Firefall have long been a favourite here at Glory Daze, although I have to say ‘Colorado To Liverpool’ was something of a surprise and not the type of thing I would expect from the band.
Written by: Eric
ARTIST: Firefall
ALBUM: Colorado To Liverpool (Tribute To The Beatles)
LABEL: Winged Horse Records
SERIAL: 07 0251
YEAR: 2007
SPONSOR: Glass Onyon PR
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: Jock Bartley – lead & backing vocals, acoustic guitar, high-string guitar, electric guitar, percussion * Steven Weinmeister – lead & backing vocals, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, mandolin * John Magnie – accordion * Christian Teele – tablas, udu, percussion * Brian McRae – cymbals, congas
TRACK LISTING: 01 Within You Without You * 02 Girl * 03 Norwegian Wood * 04 You’re Gonna Lose That Girl * 05 Eleanor Rigby * 06 Here Comes The Sun * 07 No Reply * 08 I Need You * 09 Come Together * 10 I’ll Be Back * 11 I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party
RATING: 75/100
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
Firefall have long been a favourite here at Glory Daze, although I have to say ‘Colorado To Liverpool’ was something of a surprise and not the type of thing I would expect from the band, or more to the point from Jock Bartley and Steven Weinmeister aka Firefall Acoustic.
What started as a one-off gig at a Denver radio station lead to the recording of this disc and my initial reaction just prior to playing was ‘Oh another Beatles tribute’. You see, I am a giant Beatles fan, not only of the groups work, but solos, side projects, you name it.
Even bands that sound like the Beatles will get a serious listen and push from me, but tribute albums have never been my kettle of fish no matter who it is, but especially The Beatles. I have a few, I admit it and I also own a book about Beatles tribute albums called ‘The Beatles Uncovered-1,000,000 Mop-Top murders by the fans and the famous’ by Dave Henderson.
This is required reading by anyone into the band and separates the wheat from the chafe. So with this in mind, how does this Fab Four tribute disc hold up in light of my obvious bias?
The Songs
As expected in this ‘acoustic’ setting Bartley and Weinmeister choose the groups better known romantic ballads like ‘Girl’ and George Harrison‘s evergreen ‘Here Comes The Sun’ with more up-tempo numbers ‘You’re Gonna Lose That Girl’ and ‘No Reply’.
The arrangements are excellent, the vocal harmonies are beautiful and it’s interesting the duo chose ‘I Don’t Want to Spoil The Party’ which was originally recorded in 1964 to close the disc. It’s not one of The Beatles better known works but a nice choice and a good interpretation.
If I do have one complaint, the CD is just way too soft for my tastes. When the duo rock things up a bit I expect a little more punch, but it just doesn’t happen. I know this is Firefall Acoustic but still.
In Summary
Despite my minor quibble overall ‘Colorado To Liverpool’ is one of the better Beatles tributes I have heard. Thumbs up boys. It’s well done with plenty of Firefall flavour and vibe, obviously a labor of love and Bartley and Weinmeister’s warmth and passion for the music comes through the recording.
Firefall fans will want it in the collection and it will make a nice gift for your wife or girlfriend.The rest of you will see it as a curiosity, but it’s better than most of the drivel passing as AOR and melodic rock I have heard in the past year, so what the heck, give it a try.
Video
I Need You
I’ll Be Back
