bedsitter23 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bedsitter23) wrote2020-05-28 04:17 pm
bedsitter23) wrote2020-05-28 04:17 pm
Entry tags:
On the Shelf 209: Danzig
Incongruous perhaps to my other tastes, I am a big Glenn Danzig fan.
The Misfits, of course, are hip, and Legacy of Brutality blew my mind from the first day I heard it; but I like the self-titled band as well.
They were a bit of an outlier in the 90s scene- neither glam nor grunge. Somewhat cheesy in retrospect, they seemed intellectual, a seemingly rarity in hard rock, as bands like Metallica and The Cult were starting to dumb their material down. Years later, the Danzig discography doesn't really hold up to the image I have of them.
I have always loved the second Danzig album (the bluesy Lucifuge), but besides it, I only rate the first and fourth albums- solidly put together by Rick Rubin, though I hardly revisit them these days. The fact is I follow every move the band has made.
I have practically given up on the band ever having a return of form. The closest they got was 2002's 777:I Lucerfi I which was a short lived partnership with Todd Youth (Murphy's Law/Warzone/Agnostic Front), Howie Pyro (D Generation) and long-time drummer Joey Castillo (QotSA/Mark Lanegan).
But the Danzig of the early 90s with guitarist John Christ and producer Rubin seemed poised for a long run. Danzig spoke of ambitious projects in those years, and we got them sometimes with 'Chinese Democracy' speed- a Misfits box set, a Samhain box set, an influences' covers album and lastly, an Elvis covers album.
Skeletons (the covers album) was released in 2015. It suffers from production values, that charitably make it sound like a 'bootleg'. It is another 'what if' in the career of a musician that seemingly has pushed away his biggest allies. It succeeds in bringing back Misfits-era Danzig to an extent, but feels like a disappointment.
Which brings us to 2020 and the unlikely arrival of Danzig Sings Elvis. Perhaps, the first thing one can say is that it is what it says on the cover.
Panned by many, it is certainly an unusual album. Elvis has cast a long shadow over Glenn's work- from the fantastic “American Nightmare” tune by the Misfits, to some of his latter day ballads to the perfectly themed cover of Elvis's “Trouble” from his 1993 live EP.
A good producer might have suggested a variety of tunes that fir in the mold of these previous successes. Instead, it's a ballad-heavy, sparsely accompanied set.
Less charitable critics will dismiss this album quite easily. Unfortunately, I wouldn't go that far, it just wasn't executed well. It's not that it's “cheesy”. It's just not that arresting.
These are largely lesser-known Elvis tunes. That's probably a good start. He probably should have avoided “Fever” which conjures up images of Peggy Lee and Madonna. “Always on My Mind” was probably a good pick, though it's been well-covered.
In short, too many ballads. The unlikely perfect “Pocket Full of Rainbows”, “Girl of My Best Friend” and the coda “Young and Beautiful” could probably hang on a stronger album. Why he didn't stick to more songs with accompaniment like “Girl”, I don't know. When he tries to rock, he picks the wrong material in “Baby Let's Play House”, though he had the right idea in indulging in a bit of rockabilly. The bluesy “When it Rains, It Pours” is too much of a throwaway at two minutes, and could probably have been fixed by a better collaborator.
In any case, I don't think anyone will be that impressed with a bunch of slow-tempo Danzig numbers with no rockers to offset. Danzig really isn't made to be a balladeer. Though surprisingly, his cover of the Everlys' “Crying in the Rain” was one of the best songs off Skeletons, he can't quite pull off the life of a Vegas lounge singer.
The Misfits, of course, are hip, and Legacy of Brutality blew my mind from the first day I heard it; but I like the self-titled band as well.
They were a bit of an outlier in the 90s scene- neither glam nor grunge. Somewhat cheesy in retrospect, they seemed intellectual, a seemingly rarity in hard rock, as bands like Metallica and The Cult were starting to dumb their material down. Years later, the Danzig discography doesn't really hold up to the image I have of them.
I have always loved the second Danzig album (the bluesy Lucifuge), but besides it, I only rate the first and fourth albums- solidly put together by Rick Rubin, though I hardly revisit them these days. The fact is I follow every move the band has made.
I have practically given up on the band ever having a return of form. The closest they got was 2002's 777:I Lucerfi I which was a short lived partnership with Todd Youth (Murphy's Law/Warzone/Agnostic Front), Howie Pyro (D Generation) and long-time drummer Joey Castillo (QotSA/Mark Lanegan).
But the Danzig of the early 90s with guitarist John Christ and producer Rubin seemed poised for a long run. Danzig spoke of ambitious projects in those years, and we got them sometimes with 'Chinese Democracy' speed- a Misfits box set, a Samhain box set, an influences' covers album and lastly, an Elvis covers album.
Skeletons (the covers album) was released in 2015. It suffers from production values, that charitably make it sound like a 'bootleg'. It is another 'what if' in the career of a musician that seemingly has pushed away his biggest allies. It succeeds in bringing back Misfits-era Danzig to an extent, but feels like a disappointment.
Which brings us to 2020 and the unlikely arrival of Danzig Sings Elvis. Perhaps, the first thing one can say is that it is what it says on the cover.
Panned by many, it is certainly an unusual album. Elvis has cast a long shadow over Glenn's work- from the fantastic “American Nightmare” tune by the Misfits, to some of his latter day ballads to the perfectly themed cover of Elvis's “Trouble” from his 1993 live EP.
A good producer might have suggested a variety of tunes that fir in the mold of these previous successes. Instead, it's a ballad-heavy, sparsely accompanied set.
Less charitable critics will dismiss this album quite easily. Unfortunately, I wouldn't go that far, it just wasn't executed well. It's not that it's “cheesy”. It's just not that arresting.
These are largely lesser-known Elvis tunes. That's probably a good start. He probably should have avoided “Fever” which conjures up images of Peggy Lee and Madonna. “Always on My Mind” was probably a good pick, though it's been well-covered.
In short, too many ballads. The unlikely perfect “Pocket Full of Rainbows”, “Girl of My Best Friend” and the coda “Young and Beautiful” could probably hang on a stronger album. Why he didn't stick to more songs with accompaniment like “Girl”, I don't know. When he tries to rock, he picks the wrong material in “Baby Let's Play House”, though he had the right idea in indulging in a bit of rockabilly. The bluesy “When it Rains, It Pours” is too much of a throwaway at two minutes, and could probably have been fixed by a better collaborator.
In any case, I don't think anyone will be that impressed with a bunch of slow-tempo Danzig numbers with no rockers to offset. Danzig really isn't made to be a balladeer. Though surprisingly, his cover of the Everlys' “Crying in the Rain” was one of the best songs off Skeletons, he can't quite pull off the life of a Vegas lounge singer.