Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 03/20/2001
A tribute mostly to the
poppier, more
bubblegum side of the '60s,
Me First & the Gimme Gimmes'
Blow in the Wind is a
karaoke masterpiece, surprisingly the finest and
punkest record they've released.
The Gimme Gimmes' all-star
punk rock cover band lineup, which includes members of
NOFX,
Lagwagon, and
the Swingin' Utters, takes on mostly cheesy songs that baby boomer parents might get a kick out of, but which should make any self-respecting
punks sick to their stomachs. For instance,
the Gimme Gimmes somehow manage to take a dated hippie anthem like
Cat Stevens'
"Wild World" and make it
rock like the holy jihad on the trail of a blasphemous author. Their version of
"Elenor" by
the Turtles begins with the opening to
the Clash's
"London Calling," complete with the bird squawk, and then ascends via
"Elenor"'s extremely corny lyrics to the song's majestic chorus, which singer
Spike Slawson takes way over the top, backed by
the Gimme Gimmes' soaring harmonies.
Most of the moldy oldies they've chosen to soup up are the stuff of drive-in movie theaters, soda fountains, varsity football games, and making eyes at the opposite sex. Skillfully, they've taken the likes of
Del Shannon's
"Runaway" and
Linda Ronstadt's
"Different Drum" and turned them into full-blown, raging, though still very silly,
punk rock classics, adding spectacular leads, fancy drum fills, and
barbershop quartet-like harmonies. On
Blow in the Wind, more often than not, they've created covers that actually blow away the original tunes.
~Adam Bregman, All Music Guide
;)
Listen
