). Part of the enjoyment is in hearing how well the sounds
are captured and performed -- the other part is in trying to see how many
sounds you can identify.
"Here We Go Again" is a ringer for the soft, pretty, melodic
McCartney songs of way back when (e.g. "Mother Nature's Son"),
complete with tastefully assembled strings. The lyrics are simplistic
enough (which one could contend well suits the McCartney side of things),
but what really makes these songs work is the music, the guitar sounds,
the harmonies, the drumming, the subtle mix and production and particularly,
the bass.
Where most Beatle wannabes fall apart is in their failure to meet the
challenge of McCartney's bass lines. Thankfully, that is not the case
here as Michael Rhodes (one of the non-writers on this project) obtains
some great fat bass and manages to do justice to the Macca sound. Rhodes
is a veteran of the studio, having played with the likes of Steve Winwood,
Vince Gill, Etta James, Peter Frampton, John Fogerty, Shawn Colwin and
Bob Segar.
The idea for The Vinyl Kings developed during a 1986 national tour for
Jimmy Buffett (talk about unlikely scenarios). Larry Lee and fellow "Coral
Reefers" Josh Leo and Vince Melamed became friends and envisioned
what finally has been captured on disc these many years later.
Lee is perhaps best known as the former lead singer and songwriter for
the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, recording 8 albums with the group from
1975-1982. Since then, he has lent his voice to a number of projects (with
the like of Rita Coolidge, Buffett and the late Hoyt Axton). More recently,
Lee's taken to the production end of things, working with artists like
Alabama, Restless Heart, K.T. Oslin and Juice Newton.
Josh Leo is another former touring guitarist (Buffet, Glenn Frey, Kim
Carnes, J.D. Souther) who turned into a successful producer/songwriter
with a resume that spans over 150 recordings with a legion of diverse
artists (e.g., Alabama, LeAnn Rimes, Reba McEntire, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Timothy
B. Schmitt, Kathy Mattea, Brenda Lee).
You might remember Vinyl King Larry Byrom as guitarist with Steppenwolf
(he penned "Hey Lawdy Mama", among others). Since then, he has
become a top session guitarist in Nashville, while continuing to write
songs for country artists like Tanya Tucker and Alison Krauss. Drummer
Harry Stinson is another singer/producer/songwriter and has toured with
a host of others (Brooks & Dunn, Steve Earle, Peter Frampton, Etta
James, etc.).
Jim Photoglo is another career musician/performer/songwriter with many
solo albums and impressive credits. He has toured with Andy Gibb, Vince
Gill, Nicolette Larson and Dan Fogelberg, but even more impressive is
the list of artists who have recorded his songs, some of whom include:
Dusty Springfield, James Ingram, Kenny Rogers, The Oak Ridge Boys, Michael
McDonald, Travis Tritt, The Everly Brothers, Faith Hill and The Nitty
Gritty Dirt Band. He's also a part of the band Run C&W (with Vince
Melamed), whose specialty is to take classic songs of the 1960s and 1970s
and re-interpret them in a bluegrass style.
While vocalist/keyboard player Vince Melamed is not listed on the CD,
he is very much an active Vinyl King (when the recording was underway,
he had just signed a publishing deal with Madonna's Maverick and put all
his energies into writing songs that might get covered instead). He too
is an accomplished songwriter, having written for artists like Trisha
Yearwood, Ty Herndon, Phoebe Snow and Tina Turner.
These talented guys got together and started doing this just for fun in
2001. For some of them, it was a chance to re-discover their love of music
and now, over a year later, the finished disc captures that spirit.
"I Think I Know" opens with an upbeat guitar riff that's "And
Your Bird Can Sing" transposed, then switches into something else,
with lyrics that cover the same ground of "We Can Work It Out"
(there's even a smidgeon of Brian Wilson/Beach Boys there too).
We get a bit of the Indian-flavors of "Within You Without You"
at the opening of "Leave This Town", which then morphs into
something deliberately more Revolver-era. "Mind Over Matter"
is definitely latter-era Beatles, concentrating on the John Lennon end
of things (with great attention to sound details) and then switching into
something that's very ELO-sounding in mid-song before returning to the
Lennonish aspect again.
