{"id":26110,"date":"2013-11-06T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-11-06T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-various-artists-the-songs-of-tony\/"},"modified":"2018-03-17T15:29:29","modified_gmt":"2018-03-17T15:29:29","slug":"album-review-various-artists-the-songs-of-tony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-various-artists-the-songs-of-tony\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Various Artists – The Songs of Tony Sly: A Tribute"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"image\"Releases like this will always be hard to review. This isn\u2019t a compilation released to make profit, nor is it a tacky \u201cGreatest Hits\u201d compilation that record companies too often rush out before the ink on a musician\u2019s death certificate has dried. ‘The Songs of Tony Sly \u2013 A Tribute’<\/em> is a heartfelt tribute to a man who had a far reaching influence on thousands of people, started hundreds of bands and left a lasting influence on the punk community. Losing someone like that is always a tragedy and to lose them as young as 41 is devastating. So from the almost-choral vocals of <\/span>Karina Denike<\/strong> covering ‘Biggest Lie’<\/i>, followed by a soft and acoustically Ska-tinged \u2018AM\u2019 <\/i>from the Mad Caddies<\/b>, it was clear that this is going to be an emotional ride.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whether you’re the biggest No Use For a Name Fan going or you just had a passing knowledge of \u2018International You Day\u2019 from old Warped Tour\/Punk-O-Rama compilations (and in all honesty I\u2019m closer to the latter than the former), they’ll be something for you here. From big hitters like Anti-Flag<\/strong> and Bad Religion<\/strong> to lesser known artists such as American Steel<\/strong>, ‘The Songs of Tony Sly: A Tribute’<\/em> isn’t just 26 covers, its 26 individual tributes to a musical great. Some of them fall into the emotional acoustic category such as Rise Against<\/b>\u2019s \u2018For Fiona\u2019 <\/i>and Lagwagon<\/b>\u2019s \u2018Discomfort Inn\u2019<\/i>, while many such as Bad Religion<\/b>’s ‘Let It Slide’<\/i> and are upbeat and more reflective of Sly\u2019s musical style.<\/p>\n

Little touches like the background traffic noise in Frank Turner\u2019s<\/strong> \u2018Keira\u2019<\/em> gives the song an extra level of intimacy, while Brian Fallon\u2019s<\/strong> harmonica work in \u2018Capo 4th<\/sup> Fret\u2019<\/em> turns a simple cover into something moving and emotional. Moments like this add a funereal aspect to the album, showing a musical family still in mourning, not simply going through the motions.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

While punk purists may scoff at the inclusion of Yellowcard<\/strong> and Simple Plan<\/strong>, both bands have undoubtedly been influenced by No Use for a Name<\/strong> and both their tracks are good in their own way. Yellowcard<\/strong> play it straight and simple with \u2018Already Won\u2019<\/em> while Simple Plan <\/strong>inject an extra dose of pop (and ukuleles) into \u2018Justified Black Eye\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n

While I\u2019d loathe saying there was any bad tracks on an album like this, it\u2019s fortunate that there genuinely aren\u2019t. Each artist brings something quite different to the table, with one of my personal favourites being NOFX\u2019s<\/strong> double-time rendition of Sly\u2019s<\/strong> acoustic ballad \u2018The Shortest Pier\u2019<\/em> which manages to transform the song into something completely different. Get Dead\u2019s<\/strong> rhythmic take on \u2018Premedicated Murder\u2019 <\/em>is also excellent as is the Swinging Utters’<\/strong> \u2019Not Your Saviour\u2019<\/em> with its added line of, \u201cWhy do the good ones have to die?\u201d<\/em> feeling especially poignant.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s plenty of curveballs here too, proving that despite the serious nature of the album, there\u2019s fun to be had with the material. The calypso version of \u2018On The Outside\u2019<\/em> by Snuff<\/strong> is something to behold and Old Man Markly\u2019s<\/strong> hillbilly take on \u2018Feel Good Song of The Year\u2019<\/em> shows just how smoothly Sly\u2019s<\/strong> songwriting translates into other genres. I love everything both Alkaline Trio<\/strong> and The Flatliners <\/strong>do and their covers are no exception, translating the songs into their own style and making them their own. Closer \u2018International You Day\u2019, <\/em>\u00a0with Joey Cape<\/strong> taking the helm, offers a sentimental end to the album and adds a tear-jearking edge to the most famous moment of Tony\u2019s career. It\u2019s not just an outstanding track, but also a saddening moment of reflection on their friendship.<\/p>\n

All proceeds from the sale of this album go to helping support Tony Sly\u2019s<\/strong> family, but you shouldn\u2019t just buy it because it\u2019s a charity album, you should buy it because there\u2019s 26 genuinely great tracks here. If you\u2019re a No Use For A Name<\/strong> fan you\u2019ll enjoy it for a different take on some classic songs, if you\u2019re not as familiar you\u2019ll not only discover some great new bands, you\u2019ll be able to get acquainted with a musical great and get ready to delve into a whole back catalogue of great releases.<\/p>\n

5\/5<\/p>\n

“The Songs of Tony Sly: A Tribute’<\/em>by Various Artists <\/strong>is out now via Fat Wreck Chords<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tony Sly links: Website<\/a>|Buy<\/a>|Donate<\/a><\/p>\n

Words by Jay Sullivan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Releases like this will always be hard to review. This isn\u2019t a compilation released to make profit, nor is it a tacky \u201cGreatest Hits\u201d compilation that record companies too often rush out before the ink on a musician\u2019s death certificate has dried. ‘The Songs of Tony Sly \u2013 A Tribute’ is a heartfelt tribute to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,8181],"tags":[11445,5879,607],"class_list":["post-26110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","category-post","tag-the-songs-of-tony-sly-a-tribute","tag-album-reviews","tag-fat-wreck-chords"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlbum Review: Various Artists - The Songs of Tony Sly: A Tribute - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Releases like this will always be hard to review. 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