This week marks what would have been Buddy Holly's 75th Birthday. Although September 7th is often overshadowed by February 3rd (The Day the Music Died) Holly fans all over the world have been celebrating Buddy's music throughout this year.
On Wednesday, Buddy Holly got a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with Buddy's widow Maria Elena Holly, Gary Busey, Phil Everly, and Peter Asher among others in attendance. There are also celebrations in Buddy's hometown of Lubbock, Texas and Clovis, New Mexico - where Buddy spent most of his time crafting hit songs in Norman Petty's recording studio.
And this year, there are two tribute albums celebrating the music of Buddy Holly:
Rave On: Buddy Hollyand
Listen to Me: Buddy HollyRave On was released back in late June, and takes a few more risks in the arrangements of some of the tunes. It received quite a bit of attention when it was released, and reached #15 on the Billboard Charts. Legends Paul McCartney, Graham Nash, John Doe, Nick Lowe, Lou Reed, and Patti Smith join newer artists, Kate Elson (w/ Jack White), She & Him, Modest Mouse, Florence and the Machine, The Black Keys, My Morning Jacket, among others.
Some of the arrangements are quite extreme, with Modest Mouse sounding as though they had never heard "That'll Be the Day," and were told to create their own music equipped with only a lyric sheet. Paul McCartney offers a heavily distorted, shrieky version of "It's So Easy" - which includes a couple a manic breakdowns where Sir Paul raps! (A much more ear-friendly take by Sir Paul is included on an iTunes only bonus track.) Lou Reed makes the unforgettable Peggy Sue, well, forgettable.
But there are pleasant surprises, like Patti Smith's touching "Words of Love," and Justin Townes Earle's "Maybe Baby." Cee-lo Geen, of all people, does a pretty rockin' job with "You're So Square, Baby I Don't Care," (though I associate that tune much more with Elvis and Lieber and Stoller, but Buddy did cover it back in the day.) And Kid Rock provides one of my favorite covers of the project, a complete re-imagining of "Well, Alright." He takes it from a thoughful acoustic ballad and turns it into a horn-fueled Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels rave up (if Mitch had relocated to Memphis). It's unlike anything I've ever associated with Kid Rock. And I love it!
The riskier versions may not be everyone's cup of tea, but there are versions that stay closer to Holly's recordings, like Fiona Apple's "Everyday," and Nick Lowe's "Changing All Those Changes." Some would argue that if you're going to do a "safe" cover version, then what's the point? But I think you need that balance so that people don't walk away from the album feeling like they've just been to a Yoko Ono concert. Graham Nash, a member of the Hollies, ends with "Raining In My Heart," a lovely, non-threatening tune that leaves the listener with a pleasant final impression, unless you buy it on iTunes, and then it closes with Macca's more traditional, melodic, and less lunatic version of "It's So Easy." Easy on the ears, that.
I like the idea that fans of the newer bands who may have never given Buddy Holly a listen might now go check out the original versions. Exposing Buddy to a new audience is certainly a noble cause. But the scattershot nature of tribute albums might make a trip to iTunes worthwhile, where you can preview the tracks, and buy only the ones you like.
By the way, I started a more detailed review of both of these albums several hours ago, back when it actually was Buddy Holly's birthday. But my computer crashed, and 2 hrs of work crashed with it. So I'm now just breezing through the highlights of the albums, as the links I provided do have a lot of good information, including listening previews, of the albums.
Listen to Me: Buddy Holly is a tribute project that was launched by Peter Asher (of Peter and Gordon fame, and a big producer in the 1970s for folks like Linda Ronstadt, whose 1976 version of "That'll Be the Day" is included here, and is the only non-new recording on either of these albums.) He claims to have been unaware of the other Holly tribute album when he started this one with the blessing of Holly's widow, Maria Elena. This album has had less media attention leading up to it, and has poorer distribution than Rave On, so it will likely not do as well on the charts, which is a real shame. Because it has the bigger names with "safer" renditions that are likely to be more pleasing to Holly fans. I realize the other album had Paul McCartney, but Listen to me has the other living Beatle, Ringo Starr, who does a credible version of "Think It Over." Jeff Lynne does his Beatle-clone thing on "Words of Love," and Stevie Nicks gives one of the strongest efforts of either album on her opening track, "Not Fade Away."
Other heavyweights include Brian Wilson, Jackson Browne, Lyle Lovett, Natalie Merchant, and Chris Isaak. Chris' voice seems perfectly suited for "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" but Chris, can we leave the organ at home? The organ wrecked several Buddy tracks during Buddy's lifetime, and it seems out of place on this track as well.
Like its counterpart, Listen to Me has newer artists represented as well. Imelda May steals the show with her band's rockabilly cover of "I'm Looking for Someone to Love." I'm still getting used to her band's rockabilly trumpet. Also appearing are The Fray, Patrick Stump, Train's Pat Monihan, Zooey Deschanel (1/2 of "She & Him," Zooey actually appears on BOTH of these albums), and Cobra Starship, a band featuring singer Victoria Asher, Peter's daughter, and a valuable connection for getting some of the newer artists on the album.
Like Rave On, Listen to Me chooses "Raining In My Heart" to end the album. Unlike Rave On, Listen to Me does not go gentle into that good night. Eric Idle (yes, Eric Idle of Monty Python and Rutles fame) absolutely steals the show with a bit of aural lunacy, recalling the best musical humor of Spike Jones and Spike Milligan, with a bit of Peter Sellers thrown in for good measure. Buddy was known for his sense of humor, and I can picture him laughing hysterically at a comedic style that was popular back when Buddy was growing up. I'm not sure it would hold up to repeated listenings, but for me, it was a great way to exit a tribute album, having a laugh, enjoying the music, and not taking everything so damn seriously. Holly fans can be wound up rather tightly when it comes to their idol. Eric Idle follows his own advice from Life of Brian: "Keep 'em laughing as you go."
On the whole, I enjoyed both of these tribute albums. Even some of the songs I hated at first are starting to grow on me. I like that Buddy Holly is still being celebrated and talked about. I just wish he were more celebrated and more talked about. Everyday.
Rave On-a-billy
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Subject: Buddy Holly Birthday Tributes 
Wed Sep 07, 2011 11:46 pm
