ROCK SWINGS
Wait a minute... PAUL ANKA? Why the Hell am I reviewing a CD from PAUL F**KING ANKA?!?!
Wait a minute, let me go over this track list again. Oh, that's right...this is his disc over cover songs...or converted rock songs, actually.
Rock Swings is another attempt from an elder statesman in the music business to connect with a younger audience by taking some classic rock tunes and converting them into swing songs. Remember when PAT BOONE did it with
No More Mr. Nice Guy? Same concept...only this is Paul Anka's version...and if he covers rock songs HALF as well as
he yells at his orchestra, well...I can't wait to give
Rock Swings a listen.
Some of these tracks convert to a big band format really well. Others, well...should not be touched. Here's what I mean: BON JOVI's "It's My Life" works well; Anka's voice is a natural fit, and the references to FRANK SINATRA don't hurt at all. The covers of SPANDAU BALLET's "True" and "Everybody Hurts" from R.E.M. bring to mind a smoke-filled gangster-run lounge from the 1950's...but the songs are still 100% Gorgonzola in this form (something you might expect to see in a
Saturday Night Live sketch). VAN HALEN's "Jump" works surprisingly well, and "Wonderwall" from OASIS isn't too shabby.
"Eye Of The Tiger" was a boo-boo. SURVIVOR does NOT translate into swing at all. It sounds forced and hacky.
I never understood the attraction these orchestra acts have to "Black Hole Sun", but STEVE & EYDIE did it on
Loungeapalooza, and now Paul Anka's doing it. For some reason, it fits...but I never understood HOW they figured out THIS song was going to translate into a big band classic.
Who would have thought the man behind "Diana", "Put Your Hand On My Shoulder" and "She's a Lady" (yeah, I know TOM JONES is more known for that one, but Anka wrote it) would be crooning along with NIRVANA's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"...Not me, that's for sure...and with good reason. It's another stinker. Cobain's music was not meant for horns and woodwinds.
One song that he really nailed (and it would be a shame if he hadn't considering the inspiration for the orginal) is ERIC CLAPTON's "Tears In Heaven". Anka brought a whole new angle to this tune. Even though it's more Broadway in his version, none of the emotion is lost in this tear-jerker of a song.
Rock Swings is already #1 in Germany (but then again, those are the same folks who made DAVID HASSLEHOFF a multi-platinum act), but if this catches on in the U.S....which it very well might, a whole new generation of fans could be introduced to Paul Anka's pipes.
