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Track Listings
| 1. Respect SONGS |
| 2. The Weight SONGS |
| 3. Sunshine Of Your Love SONGS |
| 4. I Got My Mojo Working SONGS |
| 5. The Burning Of The Midnight Lamp SONGS |
| 6. Tales Of Brave Ulysses SONGS |
| 7. This Town SONGS |
| 8. We're Going Wrong SONGS |
| 9. The Salt Of The Earth SONGS |
| 10. If I Sing My Song HEY LOVE |
| 11. The Sea & She HEY LOVE |
| 12. I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun HEY LOVE |
| 13. Hangin' Round The Bee Tree HEY LOVE |
| 14. Hey, Love HEY LOVE |
| 15. Love Has Fallen On Me HEY LOVE |
| 16. Song For Everyman HEY LOVE |
| 17. Love Is HEY LOVE |
| 18. Vine Of Happiness HEY LOVE |
Product Description
Customer Reviews
For the uninitiated, this collection consists of 2 studio albums, 'Songs' and 'Hey Love'. 'Songs' consists solely of covers of the tracks big at that time - eg,'Sunshine Of Your Love', 'Respect', 'Burning Of The Midnight Lamp', whilst 'Hey Love' consists solely of original material.
Firstly, the string arrangements are quite simply beautiful, and lend this collection a soaring, almost cinematic quality that is quite striking. The cover of Stevie Wonder's 'This Town' is a perfect example of this - a real show stopper. The vocals are excellent throughout too. And the band can really play... so what's wrong?
Well, on too many occasions, despite the above qualities, the tracks can veer into twee dinner-party territory. Also, with a few exceptions (the excellent 'I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun' being the most notable example), the band's own material simply isn't good enough, and pales next to the covers.
There's a handful of tracks here that are good enough to warrant the purchase if you're already interested in psychedelic soul of the 60s and 70s, but it's no lost classic. And next to the seismic technicolour assault of the likes of Sly & The Family Stone etc, this just feels a little too tame.
The Rotary Connection's final album, "Hey, Love" is, in my opinion, their very best. The light Brazilian "If I Sing My Song" will put a smile on the face of the most critical listener. Our heart strings are gently pulled by "The Sea & She" and we remember sweetly. The jazzy-funky "I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun" takes us back to a time of self realization and acknowledgment of human spirit. We are then intellectually reminded of the paradox and complexity of "Hangin Round The Bee Tree". The title track, "Hey, Love" is a bountiful and jazzy tune that is enjoyed just as much in 1999 as in 1971. "Love Has Fallen On Me" (covered by Chaka Khan in 1978) is an upbeat blues/gospel tune. And if all of this brilliance wasn't enough, Rotary Connection sweetly and lovingly covers the Dell's classic "Love Is". "Vine of Happiness" is the perfect final track as is "Hey Love" the perfect final group effort.
Yes, two GREAT albums on ONE CD!
I myself like less theatrics, not being much of a theatre buff, so I prefer this. The renditions of some of these covers are so original it kind of astounds me, really. Though they can't replace the often stellar original artist's cuts in any sense of the word, there are moments when one clearly wonders if RC surpasses, and makes them into new songs.
And the intensity is unbelievable - right down to the details of how the parts mesh, and how they really really drive the beat. THeir singing as usual is almost unimaginably perfect.
[Note - for similar intensity on covers of old R&B and blues standards, as intense and flavorful - and tight - as some of the wildest Chicago blues, etc., by all means check out an unlikely source - early Moody Blues. The Moodys' original ethos/incarnation was as a band of incomparable British blues musicians. Their first album 'Go Now', in addition to including their two thoroughly gorgeous slow-rock singles (the hit "Go Now" and the vastly underrated "From the Bottom of my Heart") totally rocks out with possibly an even more true to the original blues sound than the Yardbirds and Mayall, etc. It's hard to believe they switched gears, seemingly so suddenly, and so radically/thoroughly.]
This music is altered so much as to be unrecogniable. On "Respect," the band uses sensual strings and plays the song at half tempo. "Sunshine of Your Love" has the famous bass/guitar line removed and is also turned into a erotic, orchestral dirge.
And orchestration is the name of the game with Rotery Connection. But this is not rock or R&B turned easy listening. The arrangements feature silky, ensamble vocals, and the string charts take on a dark, psychadelic flavor. This sounds more like David Axlerod than Montavoni.
Conceptually and in practice, this is gripping psychadelic music.
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