Music Review by EDF
Well here is something that you do not come across too often, an artist covering a whole album from another artist. The artist and album in question is The Beatles REVOLVER album at which point you may or may not sit up and become more interested in this. You might also ask who is nuts enough to attempt this mad venture. The answer is Nick Troop aka CatDesigners who assures us that “I’ve done it a little differently. I wanted the styles I used to pre-date and post-date The Beatles.”
For the opening track TAXMAN, Troop deliberately takes the bassline from The Jam’s A TOWN CALLED MALICE and slightly changed it so now it has a more driving rock feel to it. ELEANOR RIGBY is musically darker, almost sinister in tone thanks to the distorted rhythm guitar, sounding like a bad late 60’s acid trip. Structurally, I’M ONLY SLEEPING is not much different to the original but is still a great cover thanks to a bouncing bass and handclaps. On the no chord LOVE YOU TO, Troop takes the opportunity to mix wah-wah guitar with a dance beat and it works. HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE is a brilliant attempt as Troop messes about with the melody to the point that he makes the song sound as if he had written it himself. Troop very nearly skipped over the classic YELLOW SUBMARINE and quickly realised that the album could not be called a REVOLVER tribute album without it. So he approached it as if it were recorded as an old English sea shanty and what fun it is as well. SHE SAID, SHE SAID somehow sounds as if Echo and the Bunnymen had recorded it.
GOOD DAY, SUNSHINE is a bit like The Kinks meets Blur, something that Damon Albarn has been trying to do for years. AND YOUR BIRD CAN SING sounds a bit teeny thanks to the use of a drum machine but it at least keeps the song flowing. Troop then proceeds to deconstruct FOR NO ONE and it brings out the songs wonderful lyrics. DOCTOR ROBERT is given a new wave feel to it while I WANT TO TELL YOU is slowed right down. GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE is turned into a straight blues tune featuring only a lap steel guitar, two vocals and a harmonica. The once psychedelic TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS is given the glam undertones that Goldfrapp has recently championed and it comes over all dirty and sexy. This album is quite fun to listen to and one would hope that Troop might attempt THE WHITE album sometime.
