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░ ██ ██ Artist: The Guess Who ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: So Long, Bannatyne █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2009 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2010-05-10 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Icon Classic Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Reissue ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ In March of 1971, the Guess Who recorded the █
█ follow-up to their rare 45 RPM "Hang On to Your █
█ Life" (rare because it was the remix with █
█ additional guitars not found on the version on The █
█ Best of the Guess Who). This follow-up, a █
█ double-sided single that would lead off The Best █
█ of the Guess Who, Vol. 2 was the Top 30 "Albert █
█ Flasher" with its airplay hit B-side, "Broken." █
█ Both songs would have fit nicely on this album, █
█ which was recorded four months later. The upside █
█ of the album is that its sound closely repeats █
█ that of the Share the Land disc, an album which █
█ itself was up there with American Woman. The █
█ downside is that in stretching their music beyond █
█ what they were known for, tunes like "One Man █
█ Army" or the annoying "Fiddlin'," the ensemble █
█ moves away from those things which made it so █
█ radio friendly. Yes, there is a Top 20 hit in █
█ "Rain Dance," the last one before "Star Baby" █
█ would touch the outer reaches of the Top 40 almost █
█ three years later, and a couple of near misses, █
█ "Sour Suite" and "Life in the Bloodstream," both █
█ Burton Cummings compositions which were included █
█ on The Best of the Guess Who, Vol. 2, but the █
█ artistic free hand misses whatever musical tension █
█ was going on between Randy Bachman and Burton, and █
█ the excesses are beginning to become evident. █
█ "Sour Suite" labors on the Indianapolis zip code, █
█ 46201, not very poetic, and "where'd you get that █
█ gun, John?" in "Rain Dance" really does drive one █
█ bonkers after a few spins. Even the '50s-ish "Life █
█ in the Bloodstream," like the two songs just █
█ referenced, suffers from a throwaway line. But █
█ "Goin' a Little Crazy" pays attention; its serious █
█ drama makes it one of the better numbers, along █
█ with "She Might Have Been a Nice Girl" and the █
█ title track. Play "So Long, Bannatyne" next to █
█ Burton Cummings' rendition of "You Ain't Seen █
█ Nothing Yet" off of his 1976 solo debut to hear █
█ how Richard Perry's production contrasts with Jack █
█ Richardson's work here. Richardson was as much a █
█ part of the sound as the band, and all the █
█ post-Bachman albums are very uniform, in a good █
█ way, because of it. The directness of a "Hand Me █
█ Down World" or no nonsense of "American Woman" is █
█ replaced by artsy noodling. A solid moment like █
█ "Pain Train" is followed by the piano roll sound █
█ of "One Divided," working better than the █
█ politically incorrect "One Man Army," which would █
█ have been a good song without the questionable █
█ dialogue. The packaging with color photos and █
█ lyrics on the inner sleeve are as elaborate as the █
█ jazz overtones on Greg Leskiw's "Grey Day," but at █
█ the end of the day, the "Albert Flasher"/"Broken" █
█ single contains all the elements this album and █
█ some of those which followed forgot. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Rain Dance 2:46 ░
░ 2. She Might Have Been a Nice Girl 3:15 ░
░ 3. Goin' a Little Crazy 6:58 ░
░ 4. Fiddlin' 1:07 ░
░ 5. Pain Train 3:43 ░
░ 6. One Divided 2:40 ░
░ 7. Grey Day 4:17 ░
░ 8. Life in the Bloodstream 3:11 ░
░ 9. One Man Army 3:56 ░
░ 10. Sour Suite 4:08 ░
░ 11. So Long Bannatyne 6:03 ░
░ 12. Albert Flasher (Bonus Track) 2:27 ░
░ 13. Broken (Bonus Track) 3:08 ░
░ 47:39 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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