JEM Records Celebrates John Lennon
On October 9 the world celebrates what would have been John Lennon’s 80th birthday. To commemorate the day, JEM Records will release a tribute album featuring The Grip Weeds, Anderson Council, Richard Barone among others. Not only is the song selection interesting but the performances are exceptional.
The Weeklings place the emphasis on the beat (as in Beatles) with the opening track, “The Word”. I really enjoy when a band makes a song their own and they’ve really done that here.
The Midnight Callers (their debut album comes out on JEM this Oct 23rd) stay closer to the original with an incredibly moving version of “Jealous Guy”. Boy, did they knock it out of the park. The harmonies are impressive.
We’ve come to expect excellence from Kurt Reil and company and they do not disappoint with “You Can’t Do That”. The horns are awesome.
It was great to hear Johnathan Pushkar’s performance of “(Just Like) Starting Over” and the interesting touches within his version. For example, toward the end he employs the bass part to “You Really Got a Hold On Me” and it feels just right. Its this kind of attention to detail that can make a track really special.
The Grip Weeds deliver again with “Strawberry Fields Forever” and The Midnight Callers land another one perfectly with “It Won’t Be Long” but the best is yet to come.
The Gold Needles combine “Cold Turkey” and “Hey Bulldog” to create something really special. The Weeklings give “What’s The New Mary Jane” a magically mystery twist that works fantastically well to end a very enjoyable collection of Lennon faves.
JEM Records Celebrates John Lennon has a release date of October 9. Preorder your copy directly from JEM Records.
