VARIOUS ARTISTS
Unsealed (Tribute To The Go-Gos) (4 Alarm Records)
Reviewed by Bill Holmes

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You'd think a band like The Go-Gos would attract a collection of the power pop elite to churn out their bouncy pop-punk hits of (gasp!) twenty years ago, but instead the artists on Unsealed attack the material from a more experimental perspective. Many labels use these tribute records to showcase their own acts, and 4 Alarm Records is no exception, with Bo Bud Greene, the Frogs and the Pinehurst Kids getting some prime aural real estate to play with.

The Pinehurst Kids are appropriately punky on "How Much More", and Bo Bud Greene's "This Old Feeling" is propelled by perhaps the best drummer on the record (Marnie Martin, perhaps? There are no band members listed in the liner notes). The Frogs, however, (ahem) dissect "Vacation" and forget to put the parts back together correctly; frankly they are annoying. Ditto the clueless and useless Fig Dish, who suck every breath of life out of "Head Over Heels". What a waste.

However, The Blank Theory handles "Get Up & Go" like the bastard son of Nirvana and Black Sabbath, and Truly powers "Our Lips Are Sealed" nicely. And the oddball medley by Allon Beausoleil, which juggles the three biggest hits amid kazoo bleats and other noises, is the most daring and perhaps the best cut on the record.

© 2000 - Bill Holmes