Think Like A Key 2024
Sing Wistle Tunes
An imaginative homage to the mighty Thunderfingers from his multifaceted American followers and their Transatlantic coterie.
If asked what he detested more than constant squabbling of his famous bandmates, John Entwistle would have said it was being typecast, and one should look no further than the bassist’s appearance on the GasTank show to see that he refused to link the music he wrote to the distinctive rumble of the instrument he played. This is the idea the Ox’s fans EX NORWEGIAN explore here by applying a lot of fantasy to his classics, recorded with THE WHO and solo, and going beyond simple covering of the Entwistle evergreens by assuming various alter egos to approach his oeuvre from different angles, either on their own or in the company of kindred spirits. Nevertheless, all the pieces on offer are about John, aimed to highlight the broad spectrum of his talents as composer and performer.
That’s why the late great artist’s signature tune “Boris The Spider” – delegated to SUPER 8, who strip this gem of heaviness and replace it with a sparkling pop veneer without losing the number’s erstwhile menace – appears closer to the end of the album which is kickstarted by “My Size” where Roger Houdaille’s collective don the mask of THE SILKY STRINGS to transform Entwistle’s earsplitting riff into a jovial piano figure fueled with effervescent guitar arabesques. Many of the seventeen tracks on display bear a psychedelic stamp, none more so than the insistently throbbing, thickly layered “Talk Dirty” and the harmonically lysergic, raga-tinged “905” – attributed, respectively, to X-DIRTY NORWEGIANS and INTERSTELLER NORWEGIANS – that veer away from John’s originals yet retain clear vestiges of his personality as any tribute must. However, if THE REGULAR NORWEGIAN simply dim down the jazzed-up swagger of “I Wonder” to sharpen the song’s cosmic focus, STONED NORWEGIANS make the subdued distress of “Cousin Kevin” even scarier than the “Tommy” context suggested, but the band’s guests bring additional colors to the table, Keith Smart rocking the innocent innuendos of “Doctor Doctor” with enviable gusto only the English musicians are possessed of and Fernando Perdomo providing “When I Was A Boy” with tasty guitars.
Not that the Floridian team needed external help, because, disguised as JOHN’S FABRIC, they pour urgency into “Apron Strings” to merge its anthemic sensibilities with anxiety and create a fresh dish out of familiar ingredients, and then, hidden behind the DISCO DIVORCE moniker, they take “My Wife” to the ecstasy-lit dancefloor. But whereas the same troupe, under the TURN OF YOUR EX pseudonym, turn the long-forgotten, and outdated, “It’s Your Turn” into a catchy slice of contemporary rapture, as PEEP SHOW POETS, they smooth over the creepy hysterics of “The Window Shopper” in favor of sepia-tinted snapshot of sweetly perverted romanticism. Still, the metalheads from GOD BLESS THE EVIL CHILD tap into “Fiddle About” with blood-curdling ferocity, as opposed to rock ‘n’ roll frivolity “Peg Leg Peggy” demonstrates in the hands of Houdaille’s PEG LEG EDDIE, the wide-eyed delight “I Believe In Everything” exudes when the Miami Beach ensemble invite Nick Frater to parade in front of the audience, and the sultry samba garb “Whiskey Man” receives from them once Mark Johnston is at the fore.
Yet, together with John Howard, the band reimagine “What Are We Doing Here?” as a soul ballad of the highest emotional caliber – something Thunderfingers would have approved of, as it reveals his core traits so often concealed by the melodious noise Entwistle used to produce. As a matter of fact, John would have approved of everything here – just for the sake of fun: “Sing Wistle Tunes” is that good.
*****
