This album has the same problem as most tribute cover albums. The artists who stayed faithful to the original did a very good job, take Fiona Apple and her version of "Everyday." The others all overdid at making the songs their own fun creation and they pretty much stink, take Florence + the Machine and "Not Fade Away." I know you wouldn't think you could mess up "Not Fade Away" but it is possible. In fact it's hard to believe that you can mess up any Buddy Holly song and that's the issue. His songs are meant to be simple, straightforward pop tunes, and when you get overly complex you lose the beauty of the song. It doesn't mean an artist can't put their own touch on a song, but not at the cost of the simplistic beauty of the original.
I should say though that out of 19 tracks only six are real throw aways and that's not bad for a collection like this. If you are a big Buddy Holly fan you would probably enjoy this collection. If you're looking for a fun tune to throw onto a mix tape then you can find a few on here. Truth is though I'd rather just have the original.
Following the Rhapsody rating method I give it 1 out of 5 stars for Just OK.
They have have used the live version of "Not Fade Away" from Springsteen's 1978 tour.
ReplyDeleteI tend to not like these albums if I'm a fan of the artist being paid tribute. I tend to like songs off of these albums that are performed by artists that I already like.
ReplyDeleteI will say, however, that the bit of the Florence + the Machine version of "Not Fade Away" sounds OK to me.