|
|
|
BANDS: Punk
& Ska INTERESTS: Venues ETC... About
LOTD
|
The
Ridiculous Trio: Plays the Stooges
Back in the early days of rock n roll, all you needed to form a band was a singer with attitude, a decent drummer, a guitarist, and a bassist. Nothing fancy was needed. By the late 1960's, those who weren't total folkies were heavy into the psychedelics, so there was not much room left for the aggressive types. Then, in 1969, a group by the name of The Stooges released their self-titled debut, and rock n roll still hasnt fully recovered from the blow. Many people say that The Stooges document the birth of punk, but there's no point in letting critics in the media come up with catchy names for this-and-that genre. So it's only fitting that in 2004, Mike Hagedorn teamed up with Bob Pleshar (tuba) and Shannon Morrow (drums) to form The Ridiculous Trio. What is really ridiculous here is that the eight tracks on Plays the Stooges are instrumental and 100% free of guitars. It turns out that it sounds pretty good, and that must be just as baffling now as The Stooges were when their sound defied the conventions of rock n roll in the 1960's. For the most part, The Ridiculous Trio gets it right here, as the main goal is not to play "covers" of The Stooges. The Trio's version of "Dirt" sounds just as sweaty and sleazy as it does when you listen to Fun House despite the lack of Iggy's sneering voice. Where the record falters is with "I Wanna Be Your Dog," because The Ridiculous Trio just sort of plays a teaser of the song but never fully dives into it, which is unfortunate. I say this because I was in a crowded rock n roll bar some weeks ago, and when "I Wanna Be Your Dog" began playing from the jukebox, I noticed an alarming amount of lips moving and oily hair shaking to Iggy's precious words. Right then, you could tell the sort of impact that The Stooges still make upon us, but it's also important to note that these are impressions of The Stooges that we carry with us. These impressions do not differ greatly from those that Hagedorn and company put forth with this album, which is mainly meant to be an interpretive exercise. What speaks loudest on this release is that The Ridiculous Trio does not seem interested in re-hashing the most sacred songs of The Stooges' canon. What is even more impressive is that they show their appreciation for not just the songs on the three official LPs that The Stooges released, but for Raw Power outtakes such as "She Creatures of the Hollywood Hills" and "Scene of the Crime," the latter of which is played as part of a medley with "Death Trip," a track that also came from the Raw Power recording sessions.
Check Amazon, Insound and CD Universe to purchase this album. About LOTD Contact/Staff Advertise Home All content LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
