Pussy Cats Starring the Walkmen (W/Dvd)

The Walkmen | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 24, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Record Collection
• ASIN: B000I2IRZ0
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #150,063 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Many Rivers to Cross

2. Subterrannean Homesick Blues

3. Don't Forget Me

4. All My Life

5. Old Forgotten Soldier

6. Save the Last Dance for Me

7. Mucho Mungo/Mr. Elga

8. Loop de Loop

9. Black Sails

10. Rock Around the Clock

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Yes, this is a note-for-note remake of Harry Nilsson and John Lennon's 1974 Pussy Cats, and that may be the only reason it could come out in the same year as the other 2006 Walkmen album, A Hundred Miles Off. What makes Pussy Cats Starring the Walkmen so wonderful is first the music: that liquor-fueled yowl that Nilsson bellowed and growled out with Lennon spinning the dials. Beyond the music, there's a passion-in-packaging play here. The double-digipack is lavish, providing a separate tray for a bonus, the "Making of" DVD, a 20-minute piece laced with the narrator's irony and some sweet stock footage. There's also a great vignette where two members of the French Kicks relate dealing with an IRS (the taxman, not the record label) agent who, upon hearing they're musicians, introduces himself as Nilsson's brother--for real. A live group montage of the band's rousing take on "Loop de Loop" shows the Walkmen's Harlem studio packed with partygoers yowling along. On the tunes, the Walkmen are faithful to the abandon that marks "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and aptly heartfelt on "Save the Last Dance for Me." Their trademark mix of scruff and mid-tempo restraint is loosed here, freeing the band to tackle Pussy Cats with glee. It's not redesigning anything, and no global resolutions were reached. But Pussy Cats Starring the Walkmen is a delight. --Andrew Bartlett

Product Description

During John Lennon's separation from Yoko Ono in 1974, he romped around LA with his buddy Harry Nilsson, getting drunk and getting thrown out of nightclubs. In the midst of the party, Lennon, Nilsson, Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, and a rag-tag gang of others headed into the studio with Lennon as producer. The result was "Pussy Cats", a fascinating and often misunderstood album featuring a mix of classics and originals rearranged by Nilsson and Lennon to suit the wild mood of those infamous days. In January 2006, after finishing the final mix for their new record, "A Hundred Miles Off", The Walkmen decided to recreate "Pussy Cats". After all, it's the great buddy record of the 70's; a celebration of rock 'n' roll, good friends, alcohol, and excessive instrumentation that's right up the Walkmen's alley. So they recruited a team of friends to record and visually document the sessions. The limited edition bonus DVD features a 20-minute psychedelic documentary on the making of "Pussy Cats".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Please only review albums if you've actually listened to them with an open mind., July 28, 2008

By 

B. Fairbanks (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pussy Cats Starring the Walkmen (Audio CD)

I wouldn't even give a Britney Spears album "one star." There are probably only one or two albums in existence for which a one-star rating would be valid. Please check this album out for yourself at Napster or any other free listening site, then maybe actually THINK about what you want to say about spilling garbage all over these pages. Thank you.

Now for my review: "Pussy Cats" may not be the best Walkmen album, but it's up there. This is loose, wild fun-- obviously in keeping with the original sessions on which this album is based. Speaking of the original sessions, the versions here are significantly different from Nilsson's as to make them worth their own separate purchase. Should you need to know anything more, please listen to the album for yourself instead of reading our opinions. It would be an infinitely better use of your time.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars relax, January 20, 2007

By 

J. Simon (Canton, Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pussy Cats Starring the Walkmen (W/Dvd) (Audio CD)

This is not meant to be a major artistic statement. The Walkmen had already released an official album in 2006, "A Hundred Miles Off". This was just a fun record for the band to put together as their private studio, Mercata, was closing. It's comparable to Camper Van Beethoven's take on Fleetwood Mac's Tusk. No, it's not a great record, but it's pretty fun and crazy and interesting to listen to. As always, Hamilton Leithauser is a truly unique and exciting vocalist, and the band does manage at times to capture its usual otherworldly atmospherics. Buy it used. It's worth it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT, June 23, 2007

By 

darkclown (Cooper City, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pussy Cats Starring the Walkmen (W/Dvd) (Audio CD)

This was a great album. Obviously a cover, but don't let that bother you. The Walkmen have always had their own way of doing things, and don't really conform to the typical rock albums. It takes effort to listen to their albums, and this is no exception. There were no standards for this album ... it was just FUN. It's SUPPOSED to be derivative -- it's a COVER!