On the surface, When Pigs Fly: Songs You Never Thought You'd Hear sounds like a great concept. And, it is actually. An album comprised of odd cover songs with mis-matched artists and genres is a very cool concept. It's the execution of that concept and the resulting album that I'm disappointed with.
I decided to buy this after scoping it out on a listening station at Aarons Records. The Ani Difranco cover is the main reason I went for it. It's a duet of Unforgettable featuring... get this... Jackie Chan!
Yeah. THAT Jackie Chan!
As bizarre as that track is, the rest of the songs (with a few notable exceptions) are mediocre at best, and, excuse the pun, forgettable at worst.
Here's what you get:
1.) Unforgettable ~Ani Difranco and Jackie Chan
2.) Ohio ~Devo
3.) Call Me ~The Box Tops
4.) Insane in the Brain ~The Connells
5.) Shock the Monkey ~Don Ho
6.) What a Wonderful World ~Roy Clark
7.) Girls on Film ~Billy Preston
8.) These Boots are Made for Walkin’ ~The Fixx
9.) Carry on Wayward Son ~The Oak Ridge Boys
10.) Get it on (Bang a Gong) ~The Neanderthal Spongecake
11.) White Wedding ~Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone
12.) Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap ~Lesley Gore
Yeah. I know. It sounds really weird and fantastic and you're thinking how much you really want to hear this for yourself. I know. That's what I thought too. But trust me... it's not nearly as cool as you think.
Unforgettable
I'm not sure when, where or why (Why? Why? WHY??) this song was recorded, but it's been around for a few years now. The album inlay credits it as having been released originally in 2000. That said, I've never seen it anywhere else, and if you're an Ani Difranco completist then you may want to buy this album for that track alone. (Check with Righteous Babe Records first and find out if you can get her release instead.)
The song starts out beautifully. The music is smooth and jazzy and Ani's voice is nothing short of magic. If it were strictly an Ani Difranco song, you'd find it haunting and beautiful.
And then... Jackie Chan!
To his credit, he puts forth quite an effort here. If it weren't for his broken English, (and the fact that he's paired up with one of todays most incredible singing voices) I possibly wouldn't even find it laughable! Still, Jackie's unquestionable charm shines through and you can't help but enjoy this one. Definitely worth a listen, and as I mentioned before, one of only a few standout tracks on the album.
Ohio
This is by far the most original and enjoyable cover on the cd. Devo takes the Neil Young classic and makes it their own with striking results. I never thought I'd hear an anti-war protest song synthesized so effectively!
Tin soldiers and Nixon's coming
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming
Four dead in Ohio!
Throw in the Pac-Man death rattle and you've got a song more bizarre, catchy, and memorable than just about anything I've heard all year. By far, the best track on the album.
Things only go downhill from here.
Call Me
The first of many disappointing bores on this album. The Box Tops add nothing to the original and put forth an uninspired performance. A throwaway track if there ever was one. Only thing is, this cd is built around throwaway tracks.
Insane in the Brain
This one, however, stands out. I have no idea who The Connells are, but they do a mean white-boy impression of Cypress Hill! Complete with bong water sound effects!
Full of camp/novelty appeal, this is one to impress your friends with. Don't make me wreck shit hectic, indeed.
Shock the Monkey
Don Ho is one weird ass mother. I hope someone sent Peter Gabriel a copy of this song, and I hope he has a sense of humor about it!
Don Ho's laid back, slurring vocals really weird me out here. But I like it. I like things that weird me out.
Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey monkey
Monkey Hey!
Monkey
Don’t ya know you gotta
Shock the monkey!
Hey! Hey!
Weird man. Just weird.
What a Wonderful World
Ugh. Boring. Slow down the original, add a harmonica and some "ooooohing" background singers and you've got an idea of what Roy Clark has done with it. The lazy guitar strumming is nice, but the whole of the song is simply dull.
Girls on Film
This one disappoints me. I expect more from Billy Preston than a weak synthesized back-up and a few piano keys. He does belt out the vocals with energy and charisma, but it'd be better if he did this song strictly piano and abandoned the cheesy synth. Thankfully, it's short.
These Boots are Made for Walkin’
What the hell were they thinking? The Fixx have slowed this down to it's most grueling and depressing worst. This song deserves energy! Passion! Anger! Nancy Sinatra would not be pleased! Plus it drags on for nearly 6 minutes. I'll take the Operation Ivy cover over this any day.
Carry on Wayward Son
This is a passable and relatively enjoyable cover. The instrumentation is nice and the vocals are soothing. The songs weakness lies in its lack of energy. The band seems to be going through the motions more than anything. Not being much of an Oak Ridge Boys fan to begin with, I wouldn't know if this is how they normally approach their music. I'm only guessing that this is a lackluster effort on their part, and the song hurts because of it.
Still, it doesn't exactly drag, and it's heads and shoulders above most of the offerings on this cd, so it just barely makes the list of the 5 or 6 tracks I'd recommend from this album. Plus, the easy vocal style makes it a natural to sing along with.
Get it on (Bang a Gong)
First of all, who is The Neanderthal Spongecake? Does anyone know who this band is? Is there any reason for them to be included on a cover song compilation? Based on their offering here, I'd say "No".
Once again, a cool song is slowed down and beaten to death by mediocrity. I have no explanation for how or why this boring offering made it onto this album. And once again, I feel I must stress that this pattern seems to be the rule and not the exception on When Pigs Fly.
White Wedding
This one gets a smile from me, and I can just barely recommend it for it's novelty appeal. Who would ever imagine Peter Noone pulling a Billy Idol impression? Not that he attempts to sound like Billy, but that's the joy of the song. Peter Noone, boyish and charming, crooning:
There is nothing fair in this world
There is nothing safe in this world
And there’s nothing sure in this world
And there’s nothing pure in this world
Look for something left in this world!
Too weird!
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
This is pure cheese. They actually added in hand claps! Then again, I never really took AC/DC very seriously. I just hope Lesley Gore wasn't serious when she recorded this thing!
This one is worth a listen just for the head scratching element. The "What was she thinking" and "How could this be so bad" element.
The unfortunate thing about When Pigs Fly, is that the idea holds so much promise. Anyone who loves quirky music and strange cover songs should be thrilled by this compilation, but so much of it is just dull and unremarkable.
Think of your favorite cover songs... Johny Cash doing Rusty Cage or Sid Vicious doing I did it My Way... anything by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Comparatively, this compilation is just bad.
There is enough here to warrant a recommendation though, albeit a conditioned one. If you are a completist of any of the artists mentioned, it's worth the effort, particularly for Ani Difranco or Devo fans. Insane in the Brain, Shock the Monkey, Carry on Wayward Son, and White Wedding hold just enough camp merit to elicit a partial recommendation. Look for it used if you can.
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