‘Mimeograph’ is a road/official merch site only release from one alt. country’s best bands, the Old 97’s. The four song EP includes covers of “Rocks Off†(The Rolling Stones), “For The Girl†(The Fratellis), “Driver 8†(REM) and “Five Years†(David Bowie). We here at Twangville have teamed together to offer you takes on each of its 4 tracks.
ROCKS OFF by Eli Petersen
The opening bars of “Rocks Off†may not be the most famous in rock and roll, but I think we can safely call them iconic. Fortunately, for the Old 97’s, they’re fairly iconic too. As a band, the 97’s have never been shy about venturing out of their comfort zone musically. In this case though, they are smart enough not to veer too much away from the The Rolling Stones garage-y masterpiece. The pace is picked up slightly and Ken Bethea lays one of his classic surf guitar riffs down, where Mick Taylor’s bluesy blasts previously lived. Rhett Miller and Murray Hammond seem to have great fun spitting out the lyrics. Neither attempts to ape Jagger’s vocal style, and merely give it their own spin as they revel in the performance. The breakdown at the half way point and the horns that pop in throughout are spot on homages to this Exile On Main Street classic.
FOR THE GIRL by Chip Frazier
The Old 97’s made some interesting song choices on Mimeograph. I would expect an EP of covers from a band as established and influential as The Old 97’s to be populated by tributes to artists that they found influential. On the surface, the choice to cover The Fratellis “For the Girl†is quite unexpected. Dig a little deeper into their sound and the UK band’s catchy power-pop has noticeable parallels to the Old 97’s overall vibe.
While the Old 97’s are definitely Alt-Country trailblazers, they love a good Pop song. In fact, Satellite Rides is an entire album of likable Pop tunes. Combine that with the Pop stylings of Rhett Miller’s solo projects and “For the Girl†seems right at home next to R.E.M and The Stones. The Old 97’s version of the song is a bit more Dallas than Glasgow, but since when does an infectious melody require a Scottish accent for the vocalist. Let’s face it quirkiness is a big part of the Old 97’s DNA. So why not put a little bit of Scotland in your Americana.
DRIVER 8 by Tom Osborne
Despite what Dale Jr. fans will say, “Driver 8” is a song about being over-worked with extreme need for a break. It was originally written by R.E.M. for their third album ‘Fables of The Reconstruction’. The band at the time was influenced by the rail lines that populated the area near where they grew up as well as the American mythology the rails are associated with. According to Wikipedia, the song more specifically “refers to the Southern Crescent, a passenger train operated by the Southern Railroad until 1979”.
For the Old 97’s to try and cover “Driver 8” on their recent EP, ‘Mimeograph’, it was a bit of a risk. Not many bands have tried to cover R.E.M. with success. For me, it couldn’t have been more welcomed. I credit R.E.M. for being the band that introduced a healthy dose of twang into the alternative music I was listening to in the 80’s. Conversely, the Old 97’s were one of the bands that was bringing alternative and pop melodies into alt-country in the 90’s. So, in my mind, this was a match made in heaven. With their version the 97’s make “Driver 8” their own while honoring the original with the respect R.E.M. is long due.
FIVE YEARS by Kelly Dearmore
To be certain, The Old 97’s chose an excellent, road less traveled when deciding on what few tunes to cover for this project. In this day and age of every other artist covering “Folsom Prison Blues”, it’s hard to imagine a less obvious choice for covering than the Fratellis. With that said, David Bowie isnt exactly a rare choice, and “Five Years” has been covered more than a few times, but still, it isn’t the song that most people automatically think of when discussing the now seminal album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. Thankfully, Miller and the boys did think of it, however.
The soft beat that Phillip Peeples lays down to beign the track – a rarity for the 97’s – sets a bouyant, but still serene, pace that Miller’s sweet falsetto lays comfortably upon. The spaciness and etheral atmospherics of the original remain repsectfully intact, thanks to the appropriately subdued and nimble guitar of Ken Bethea. While it’s always great to hear Bethea break out with his trademark, hybrid surfabilly train-track punk, it’s refreshing to see this band, who prides itself on being able to set a stage on fire with its sheer will, pull it back and remain remarkably effective while not veering into sappy terrain.
Great covers respect the original while progressing the songs identity into new territory, and that is unquestionably done, here. I wouldnt go as far to say that this song would fit snuggly onto even the 97’s more pop-driven records, but that’s really not the point here, anyways.
About the author: Specializes in Dead, Drunk, and Nakedness..... Former College Radio DJ and Current Craft Beer Nerd