Various Artists - Who's Not Forgotten: FDR's Tribute to The Who

 Various Artists - Who's Not Forgotten: FDR's Tribute to The Who - 2004

By Erick Mertz from COSMIK.COM

When Robert Pollard takes the stage for his final encore as front man of Guided By Voices, he almost certainly announces a cover of "Baba O'Reilly" as the next song; as the guitars cascade, simulating the unforgettable signature keyboard line, he proclaims that this is the "greatest rock song ever written." The crowd screams, he kicks like Bruce Lee amid his own drunken miasma and the venue, however large, begins to pulse with an anticipation not seen during a night of originals to that point. It is more than lore that GBV is one of the best live acts in America, but in that moment, it is the Who that draw the ire and frothing joy from the crowd. 

Precisely that riotous effect makes up the thrust behind H.E.A.R's (Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers) compilation of Who cover songs. The artists are contemporary, some definitely obscure, and hand picked from labels Jam and Face Down records. It would belie Roger Daltry's wishes from The Kids Are Alright to analyze or scrutinize too deeply the choices of artists and their performances, but a few from among the 21 songs deserve mention, the first of which would naturally be Guided By Voices doing "Baba" live. Nothing short of transferring the listener to the surely dark and sweaty club where this was culled could top their rendition. As intended, it saps every stirring ounce of life from its listener and whether it is Roger or Robert singing, it isn't hyperbole to theorize that Baba's conception is a moment of rock genius. The Lola's kick over an anthemic version of "The Kids Are Alright" with a breezy summer day's enthusiasm as do The Commons whose rendition of the thinly veiled sex classic "Squeeze Box" is amazing. 

Arguably, not every one of the Who's staple songs are covered (Tommy and Happy Jack glaring in their omission) and not every version is delightful (boring are "Behind Blue Eyes" and "I Can See For Miles"), but there is a lot of ground covered in one tribute. As Guided By Voices prove night in and night out, there is something indescribable about the Who, and when the Glowfriends give over their terrific, energetic rendition of "I Can't Explain" that magic is transferred, a little sadly perhaps, but with full riotous effect nonetheless.

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01. Heaven and Hell - Photon Band
02. The Real Me - Bastards of Melody
03. The Kids Are Alright - The Lolas 
04. Bargain - Dipsomaniacs 
05. Behind Blue Eyes - Pat Dinizio 
06. Baba O'Riley - Guided By Voices 
07. Long Live Rock - Tommy Conwell with the Dipsomaniacs 
08. Glow Girl - The Bigger Lovers 
09. I'm a Boy - Cordalene 
10. Pictures of Lily - Taggart
11. Athena - Grandfabric
12. Squeeze Box - The Commons
13. Mary-Anne With the Shaky Hands - Chris Richards 
14. I Can See for Miles - Jim Basnight 
15. Substitute - Blank Pages 
16. Circles - Jeremy 
17. So Sad About Us - Steve Brown
18. 1921 - Nancy Falkow 
19. Boris the Spider - J. Horndog 
20. My Generation - The Contractions 
21. I Can't Explain - The Glowfriends

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