Various Artists
Sons of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys
Well, this is a find. Shane MacGowan, Keith Richards and Iggy Pop on the same album, all singing folk songs! The results are - let's say mixed. There's a lot of music to review here, so I'll do this post in multiple parts. Shane MacGowan kicks things off, sounding (if possible) more fucked-up than ever before on a version of "The Leaving of Liverpool" that is either awesome or terrible - I'm not sure which. Then it's over to Robyn Hitchcock for a bloodless and supremely irritating version of "Sam's Gone Away." Beth Orton is apparently well-known, and her style is described by the good people on the interwebs as "folktronica." Read that word again. Do you want to cut off your own ears to spare them the horror of what's to come? Don't do that, or you'll miss an exquisite version of a hauntingly beautiful song. Sean Lennon continues the famous-name theme, although in his case only half his name is actually famous. Still, he manages to give a version of "Row Bullies Row" that isn't at all limp-wristed, lazy, or boring. Wait, no - it's all of those things. And shit. Did I mention shit? It's really, really shit.
Tom Waits takes his typical stylised, experessionistic approach to "Shenandoah," giving it the atmosphere of a ship sailing out to sea as the sailors sing of the land they're leaving. I still prefer Springsteen's version, though. Ivan Neville sounds like a cross between Randy Newman and someone much less talented than Randy Newman, and his plinky-plonky music-hall take on "Mr Stormalong" is perfect if you're looking for a guide on how to rob a song of any emotional resonance that it might have.
Iggy Pop, of course, needs no introduction, but just in case you're one of those poor deprived human beings who aren't familiar with his work, he was the singer in one of the greatest punk bands of all time, did a very interesting solo album with David Bowie, and the most interesting thing he's done since then is an interview on the Henry Rollins Show. Still, "Asshole Rules the Navy" is a pretty funny song.
End of Part One.
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