Customer Reviews

Howl On The Haunted Beat You Ride

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My predecessor here reviewed this album when it was first released locally. But now that it's available internationally, with the band recently embarking on a U.S. tour, it might be time for me to weigh in and say, unequivocally, that this is one fine collection of songs. With Howl..., the Go help Detroit to bury that whole "garage" rock association (which, let's face it, became a bit of an unfortunate stigma) once and for all.

The overall sound here is somewhat reminiscent of L.A.'s neopsychedelic Paisley Underground scene ... if the Paisley Underground had produced better songs. And the Go has two terrific songwriters in Bobby Harlow and John Krautner. The two wear their influences on their sleeves, be it the Kinks (Harlow sounds positively Ray Davies-ish on both "Yer Stoned Italian Cowboy" and the wonderful "She's Prettiest When She Cries"), the Small Faces, Jefferson Airplane (a comparison that might even surprise them), the Beach Boys, the Beatles ... hell, it again may not be intentional, but the glorious "Mary Ann" appears to cop a brief reference from the Four Seasons in its charming opening moments (which would make sense in the grand scheme of things). And yet, it's all distinctive enough to totally sound like no one but the Go, making the group part of a now-fading but still occasionally surprising chain.

The riff-driven "Mercurial Girl" is hard-driving, hard-rocking psychedelic pop; the aforementioned "She's Prettiest ..." a pure pop-meets-bubblegum instant classic, simply overflowing with melody and irresistible melancholy. It takes a lot of chutzpah to name songs "Caroline" and "Mary Ann" (which Harlow and Krautner, respectively and individually, have done here), two of the archetypal girl names in past great rock songs. And yet they've come up with new compositions that actually compete or at least can still stand tall in great company. The Go aren't reinventing the wheel here so much as demonstrating that the wheel still has plenty of tread left. And Howl on the Haunted Beat You Ride, despite its somewhat pretentious title, is as good as any rock album I'm sure I'm going to hear this year. - Bill Holdship

Their first record w/Jack White rocked like hell with powerful and simple rock n roll with cool names like "You can get high" and was obviously influenced by the MC5. When Jack left they got alot more produced in a more melodic type of sound which proved they could go on without him. With this album these guys hit the Jackpot. Everything about it from it's miniature album cover to the perfect sounds heard are incredible considering these "terrible times for rock music"when every new release sounds like it was manufactured just to make some money and if you don't you're fired. But these guys obviously follow their own muse and do it for art. The first time I heard it I thought they were trying to emulate their heroes from the 60's found on Nuggets 2. But like all the best music it grows on you with each listen and by the third time around I LOVED IT! This is so great it could have come out in 1968 alongside the other great releases of that incredible year. I hope The Go go on forever. These guys are too great to be ignored!

The July 24, 2007 international release of their new album, Howl on
the Haunted Beat You Ride has been met with critical acclaim and the
momentum is building. CD Baby, in sending The GO's manager the following review, and
advising him The GO would be on its front page that weekend (August 17-19, 2007), had this to
say:

We're *really* picky about what goes on the front page. We get about
200-250 new albums a DAY coming in here now, (about 190,000 total), and
yours is one of the best we've ever heard.

Wow! And here's the review:

Do you love The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and Harry Nilsson,
but lament the fact that you only appreciate their recordings from the
60s and you've listened to those until you wore the record flat? The GO
is here to offer you a damn fantastic and brand new record that blends
up all of the afore mentioned sounds and provides song after song of
hook-piled guitar pop that's more psychedelically suited for a
transistor radio in Golden Gate Park circa 1967 (plus a little bit of
Detroit blues) than it is for modern rock radio. A really remarkable
thing here is the production; it's one thing to write songs that sound
like they could be from the 60s, it's quite another to have a recording
that sounds like it was recorded in the 60s. Word around the campfire is
that these guys approach every album from an angle they haven't tried
before, so this is likely to be the only one we get that's so perfectly
planted in psychedelic rock. It suuuuure makes me curious about what
their next project will sound like. Pamela, CD Baby

But....I can't help but add that our brethren in England love the album
as well. Here's what the BBC has to say:

Home to the sound of Motown, Eminem and The White Stripes
- Detroit's knack for producing great music uncannily precedes it. The Motor City has again come up trumps with another musical force in the shape of four-piece rockers The Go, fronted by Bobby Harlow - a gifted singer-songwriter who is the chief architect of their sublime fifth album Howl On The Haunted Beat You Ride.
The Go's concoction of psychedelic rock, infused by guitar and piano
arrangements and upbeat vocal harmonies has given birth to an album that
could be a lost 1960's masterpiece catapulted into the heartbeat of
2007- thanks to the countless influences evident throughout such as The
Kinks John Lennon and Lou
Reed.
The imaginatively titled "Yer Stoned Italian Cowboy" lives up to its
name; the country flavour made tastier with guitar riffs that smack of
Neil Young's Buffalo Springfield days. "Down a Spiral" is a pop triumph with its Beatles-esque melodies whilst the juxtaposition of "Mercurial Girl" provides an insight into how Lennon's solo efforts also influence them.
"She's Prettiest When She Cries", is a tender haunting ballad about a
lost love that showcases the versatility of Harlow's songwriting prowess
and emerges as the most mature song on offer.
Whilst The Go's influences are integral to Howl On The Haunted Beat You
Ride's appeal, what makes it such a magical proposition, is that they
have sprinkled the songs with their individual style and originality.
One could say that their commercial appeal is weaker than that of their
Detroit counterparts The White Stripes, but who cares? They may just
have created an ageless classic.

David Aaron (2007-08-10)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/9rmq/

See the video for You Go Bangin'
>On at http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=18532389

Not sure I can buy the 2 previous 5-star reviews. I give the band a lot
of credit for originality (even though they are copying 60s/70s
psychadelic-pop bands) making this type of music in 2007. They are trying
to channel an older, stripped-down sound, but this effort falls well
short of their last album which I believe was self-titled. This record
is consistenly whiny and brings to mind some of the bad pop bands of
the 70's rather than classics such as the Faces or the Stones. The prior record titled "The Go" was much more fun and edgy with fuzzy guitars and
cocky lyrics. This release seems more mainstream and takes less chances.
Perhaps they were going for a crooning Badfinger-lite sound, but gimme
the Monkey Man sound of the prior record any day. There is no howling
on this record and very few haunted beats for that matter.