Category: Tribute Album

Singles, Tributes, and Freebies: Hot Summer, The Poppermost, Emperor Penguin and Orbis Max, Gal Gun, Gentlemen Rogues, Coke Belda, Bob of the Pops

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Hot Summer a new group by The Shins’ Jon Sortland and Brian Belier. “Fire And Ice” is indirectly related to the great disparities between political parties and a byproduct of shut-in pandemic isolation. Sounding a bit like The Eels to me, Hot Summer certainly is mesmerizing.

The great Joe Kane goes back to 1964 and the British Invasion with The Poppermost. It’s simply Fab! Let’s hope an album follows soon.

Emperor Penguin and Orbis Max combine for this terrific FREE single! An upbeat gem. What is not to like here?

I know little of Chicago band Gal Gun, but they’ve got some solid music here with fuzz guitars and catchy melody. Fans of Superdrag and Velvet Crush will dig it. Visit the singles of the previous months, especially “Premium” from September.

I haven’t heard from Gentlemen Rogues in a long time, so it’s good to see them active again. Nice aggressive guitar pop, with punk-inflected energy. Check it out.

Coke Belda digs deeper in the Bee Gees back catalog and it’s a reminder of how great the Gibb brothers were as songwriters. “Islands in the Stream,” originally sung by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Paton is presented here as a fine duet between Coke and vocalist Sara Depp. More Bee Gees love on Volume 3.

Bob of the Pops (Robyn Gibson and friends) plays hits obscure and common for Volume 5(!) This FREEBIE is brilliant and Robyn’s voice is perfectly suited to The Hollies “King Midas in Reverse” and Jeff Lynn’s ballad “Midnight Blue.”

Happy Birthday to John Lennon!

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John Lennon’s 80th Birthday would have been on October 9th, 2020. To celebrate, a number of artists have released tributes in his honor.

John Lennon Tribute

Various Artists “Jem Records Celebrates John Lennon”

Each band is given a pair of tunes, and this first-class tribute starts with the premiere Beatlesque band The Weeklings. They add a Bo Diddley styled rhythm to this unique arrangement of The Beatles “The Word” and flesh out the bare-bones Lennon demo “What’s The New Mary Jane?” NYC-based The Midnight Callers deliver some sweet harmonies on the acoustic “Child of Nature” and bluesy lead guitar on “Jealous Guy.”

The Grip Weeds are faithful to the spirit of “You Can’t Do That” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” and the depth of sound and crisp production are impressive.  The Anderson Council’s Peter Horvath channels Lennon well on “I Found Out” with its swirling psychedelic reverb. Johnathan Pushkar and The Gold Needles also deliver the goods. Richard Barone’s speeds up the tempo in the lone mashup of  “Revolution” and “Power To The People.” It all works and is Highly Recommended.

Amazon


Timmy Sean puts a modern spin on several classics with his new EP – It’s a FREE download. Enjoy!

Reno Bo has done Beatles tributes before, but this one is new! It’s a FREE download. Enjoy!

John Lennon

John Lennon “Gimme Some Truth”

This latest ‘greatest hits’ collection is likely the best sounding mix you’ve ever heard and really does do justice to John’s compositions. Remixed by Paul Hicks (who did Imagine – The Ultimate Collection), all 36 tracks were selected by Yoko and son Sean to tell John’s post-Beatles story and illustrate his many moods. All gift-wrapped in numerous deluxe packages (the big one has a commemorative book, stickers, postcards, and extensive liner notes.)

Lennon’s searing indictment of self-serving politicians and “narrow-minded hypocritics” is even more relevant today than it was over forty years ago. The selection of songs includes his most popular work giving them new life for generations to come. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

 

FOW Tribute and Singles: Ken Sharp, Vegas With Randolph, Hank Idory, François Premiers

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Can’t Shake That Tune: A Tribute to Fountains of Wayne

It’s still hard for me to believe that Adam Schlesinger is gone. As expected, numerous artists have done tributes, including the remaining members of Fountains of Wayne. Now we have a great new collection of covers from Radiant Radish Records. Some artists play the songs faithfully, like American Wood’s “Denise” while others vary the style, like Jonathan Pushkar’s acoustic version of  “Stacy’s Mom.” It’s FREE to download – don’t miss it.


