June 28, 2004 by A.S. Van Dorston

Those dismissive of so-called nostalgia bands should be reminded that The Beatles and the Rolling Stones started their careers as 50s blues/soul cover bands. 40 years later, why should the kids miss out on the fun of reinterpreting old music? They shouldn’t and they don’t. There’s always the danger of being too reverential, resulting in stale copycat music barely worthy of corner pubs and street fairs. Young bands like The Coral and The Bees, however, avoid that pitfall by injecting just enough weirdness and variety to keep things sounding off-kilter. Free The Bees is their second album, recorded at Abbey Road studios. You can practically feel the warm glow of the vintage vacuum tubes as you excavate a long-long jukebox full of unheard songs by The Animals, The Who, Small Faces, The Byrds, and for that matter, The Birds.

Like The Coral’s first album, every tune sports a different set of influences. “The Russian,” for example, is an incredibly infectious, funky instrumental with James Brown-like “Mother Popcorn” drumming, Booker T. & The MGs organ and Upsetters swing. Then they throw in an extra surprise, as it slows down into a chilled, noirish groove, with the Hammond simmering like a Doors track, Slavic strings and horns throwing in a crescendo for good measure. Despite the cacophony of styles, the songwriting is tightly focused. Which brings up the creative tension between songcraft and originality. The Beta Band, who share some common influences with these Isle Of Wight hippie kids, might have an edge in originality, but The Bees, for the moment, top them in rewarding, enjoyable songs. That’s enough for me to give them a chance and see where they go next.

Posted in: New Album(s) of the Week, Reviews