  Who Cares: A
Tribute to the Who
Various Artists
iRegular
CD
Review by Steve Stav
The Who's impact on rock 'n'
roll goes well beyond "My Generation"
and destructive stage behavior; the band - in
their youth - was an almost unstoppable force, a
band that, when Moon was in control of his motor
skills, could blow any other off of the
stage. The early Who was all about
pain, anger, loss and insecurity - and they
lashed out with a sonic maelstrom that sometimes
overshadowed Townshend's beautifully profound
lyrics. The Who might have been the
first punk-rock band; without a doubt, they've
influenced several decades' worth of fiery
musicians.
With Who Cares, sixteen very diverse
Northwest acts pay their respects to the Mod
icons with a wide variety of interpretations
ranging from the inspired to the
obscene. All of the musicians
involved have one thing in common on this CD -
great taste in selecting from the Who's catalogue.
The best material from the group's
late-60's/early '70s prime is represented here -
there's no "Eminence Front" to be
found.
Perhaps the collection's best track is the one
that kicks it off - 4 Hr. Ramona's version of "The
Seeker." The band boosts the
original's groove just a notch (you'll be tapping
your foot immediately after hitting
"Play") - with their rock-solid rhythm
section; breezy harmonica and punchy guitar
bounces this classic along. This one
deserves airplay.
Another selection that should be beamed over the
airwaves is Peter Parker's rendition of "I
Can See For Miles". Of all of the
bands on the disc, this power-pop combo owes the Who the greatest debt; they
repay it in spades with a ass-kicking, faithful
recreation of their heroes at their most furious.
It's a bit odd (and somewhat titillating) to hear
female voices sing "I don't mind other guys
dancing with my girl," but Flexie doesn't
bat an eyelash with their cover of "The Kids
Are Alright." The vocal harmony makes
this number sound like an old Throwing Muses demo
tape. Blue Collar Love's Debbie Harry
sound-alike frontwoman adds more estrogen to the
mix with very Blondie-ish take on
"Substitute," another Townshend
too-pissed-to-be-brokenhearted gem.
Kill Switch...Klick's dark drive takes some of
the swagger out of "5:15," but their
late-'80s alt-rock approach is solid and
commendable. Also on the '80s kick is
Trance to the Sun, who owes much more to Felt and
the Cocteau Twins than Daltry and the boys.
Their multi-layered and very trippy tip of the
hat to "The Real Me" wins the
"originality" award. The award
for "least inspired" would have to go
the closer, 212's NIN-like version of
"Pictures of Lily". They
had one of the Who's best songs to work
with - and they deconstructed it, simply
offering a modulated voice chanting
"Lily" over and over under a blanket of
noise (perhaps 212 should get "most
inspired," instead - this one took some
balls). Also too noisy and irritating to
sit through is Manganese Nodule's slightly
mangled interpretation of the psychedelic
"Armenia City In The Sky".
It's hard to place "Baba O'Riley" in
the SoundRangers' swirling electronica, but
you'll find those famous chords in there if you
listen closely - and it's so boring, you'll only
listen once.
Though there are several lackluster tracks that
serve as dull interludes between this CD's clash
of controlled chaos and shimmery pop, Who
Cares ultimately serves its purpose - it
will have the listener discovering the Who all over again,
searching for A Quick One or Who's
Next on the shelf before the disc has
stopped spinning. Long live rock!
Who Cares
is available at www.iregular.com
Email Steve Stav
Click here to
view streaming video of the Meltdowns version of
the Who's "Circles (Instant Party)"
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