SINGLES

Ken Sharp does a modern power-pop arrangement to The Who classic “The Kids Are Alright.” It’s pretty cool, and if you like that version you should visit the Poprock Record blog to hear a large section artists’ playing this song.

Do you enjoy a friend with benefits? Vegas With Randolph delivers a kick-ass single about living N.S.A. (No Strings Attached) – the band really packs this song with sonic details and it’s a catchy theme!
From Valencia, Spain the talented Hank Idory returns with this bright and sunny single in Spanish which means “For The First Time.” In any language melodic power pop is easy to recognize. Bueno música!

From Le Havre, France we have this melodic rock band with heavy leanings. François Premiers are a little power pop with a touch of prog rock. Plus a cool cover of “Don’t Put Me On” by The Flamin’ Groovies.

Tributes and Covers: Tom Petty, Paul McCartney, Adam Schlesinger, Hanson, Brittany Spears

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Thanks to singer/songwriter/producer Andy Reed we have this wonderful Tom Petty tribute. All proceeds from sales go to raise money for All Music Is Power (AMP) a non-profit that brings music to special needs facilities across the State of Michigan. I honestly only recognize a few artists here, but they are all talented and the music is really good.


A very merry indie tribute to Paul McCartney. Features artists such as Catina Ann, Scott McPherson, Dana Countryman, KC Bowman, Ray Paul, 3rd Street Chaos, Keith Spinney, Keifer, May Chow, and Thunder Wheel. I love Coke Belda’s “Uncle Albert​/​Admiral Halsey” and KC Bowman’s “Man We Was Lonely” (sounds like members of The Corner Laughers are all involved here.) A big thanks to Texan Keith Spinney for putting this together.

Aussie musician and producer Michael Carpenter is revisiting some newer “oldies” that most Millenials grew up with. Check it out!



As part of the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund’s “JERSEY 4 JERSEY” benefit raising funds to fight the impact of COVID-19, the surviving members of Fountains of Wayne reunited for their first live performance in seven years to pay tribute to songwriter, bassist, and vocalist Adam Schlesinger, who passed away a month ago today. The band’s Chris Collingwood, Jody Porter, and Brian Young were joined by acclaimed singer-songwriter and New Jerseyan Sharon Van Etten to fill in on bass and backing vocals on the 2003 Fountains of Wayne song “Hackensack.” Purchase “Hackensack” here

 

EP Reviews: The Seven and Six, Vista Blue, Dogmatics, Nick Bertling, The Martial Arts

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The Seven and Six is a new band with the ever-talented Lisa Mychols and Tom Richards. This is great power pop with a beat you can dance to. This is Mychols in her natural habitat, each song hits the right notes, kicks ass and with its upbeat tempos, it’s super highly recommended.

Vista Blue dials back its natural punk influences and turns up the Beach Boys-inspired power-pop tendencies. “Summer Wonderland” is a sweet single with some great harmonies and the other tracks are a cut above the usual seasonal music. Get this one now! Available at Amazon


The Dogmatics is a more traditional garage rock and roll band from Boston thanks to our buddies at Rum Bar Records. Fans of The Replacements or The Johnny Thunders will dig this one. And who else will write a song about the current United States Secretary of Commerce? Also available at Amazon.


Nick Bertling made this faithful group of Monkee cover tunes in honor of the late Peter Tork. It even has a cover of a Kellog’s jingle! Not an EP, but a labor of love and it’s a great FREE download.


The new EP from The Martial Arts (aka Paul Kelly) is a quirky pop romp that is both catchy and idiosyncratic. The other songs are just as infectious and melodic. Get it on Amazon.