Review:'Perdomo, Fernando' 'Babies Of War Babies. A 50th Anniversary Tribute'
- Album: 'To Daryll Hall & John Oates'
- Label: 'Think Like A Key Music'
- Genre: 'Seventies'
- Release Date: '21.2.25.'- Catalogue No: 'TLAK 1189'
Our Rating:
While Daryl and John are still daggers drawn, handbags at 50 paces between them, Fernando Perdomo took on the task of paying tribute to the 50th anniversary of the duo's War Babies album. The liner notes include interviews with some of the original musicians giving insight into how it went down before Fernando recorded his version of the album.
While it might be producer Fernando Perdomo's all-time favourite album for this reviewer, who was never a fan of Hall & Oates, I am totally fresh to almost all the songs on the album, so can't compare it to the originals, helping Fernando to re-create this album are Zach Ziskin, Rob Bonfiglio, John Siegler, Brian Dunne, Jeannie Flowers, Nick Bertling, Aqxyl Storms, Dave Kerzner, John Marsden, Mike Gent & Scott Janovitz. With extra special thanks to Susan Zyne for the loan of her late husband's Eddie's touring Hall & Oates drum kit for the recording of the album.
The album opens with Can't Stop The Music (He Played It Too Long) that has that mid 70's funky pop sound, with the synths doing a lot of the heavy lifting, they muse on why he just couldn't stop the music.
Is It A Star has lots of spectral guitar, the questions of the chat up lines being used, come thick and fast, nice high vocals and that soft rock sound.
Beanie G, And The Rose Tattoo being one of the hits on the album is a song I know, but always thought was Billy G, this has cool female vocals and lots of funky guitar histrionics, it doesn't stray too far from the original, only know I can clearly make out it is Beanie G. and not Billy.
Your Much Too Soon you appear to have shot your lot far too quickly, on this slow soul disco workout, that for me quickly becomes background music.
70's Scenario has a slow organ part that could almost be Elton John, this tale of 70's shenanigans slowly unfolds, with what sound like quotes from an Est manual, before the guitars go fully Quaalude freak out.
War Baby Son Of Zorro sounds like it was recorded in the fog of war, confusion reigns, you cower from yet another air raid, the fear and sorrow surrounds you, a radio cackles and the vocals lead you through the miasma.
I'm Watching You (A Mutant Romance) is a 70's funky inflected Mr Lover Lover man routine, for the steady cheating man, who never mentions the wife and kids at home, while he's getting down and dirty with you, guitars chug along until eventually everything breaks down for a sax solo aiming for the heart of despair.
Better Watch Your Back has a super funky beat with the episodic vocals telling this tale of typical 70's love, sex and betrayal.
Screaming Through December is slow piano ballad for the coming holiday season, while they are on the road to the Floridian wastelands, only prog guitar effusions can match the pain of the screams you let out, while it all goes down. This transitions mid song with an almost Roy Ayers like organ solo, over a super complex drum pattern, this becomes more of a rock operetta for the desperate state the main characters are in, clutching a gun hoping no one knocks on the door.
The album closes with Johnny Gore And The "C" Eaters this is frantic and with a paranoid edge to all the episodic prog parts, quite what it's about or what sort of "C" they are talking about is open to interpretation, but the confusion within is never far from the surface.
Find out more at https://www.thinklikeakey.com/release/475176-fernando-perdomo-babies-of-war-babies https://fernandoperdomo.bandcamp.com/album/babies-of-war-babies https://www.facebook.com/tlakmusic
