Grand Wazoo - Soul Monster (Album)
Grand Wazoo is a 15-piece band from Melbourne that having plying their trade since the early eighties. Formed by John Montesante, they play classic R&B and Soul from the 50s to the 70s. Their latest live album, recorded at the Melbourne’s Rainbow Hotel, captures the sound of their Sunday soul sessions. Reportedly the band’s repertoire extends to about 300 songs, fair effort. This album includes songs made famous by Prince (Kiss), the Beatles (Get Back), and Billie Holiday (God Bless the Child) to name a few.
In fact, the set list is wall-to-wall classics of the era. Unfortunately, the delivery is far from classic. Great shows are hard to replicate on canvas, as something invariably gets lost in translation. The greatest ones, e.g. Kiss Alive (genius), Peter Frampton Comes Alive (great use of vocoder), Cheap Trick Live at Budokan (great use of latex) etc etc., all have a killer playing that makes up for the lack of visual presentation. Unfortunately, this live album from Grand Wazoo, Soul Monster, does not. Sure, they are a smooth operation and are obviously seasoned professionals. But the playing has no energy or, dear I say it, soul. The sound is thin and the tempos sluggish. The tunes they have chosen are so familiar that run-of-the-mill renditions just don’t cut it. They just demand comparison to the originals, and nearly all here can’t hold a candle to them.
Now, I’m sure the punters had a fun night…add these tunes to a sweaty room and a few beers and you probably have an absolute disco inferno. On the CD player you have elevator music. This album is disappointing; it could be so much fun, but instead it is a representation of a band that is missing its edge.
