The man you heard on the wireless back in ‘82 is rattling out the classics and giving them a change of pace. Trevor Horn likely has the scope and permission to do so – but it does not mean listeners must swallow Echoes – Ancient & Modern. To do so would mean putting up with another cover of White Wedding. Not much point when Rowland S. Howard took this song to its peak in his Teenage Snuff Film masterclass. Anyway, Horn has not the confidence for solo materials. All but one of these pieces feature some vaguely relevant artists, from the legendary Iggy Pop to the walking heroes of Lambrini Girls. They all come together to cover up tracks and make good on a legendary producer and part of The Buggles, carrying out what must be a vanity project at best.
What the man who gave us Kid Dynamo can do with a cover of Kendrick Lamar’s Swimming Pools (Drank) is very little. He sends out Tori Amos to sort it – one of many failings for this record. Horn hides behind the table of switches and whirring noises, hoping to conjure up his own style on established tracks with deeper meaning than he can hope to capture. Of course Owner of a Lonely Heart is palatable – it is dependent on Rick Astley. The vocal performances throughout are fine, but with no rhyme or reason to the song selection and pace, the order of this piece, there is no sense. Deciphering this beyond it being a collection of songs Horn enjoys is a fascinating, gruelling and timely experience. Not worth it at all – but there you go, something to do if time takes itself.
Slave to the Rhythm is an exact example of this. Horn fancies himself the prominent producer he once was but shows no tact for adapting tender songs with incredible vocal presence. Lady Blackbird is done a disservice here, nothing more than a few bits of brass for her efforts. Consistently harmless in their efforts here – a stocking stuffer CD had it been released a couple decades ago, absolutely. But this is not the years of compact discs, this is the rebirth of records and buying this on a sheet of plastic is a massive waste of space. Shimmering simplicity on the likes of Drive hear Horn fail to move away from the light flourishes which guided The Buggles to a brief shot at stardom.
The year of covers, then, was a disaster. Good grief. From Dolly Parton shaking Rockstar at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as though it were a cue to now induct her to U2 bastardising their own songs. Trevor Horn takes a blunt weapon to the tracks of the past and present. He cannot carry out the murders himself though, his mixing is as expectedly adequate for butcherings of popular songs as expected. Instead, his cavalcade of singers, from Seal to Astley, are brought in to do his bidding. Echoes: Ancient & Modern is horrendously dull. An exercise in calling your pals up with drippings of songs which may feel relevant now and may do later too. Scattershot at the best of times, the only consistency is the lack of quality found on Echoes – Ancient & Modern.
Discover more from Cult Following
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
