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VARIOUS ARTISTS
Platinum Girl - A Tribute To Blondie (Cleopatra)
Reviewed by Bill Holmes
From the ever expanding world of tribute records comes this latest Cleopatra offering honoring Blondie. As a label known for its association with goth and techno bands, my expectation was yet another overproduced "remix" record, or maybe worse. And although there are a few tracks that sound like dance club experiments, several others mine the punk-pop energy that made Blondie the great band it was, and is. At first I felt relieved that for every latter period band track like "Rapture" and "The Tide Is High" there was an early career stage pogo special like "One Way Or Another" or "Hangin' On The Telephone". But things are not always that simple - Mephisto Walz, who tackle "Telephone" as the leadoff track, turn in an energetic, if fairly straightforward, version, while Puppie's album closing interpretation is a wasted exercise in electronic noodling. "Rapture" is far from my favorite Blondie track, but there are two versions here, each different, both creative. So the mind opens...
One disappointment is the complete lack of liner note information. Dave Thompson's brief two- page band history would be valuable if you didn't know anything about Blondie. But if you didn't, why would you even consider buying this tribute? How about some information on the bands? Who's that playing the buzzsaw guitar on "Rush Rush"? "Shayla" is done by Berlin vs. Meeks - is that two bands (sure sounds like it) or one? And if it's two bands, is that the Berlin, as in Teri Nunn? Someone named Tiffany sings the hell out of "Call Me" - naw, that can't be the former mallrat, can it? (Actually, I saw her on VH-1's The List - she's grown up a bit, she's looking halfway hot and I do believe she's legal now. Pedophile my ass!). Since there's no website, no functional email address and no accompanying promotional material, I'm left to guess.
Of course you're rarely, if ever, going to like all the tracks on a tribute recording. But why not open your mind and try it? You might think that Sheep On Drugs' version of "The Tide Is High" kicks ass (I think it's annoying and sums up everything that bores me about techno music) . Then again, I heartily recommend the Swing Cats' joyous romp through "I'm Gonna Love You Too" (really, how can you screw up Buddy Holly), but if you're looking for dance floor fodder, that's not going to spin your mirror ball. There are enough different takes here to make this interesting at worst, with a huge upside potential for fun and enjoyment.
So let's compromise on Ex-Voto's very Eighties-in-a-drum-programming-kinda-way take on "Accidents Never Happen". Or Angela Bruyiere's "Heart Of Glass", even breathier than Harry. Or Spahn Ranch evoking the corpses of both Sniff And The Tears and Gary Numan in order to do justice to "Dreaming". Weirdest track? Cherie Currie's intensely dramatic, doing-heroin-in- Berlin version of "For Your Eyes Only". (That Cherie Currie? Who knows? No details, remember?)
Beats the hell out of a remix album any day. Live a little, willya?
Track List:
Hangin' On The Telephone (Mephisto Walz) * Shayla (Berlin) * Dreaming (Spahn Ranch Feat. Vyolette) * Call Me (Tiffany) * I'm Gonna Love You Too (Swing Cats Feat. Christi Ellen Harris) * Rapture (Michelle Crispin) * Sunday Girl (Rosetta Stone Feat. Mula) * Rush Rush (Electric Hellfire Club) * The Tide Is High (Sheep On Drugs) * Accidents Never Happen (Ex-Voto) * Heart Of Glass (Angela Bruyiere) * Rapture (Razed In Black/Dayton) * For Your Eyes Only (Cherie Currie) * One Way Or Another (Synical Remix) (Puppie)
© 2000 - Bill Holmes