Cover bands suck. Almost anyone with even the slightest sense of taste and half a perforated eardrum would agree with that. I mean, at a bar or party, where the booze flows like Niagara, sure, they can be fun as they butcher their way though all of your favorite hits. Usually, the key word is butcher. Rarely do these bands do anything clever or original with their repertoires, instead trying – and failing – to ape the original. Sure, you can find talented players in the lot – or at least competent ones – and sometimes the whole band can be solid, but they still serve no further use than that of a glorified jukebox. There are some high-profile cover bands that exist outside the usual parameters. One such band is Hayseed Dixie, who made a name for themselves performing traditional bluegrass renditions of AC/DC songs. That sort of band, however, is rare. You can add one more to that miniscule list – Rock Sugar, quite possibly the greatest cover band on earth.
The premise behind Rock Sugar goes something like this: in 1989, they were well on their way to becoming heavy metal superstars. While playing a bat mitzvah aboard a boat, the ship wrecked and the band, armed with nothing but their equipment, several cases of booze, and the CD collection of the 12-year old guest of honor, were stranded on a desert island. Over the course of the 20 years it took to rescue the band, they digested the music on the disc, as well as the booze, and crafted a very unique sound. Of course, this is a joke bio, which establishes that Rock Sugar is a joke band. However, while entertaining, none of this is really all that necessary. The music on Reimaginator, their debut release, speaks for itself. This ain’t no joke.
A popular trend these days is the “mash-up”, in which a DJ takes two (or more) songs – usually wildly different – and combines them to create a “new” song. For example, the music from one song will be combined with the vocals from another, verses juxtaposed against one another, with elements of other songs thrown in. Generally, these are done using the original recordings and are more often than not a complete mess….and a complete waste of time. In the context of this band, however, it turns out to be sheer genius. On the thirteen songs that grace this disc, Rock Sugar performs these so-called mash-ups themselves, using pop and metal hits of the 80s as the basis for their output. Such an idea is one that would usually sound good on paper, but then end up being a total disaster on disc. The big surprise here is that it is far better than you can imagine. The arrangements are thoughtful, the song choices are left-field but join together well, and the players in this band are of most extraordinary talent.
There are so many highlights on this disc. I’ll be damned if I can find a “dud” anywhere on this disc. The first offering is called “Don’t Stop The Sandman” which perfectly marries the music from Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” with the lyrics and melodies of – you guessed it – Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”. Wisely released as the first single, this is outstanding. As with all of these tracks, it’s not as if the versions played here sound as if they are the actual song, but there is such care and attention to detail, that it still all makes sense. Another thing that helps this band is that – well, most cover band singers are, at best, only decent….and usually much worse. However, the lead singer, Jess Harnell, is amazing; in fact, often far better than the original singers. His ability to handle such diverse material, and make it sound convincing, is almost diabolical.
Elsewhere on this disc, the band marries the music from Motley Crue’s “Kickstart My Heart” with the vocals from Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “We Will Rock You”, which they surely do. Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” meets Rick Springfield’s “Jesse’s Girl”, “Welcome To The Jungle” meets Til Tuesday’s “Voices Carry”, Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead Or Alive” meets “Here Comes The Rain Again” by the Eurythmics, oh this can go on and on. Ohhhh……”Shook Me Like A Prayer” combines AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” with Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” in what is one of the best covers I’ve ever heard….on more than one occasion I’ve woken up with this in my head. Kiss’s “Detriot Rock City” is mixed with Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” in an arrangement that recalls Def Leppard. Journey gets hit again when “Separate Ways” meets Ratt’s 1984 hit, “Round And Round”. Closing out the disc is a nod to the 70s with the complex wind-up of Aerosmith’s “Dream On”, Supertramp’s “Breakfast In America”, along with elements of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” and “Stairway To Heaven”.
The thing about this band that is so hard to grasp is that it’s comedy. It’s a parody - this is a total joke band. A joke band is NOT supposed to be this good. This is the kind of disc you can listen to over and over again, pull out at parties and everyone’s blown away. This is the kind of band that you want to see over and over again, and you wait for their next album, to see what they pull out next. I feel almost weird saying that, among all of the other great albums out this year, and all the great ones to come, that Imaginator is by far my favorite album of 2010. Nothing THIS ridiculous could amount to anything less.
ANYONE who came of age in the 80s needs to drop everything and get this album now.
For more info on Rock Sugar, and this album, check out www.rocksugarband.com
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