Tribute albums are often quite dicey creatures. It’s often very
difficult to recapture the magic of an original song when it’s
being done years after the fact by an entirely different
artist.
One of a series of tribute albums from progressive rock label
Magna Carta,
Working Man turns the spotlight on Canadian band Rush and
gives them the Friar’s Club-roast treatment.And, like many tribute
albums, the end product has some great moments, but is occasionally
spotty.
The lineup of performers reads like a variable who’s who of
rock: Jack Russell (Great White), Mark Slaughter (Slaughter),
Sebastian Bach (Skid Row), Devin Townsend (Steve Vai), James LaBrie
(Dream Theater) – and that’s just in the vocalist department.
Sometimes, it sounds like certain musicians are trying much too
hard. There’s no denying that Billy Sheehan is an incredible
bassist, but let’s be honest, Geddy Lee isn’t that flashy – no, let
me change that, Geddy Lee doesn’t need to show off on the bass
guitar. (On the other hand, I would have liked to have heard Stu
Hamm stay a little more true to the short bass solos on “YYZ”.)
Slaughter does his best imitation of Lee’s vocals on “Anthem,” but
since I wasn’t crazy about the balls-in-a-vise delivery of the
original version in 1974, I can’t say I like Slaughter’s
rendidion.
Two performances on
Working Man stand out. Fates Warning, a band I always
thought was a hardcore metal band, puts in an absolutely brilliant
rendition of “Closer To The Heart,” a song which almost perfectly
mirrors the original version on
A Farewell To Kings. And Townsend’s take on “Natural
Science” captures the true spirit of a tribute album perfornance:
stay close to the original while injecting your own style into it.
Unbelievable!
Of course, I guess we should include the version of “La Villa
Strangiato,” complete with jaw-dropping guitar work from Steve
Morse, in the above list, as well as the cover of “YYZ” featuring
Hamm and Testament guitarist James Murphy.
Other selections are puzzling in their selection. The only song
I don’t recognize, “Analog Kid,” is given a decent rendition with
Russell’s vocals and Sheehan’s bass. Likewise, I don’t know why
“Mission” (off of
Hold Your Fire) was selected for this project, though Eric
Martin (of Mr. Big) does a decent job with the vocals. And as much
as I have always said that the obscure selections are good for
tribute albums, well – I’m sorry, I’ve always hated “By-Tor And The
Snow Dog” (off of
Caress Of Steel), even though Jake E. Lee (Badlands, Ozzy
Osbourne) does a great job on guitar, as does Mike Portnoy (Dream
Theater) on the skins.
Working Man accomplishes its basic task: to pay homage to
the original music and musicians with modern covers of their songs.
But for the long-time Rush fan like myself, listening to this disc
at first is a serious shock, and is not a pleasant one. Had I not
given this disc another shake, I would have ripped it completely to
shreds. But on subsequent listens, the great performances quickly
reared their heads, and I saw much more light at the end of the
tunnel.
Still,
Working Man is not a disc I’d recommend for someone looking
to discover Rush. Instead, first explore their vast catalog, then
pick this disc up. If you’re a diehard progressive rock or Rush
fan, or you just want to hear how some of your favorite artists
attacked these songs, then pick this one up by all means.
