Thursday, September 29, 2005
The Best Albums You Never Heard
No time for schmaltz? Maybe, but plenty of time for fun!
The Arizona Parrothead contingent has had a couple of opportunities to hear The Bad Monkeys do their thing: once in a house concert and once at Parrot Grande just a few weeks back. Believe me, it was our pleasure, especially considering they had to come all the way from Dallas.
Like most of the Trop Rock bands we all love, The Bad Monkeys seem to simply enjoy playing their music for the sake of....well, playing their music. It's not work. It's fun. Can there be any question as to the source of that trait? The Godfather of Trop Rock, Jimmy Buffett himself, could have quit recording and performing years ago, sailed the world, flown his airplanes, chased bonefish and tarpon, and never be able to spend the wealth he has amassed. Yet there he is, year after year, packing venues full of devoted followers who want nothing more than to have fun watching him have fun.
The Bad Monkeys mean it when thay say No Time For Schmaltz. You won't find a lot of maudlin sentimentality here, but you might find some honest, heartfelt sentimentality in songs like A Little Bit More, Sweet Morning After, and their cover of Larry Joe Taylor's Let's Pretend We're in Port Aransas Again. (The only cut credited to other than a Monkey) But The Monkeys are at their best when they kick in the Cajun/Zydeco sound that marks Jambalaya (No, not Hank's Jambalaya), Louisiana Girl, and Laissez la Bad Girl Out. Go ahead, just try to not get up and dance to those, or to Barbados or Put A Bag Over Your Head. The latter is a hoot, but Mexican Waltz is even funnier. It's not really so much about dancing as it is about a spicy affliction that has touched us all at one time or another.
The cover of No Time For Schmaltz indicates it's a live album. It does sound live in that the audio is not as crisp as you expect to hear in a studio release. Otherwise, it's not your traditional live album with crowd sounds, lead-ins, intros, and the like that give you the feel of "being there."
The Crime Dog recommends this one for any trop-rock fan's collection, and you can order your own copy right here. A studio album would also be a real treat, so here's hoping there's one in The Bad Monkeys' future!