"Mother Dear" is another McCartney take, this one very similar
to his solo effort "Junk", with a short pseudo-Russian mid bridge
(a la "Girl) and enhanced by an alluring string arrangement. "Bang
Bang" is the Vinyl Kings' answer to the fun of "Maxwell's Silver
Hammer" and again, some Beach Boys' sounds manage to creep across
the ocean and pay a visit.
Photoglo's "Chocolate Cake" is perhaps the most obvious in imitating
the sounds and world of "I Am the Walrus" (with lyrics that
are more "Savoy Truffle"). This is no easy feat, but The Vinyl
Kings manage it well. The brief "Losing My Mind" is the bastard
stepchild of "Come Together" and "Helter Skelter"
(if you can imagine that), while "What If It Were You" is less
easily identifiable (some "Strawberry Fields Forever" organ
perhaps and some "Sun King"-like harmonies and heavy strings
a la "Goodnight"). "Dreams" is more like a solo Lennon
song as sung by McCartney in a marvelously lush arrangement that recalls
any number of other things, but stands well as an original tune.
While I have given some reference points, yours might be entirely different.
And therein lies the fun of A Little Trip -- the more you listen, the
more you're likely to hear. The songs will seem familiar from the very
start (as they should), as will the sounds themselves (some songs are
mixed with vocals completely separated from the music channels, true to
the early George Martin production values).
As I said, this is the result of much love mixed with careful deliberation.
Only very talented musicians would even dare to take on such a project,
and thankfully, The Vinyl Kings succeed. While some songs have very specific
targets ("Chocolate Cake" as "Walrus"), most of these
present a general blend of Beatles' style and sound elements, reassembled
for your listening enjoyment.
Is this larceny or heresy? Peace out, people -- and lighten up. A Little
Trip is a nostalgia trip worth taking in the spirit of fun, a group of
talented musicians bestowing a loving musical thank-you to those who have
given us such a marvelous legacy. Put on the headphones and see if you
can cite the references -- or simply enjoy the music for the quality endeavor
it is.
6 November 2002
2002: A Very
Musical Year
By Gary Glauber
Assembling this year-end list was tougher than usual since there were
so many varied and distinguished releases. First off, the criterion for
my picks is that I'd rather recommend someone you might not know (so for
instance, wonderful releases from the likes of George Harrison and Elvis
Costello will not make my list). Secondly, I am partial to melodic pop
(guitar or keyboard driven), strong song-craft, and whenever possible,
clever or unexpected lyrics. I had a difficult time even paring my list
down to a top 40, but given deadlines and self-imposed logic, here are
my baker's dozen selections:
5. The Vinyl Kings, A Little Trip, (Vinyl King Records)
Seven studio musicians out of Nashville present a loving musical tribute
to the Fab Four in the guise of 13 "original" Beatle-esque tunes,
bound to please many and still create instant controversy with less-forgiving
purists. I'm solidly for the project, old becoming new with the spirit
of the originals, and great pains taken to get the musical details just
right. These guys know their stuff; and provide a load of fun if you're
into citing specific musical reference points. It's fun nostalgia, short
songs that don't overstay their welcome and trigger pleasant memories.
Strong musicianship well-executed and clean production make A Little Trip
one worth taking.
Fufkin.com
All Hail
The Fab Four
By Shona Winfrey
This release will be a big, wonderful present for fans of the Beatles
themselves, and probably XTC. It will definitely strike a chord with those
who are familiar with Myracle Brah and Starbelly and admire both those
bands. The Vinyl Kings themselves did the album as an homage to their
greatest inspiration, and as they say themselves, in the notes, as a ìkind
of musical "thank you" to the boys and producer George Martin.
Do they miss a trick? No. Do they ever do anything wrong on this record?
Nope. Does it sound like the Beatles? HELL YES,
IT DOES! From the very early mop tops through Abbey Road, this
album sounds as if someone has actually unearthed some long-lost songs,
remastered them, and released them, finally.
I can't say one bad thing about this album. Some Beatles' fans might sour
on it, finding it too close for comfort; those may feel itís all
a rip off and not take it for what it is. I pity anyone who does, though.
I'm a "practically from birth Beatle-maniac" and honestly thought
I'd keel over from excitement when Josh Leo (who is one of ëem) sent
it my way and I heard it the first time.
