Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 05/15/2007
Intended to help defray the legal costs of
Hilly Kristal's sadly unsuccessful efforts to keep America's first and greatest
punk dive
CBGB alive on New York's Bowery,
CBGB Forever is a collection of 14
punk tunes from bands both new and old. Or at least that seems to be the idea, but it's an open question if
Velvet Revolver or
Audioslave have ever had much to do with
punk rock, and while
Good Charlotte at least dress the part, putting them on the same disc with
the Ramones and
the Dead Boys only points out how far they stray from the musical ideal. While a handful of
CBGB veterans are on board (
Ramones,
Talking Heads,
Patti Smith,
Blondie and
the Dead Boys), there are also a few bands paying tribute to their
punk forefathers, and though
Foo Fighters deliver a surprisingly delightful version of
"Danny Says," it's hard to say what
U2 were thinking when they recorded
"Beat on the Brat" (and who would ever guess you'd have proof that
Joey Ramone could outsing
Bono?). And while you won't doubt for a second that
Green Day and
Rancid were down for the cause, they sound slightly out of place compared to the older folks.
CBGB Forever is well intentioned as all get out, but it's also kind of a mess, though it's hard not to love any disc that has
the Ramones'
"Bonzo Goes to Bitberg," the Damned's
"New Rose" and
the Dead Boys'
"Sonic Reducer" on it (or fine liner notes from the eternally cool
Lenny Kaye).
~Mark Deming, All Music Guide
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