I've always given Andy Gibb a wide berth. Not because of anything musically, but because my first proper girlfriend was a massive fan and she ditched me heartlessly. So guilt from that overcame my general lack of interest in Tribute Albums, aided by having enjoyed every other Curry Cuts album.
Not being familiar with the material apart from Shadow Dancing and I Just Want To Be Your Everything also helped enormously as did the line up. I expected the original songs to have a second half of the 70s post Disco easy listening vibe and the majority here do. That's no bad thing if the songs are strong and they are. There is plenty of the Gibb Brothers feel without the high pitched voices. Think How Deep Is Your Love!
It is great hearing artists that I love on unfamiliar territory. For instance Greg Pope does a fairly faithful to the original version of I Just Want To Be Your Everything, but it is so unusual to hear him sing a song like this, great song though it is. Exactly the same applies to the excellent Keith Slettedahl on Time Is Time.
Minky Starshine sounds on great form on Desire. Jason Berk makes Flowing Rivers his own and the real joy are the surprise covers. Ken Sharp and Fernando Perdomo gobsmacked me with the choice of One More Look At The Night. Their version is nothing like the usual territory either would inhabit and that underlines how Tribute albums can shine.
David Brookings jangles up An Everlasting Love to great effect, but top award must go to The Test Pressings for making Why into a Guitar driven AOR affair. It is wonderfully out of kilter with the rest of the album with a killer solo.
Shadow Dancing is still the best song here and who better than The Corner Laughers to bring it home. It is always impossible to namecheck everyone on a Various Artists compilation, so everyone involved here should take a bow. Higher Than A Mountain is great fun.
You can listen to and buy the album here.
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