 Various Artists Until a Tony Romeo CD comes along, this collection will remain perhaps the hippest possible bubblegum disc. It contains 18 tracks by "various artists," all of which feature British session vocalist Tony Burrows as lead singer. Peering behind the curtain into the cyncial world of by-the-numbers pop music proves to be a fascinating experience that transcends the sugary lameness of the songs themselves. The greatness of this CD lies in the beauty of Burrows's lack of ego, sublimating his generic non-presence into hit "bands" like Edison Lighthouse, White Plains, The Pipkins, the Brotherhood of Man, and (who could forget) Touch. In reality, none of these were proper bands in the sense of The Who or the Rolling Stones … they were studio creations that became touring entities only after enjoying chart success. You get a feel for these people with natural musical talent but no originality, stumbling around from session to session, recording crackpot gimmick after crackpot gimmick. Burrows, the liner notes point out, was a one-hit wonder five times: "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)," "Beach Baby," "My Baby Loves Lovin'," United We Stand," and the wonderful piece of annoying claptrap "Gimme Dat Ding" (all recorded under different names, and some even charting simultaneously). The non-hits are almost better: "Girl You've Got Me Going" manages to rip off hooks from Three Dog Night's "One" as well as the Turtles' "Happy Together" while being limper than both. Strangely, it's not the only song on the CD which rips off "One" ("Never Fall in Love Again" also does). Then there's "Too Many Golden Oldies," which laments the lack of fresh new songs while shamelessly name-dropping a couple dozen rock'n'roll catchphrases, effectively promoting what it is supposedly bemoaning. This is a CD which benefits from visionary programming: it is almost perfectly executed, obscuring the fact that no one really likes these songs. A perfect antidote to contemporary radio. Many thanks to Varese Sarabande for keeping the bubblegum flame alive. Someday everyone will realize that the Archies were, at the very least, no worse than the Guess Who.
Review by Paulie Shorne |