The Misfits
Project 1950 (2003)
Some Backround:
The Misfits...wow...to make a long story short they formed in the late 70s, recorded their best stuff and broke up before Karate Kid was in theatres. To follow was a very long legal battle between founders Jerry Only and Glenn Danzig over the rights to the Misfits name. Jerry Only won, and reformed his ol' band with new members including singer Michael Graves and drummer Dr.Chud. These guys made a couple of albums but disbanded soon after. The Misifts third and current line up is Jerry Only, Marky Ramone (of you guessed it, The Ramones) and Dez Cadena of Black Flag. The trio of punk legends made "Project 1950", an album of 50s covers. Call it a gimmick, a side project, a nostalgic masterpeice...whatever...check out my review.
Line up:
Jerry Only: bass/ vocals
Dez Cadena: guitar, vocals (bckgr)
Marky Ramone: drums
Tracks:
1. This Magic Moment (2:35)
2. Dream Lover (2:27)
3. Diana (2:09)
4. Donna (2:33)
5. Great Balls of Fire (1:50)
6. Latest Flame (2:16)
7. Monster Mash (2:37)
8. It's Only Make Believe (2:15)
9. Runaway (2:24)
10. You Belong to Me (3:10)
The Review:
1.
This Magic Moment...Great begining to the album, great song. Ronnie Spector makes a guest appearance and provides some backround vocals. This is one catchy tune with good rythm and flow. It does a good job of setting the mood for whats to follow.
(5/5)
2.
Dream Lover...The verses arn't very strong, a little too bouncy for my taste. However, the chorus makes up for it somewhat and provides a sort of relief.
(3.5/5)
3.
Diana...The Saxaphone really works here and gives the song its vintage feel. The chorus is powerful (for a 50s punk cover), and again the sax being played after the lyrics sounds quit nice.
(4.5/5)
4.
Donna...Not as good as Diana, its a bit more aggressive. The original is a good song but I don't feel The Misfits did the best job with it. Nothing special here, a pretty mediocre song.
(2.5/5)
5.
Great Balls of Fire...The intro is simply awesome, it gets your attention and holds it. Jerry's voice is at its best here. The pianos also a nice touch. The way a cover should be done.
(5/5)
6.
Latest Flame...I don't care much for this track, I like the heavy drum and bass but the rythms a little odd and the song never really picks up.
(2.5/5)
7.
Monster Mash...Best song on here, complete with the original sound effects. You can tell The Misfits really went all out on this one. It's a fun ode to their horror rock roots and something to get you pumped around Halloween. Jerry provides the best part of the entire album when the instruments stop and he sings: "When you get to my door tell 'em Only Sent You"!!!, haha gets me everytime.
(5/5)
8.
It's Only Make Believe...A fantastic 50s-ish intro that leads into a slow rythm. Very reminisnt of the Graves-era song "Saturday Night".
(4/5)
9.
Runaway...Not very catchy, which is what every other song on here is. It has a darker feel. Jerry sounds like he's bored as he sings. The only good part is the guitar/organ? solo.
(2.5/5)
10.
You Belong to Me...Starts off slow, some rather cool "Whoa oh oh's", then it gets fast, possibly the fastest song on the album. A very good melody with both strong verses and chorus. Ronnie Spector returns for some backround vocals and Dez is at his best with some in your face guitar.
(5/5)
Ok, so it's not the kill the girl, monsters rule Misfits your used to. And its over like that...only 10 tracks at about 2 an a half minutes each. But it's defintly worth checking out, especialy since it comes with a bonus DVD that includes music videos and live material. This music is also fun for the whole family and your parents will probably want to borrow it, which may be a turn off to some "harcore-hate new fits-neo punks".
But if your a fan of either 50s music or The Misfits then this is for you. If your a fan of both then I have no idea why you don't own this already. You can't go wrong with Dez, Marky and Jerry.
Final Score: 4/5
