Album Reviews

As with William Shatner's infamous cover of “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” Paul Anka's big band cover of Nirvana's “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was not meant to be a goof. However, unlike Shatner's mangling, Anka pulls it off brilliantly, thanks in part to the suave, sensitive arrangements, but mostly because the Vegas veteran clearly takes the tunes seriously and sees their intrinsic musical and lyrical merit. Whoever did the A&R work made inspired choices as the mix of tunes is eclectic and sometimes daring.

Take for example, Spandau Ballet's “True.” The arrangement, probably modeled on Neal Hefti's slinky “Lil Darlin,” gives the melancholic song a sophisticated lilt, over which Anka sells the lyrics with a powerful, assertive reading. If you didn't know the original, you'd think the tune was originally written for big band treatment.

As unlikely as it may seem, the same is true of “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Instead of repeating “hello, hello….” each time as Cobain does, the arrangement has Anka trading off alternative lines with the big band. It's a small touch, but it makes the minimalist, repeated line work in a sophisticated, swinging context instead of bogging it down.

R.E.M.'s “Everybody Hurts” gets a less whiney, more consoling and assuring reading than the original, sung over the band cushioned by a rich string section.

Some tunes work better than others. Chris Cornell's “Blackhole Sun” has a fitting hook lyrically and musically for big band treatment, but some of the rest of the lyric requires stretching to fit, which makes it less than ideal. Better is Pet Shop Boys's introspective “It's a Sin,” which gets a 60's Bacharach/David style Bossa Nova beat.

Van Halen's “Jump”-born campy to begin with and saddled with a simplistic melody line, is another stretch, but Anka and the arrangers pull it off at least to where the seams don't show. Another one that works is The Cure's “Lovecats,” also taken as a glossy Bossa Nova.

If you're old enough to remember, the arrangements by Patrick Williams, Randy Kerber and John Clayton will conjure up memories of a time when these style orchestrations (especially the ones modeled after those of the '60's) were newly minted, and used to express a new urban sophistication and modernity that swept away the stodgy pop music mainstream of the 1950's.

Hearing, for the first time back then the arrangements of Claus Ogerman, Gary McFarland and the others drew the imagination into a suave, glittering world-a backdrop for the great soloists of the time to express themselves.

Hearing echoes of that greatness in these contemporary arrangements is just one of the pleasures to be found on this fourteen tune set. Another is hearing how much depth and meaning Paul Anka brings to familiar lines tossed off and sometimes shouted, mumbled or buried in the more frenzied original readings.

Finally there's the recording by the great Al Schmitt. I know he likes to work analog in both the recording and mix, but who knows if the budget was there for that? However it was recorded, Schmitt knows how to get the most from the technology. This is a great sounding disc.

You may not want to sit down and listen to it all in a single sitting, but if you make compilations, or let your iPod shuffle, any of these tunes makes a great addition. On the other hand, I just played it through three times while writing this and enjoyed every minute.