The background on the band: five long-time Nashville session musicians,
engineers, and producers who have worked with everybody, including Foster
& Lloyd (you know, that duo Bill Lloyd used to sing in?). Why did
they do it? Love. Every one of them has a life-long, diehard admiration
for and has drawn a lifeís worth of inspiration from the Fab Four.
Itís a labor of love, pure and simple. If there's any ulterior
motive, it hasnít been exposed to me. As Leo himself told me in
a few e-mail exchanges: "Weíve all been very lucky to make
our livings doing what we love, which is making music".
The tunes range from poppy gems like the title track (reminiscent of 'Got
to Get You Into My Life) and "I Took a Chance" (which sounds
like early Macca, as much Paul himself ever has) through the "I Am
The Walrus"-esque warped "Chocolate Cake" and the "Strawberry
Fields Foreverîish "What If It Were You".
This is heady stuff, up on par with those outings from Todd Rundgren and
Utopia, like Deface the Music, and XTC dressed up in funny outfits as
the Dukes of Stratosphear. Yeah, it's that fine a piece of work. High
quality, infectious songcrafting will make the listener say "I want
to listen to Abbey Road and Sergeant Pepper right now" ! This all
makes it seem as if John and Paul and George and Ringo are all alive and
doing fine. This is truly an astonishing display of Beatlesesque and Beatlesish
pop and rock'n roll. Moreover, even the more cerebral music that moved
the four Liverpudlians, with George Martin's assistance, as someone in
Compleat Beatles quipped, "from beyond ritual dance music to something
popular music had never been before: something meant only to be listened
to" has been given its share of respect and Vinyl Kings have done
an excellent job of that, too.
As previously stated, never a bad moment here. Also as previously stated,
very high quality. Hats off to both the Fab Four, and this fab five who
love them: Thank you all!
Buy it at www.vinylkings.com. Well worth checking out, this is one truly
brilliant stunner of a record.
The Good, The Bad, and the Stiff
Tony
Peyser
Mirror contributiung writer
Vinyl Kings - A Little Trip
(Vinyl Kings Records) This is incredible, not too original, but incredible
nonetheless. Tonight Matthew, the Vinyl Kings are the Beatles, all periods,
Lennon and McCartney, George and Ringo, the whole shebang. Itís
a terrific facsimile of a classic sound, and itís to be commended
that all 13 tracks are band originals, rather than Bootleg Beatles-style
covers. "Whatís the point?" I hear you ask. Thatís
a reasonable question and one thatís much easier to answer once
youíve actually heard what they do. A Little Trip is a celebration
of the Beatles - they thank them in the liner notes - and an acknowledgement
of the inspiration they have provided to a generation of musicians, and
if imitation is the highest form of flattery, itís difficult to
fault this record. And at the very worst itíll put a smile on your
face. Track them down at www.vinylkings.com.
Cover
Runner Radio
By Noel Diotte
Vinyl Kings - a Little Trip
I just added a number of cuts from this very talented group in Nashville
from their album, A LITTLE TRIP. If you're a Beatles fan, this tribute
to them is like having that final album you'd always wished they had recorded.
It is so well done and done with such obvious love & respect for The
Beatles that you can forgive the perfect re-creation of french horns riffs,
backward loops, inharmonious chaos (A Day in the Life) and obvious George
Harrison lead guitar licks from Sgt. Pepper and other albums. In fact,
you can have a lot of fun playing Name That Tune with this album while
enjoying these original songs.
This collection is really worth hearing.
It is so well produced. This group of Nashville musicians (including Larry
Lee formerly of The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Larry Byrom, guitarist
with Steppenwolf, a couple of ex-Coral Reefers, and other members with
studio and songwriting credits too long to enumerate here) got the vocals,
instrumentation and George Martin's ingenious stereo mixing down pat.
We Play from their album:
Bang Bang It's at the very top of our playlist
because it tells the plight of current radio where no matter how many
buttons you push on the radio, all you hear is the same songs on every
station. We are proud to offer the internet radio world our very different
choice of listening.
A Little Trip †Tells the story of a 10 year old child
seeing The Beatles on Ed Sullivan for the first time and knowing from
that moment on that rock n' roll was to be the direction of the rest of
his life. I can relate.
Dreams Their tribute to John Lennon's, "Imagine"?
Leave This Town I placed this near my run of ex-patriot songs. Has the
Indian/sitar flavor of "Within You, Without You".
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