Customer Reviews

Gag Me With a Spoon

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I beg to differ with the initial reviewer of this CD. I found it highly enjoyable. It goes to show how much talent is out there in local scenes, this being Milweaukee. I had never heard of any of these groups and much less their label Don't Records. I can't and won't diss anything on this great tribute CD to 80's music. Buy it ..... you'll love it!

My initial reason for looking into this album was the Citizen King cover of Talking Heads' "Once in a Lifetime," but after listening to a couple more samples, I decided not to just buy the Citizen King song as an MP3, but to go whole hog. I was willing to overlook the boredom/nausea induced by tracks 5 through 11 (except 7, which is good) in order to get all the gems of the bunch: tracks 1, 4, 12, 14 and 15. Moments of double doses of nostalgia, both for the original tunes from the 1980s heyday of MTV and for all these bands that were popular on the college radio station I listened to and worked at in Wisconsin in the 90s and early 2000s. Citizen King, Loyal Order of Water Buffalo, Falling Wallendas and Mrs. Fun toy with the original tunes and give them a new twist that only adds to their charm. While about half the album distracts the listener with thoughts of, "stop trying so hard to be the original band" or "when is this bad instrumentation going to finally end?", the Gag Me With a Spoon collection's weak links don't detract from my enjoyment of its finer moments. During the bad ones, I just hit the skip button on the CD player and smiled smugly when I realized I couldn't do that when I was listening to music on radio and cassette tapes in the 80s. Hail the little progresses in technology.

Milwaukee's Don't Records hopped on the 80s nostalgia bandwagon early (1995). This tribute album takes plenty of risks. Several fail, but others soar.

Most tunes are borderline. Marques Bovre & the Evil Twins treat "867-5309 (Jenny)" with the irreverence it deserves, although their version sounds flat. The Yell Leaders get things moving with a relatively faithful rendition of "Church of the Poison Mind." Citizen King scratches and funks through "Once in a Lifetime," and Mrs. Fun echoes, not apes, Thomas Dolby on "She Blinded Me With Science."

A few songs stand out. Pet Engine's "How Soon is Now?" is one of my favorites -- a risky, soaring tune that goes from guitar pop to grunge to country twang within 4 minutes. The Blow Pops' version of "The Ghost in You" is almost as dreamy, eerie and sweet as the Furs. SODA's "I Know What Boys Like" has the same sly wink as the original, and it's even funnier with a male voice. Finally, I can't even listen to the Police version of "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" after hearing the Falling Wallendas version -- the poppy reggae is replaced with gorgeous moody guitar work and harmony that highlights the ache behind the words of the song. For once, a tribute improves the original.

Then there are the failures, like "Shock the Monkey" on acoustic guitar. Willy Porter's terribly misguided "Whip It" sounds like it should be blaring out of a Chicago blues bar. "Talk of the Town" and "Everybody Wants You" are barely distinguishable from the originals, so why are they here?

The great covers are great, but the weak covers do muck up the rest of the CD. A suggested buy only for curiousity seekers, rabid fans of some of the original artists, and people with a high tolerance for novelty.