Zeno Beach - Radio Birdman (Citadel Records)
By Steve Lorkin
Quick quiz: Which legendary band who broke up in the 1970s but reformed several decades later and recorded a album of new material which actually honoured their original legacy?
1) New York Dolls
2) MC5 (aka MC1)
3) The Stooges
4) Radio Birdman
If you answered “Radio Birdman” you win a million in prizes!
Their 2006 album “Zeno Beach” IMHFO was a great piece of work.
There were some fans who expected a clone of “Radios Appear” but that was never gonna be the case as the band had grown artistically since they were wee lads in the ‘70s.
Admittedly when “Zeno Beach” was first released it took me three or four listens to appreciate it.
Songs like “You Just Make It Worse”, “Hungry Cannibals” and “Would Everything Be Enough” are as good (IMHFO) as anything the band recorded in the good old days. Different...but just as good.
This new remastered, recut and re-running ordered (does that phrase exist?) pressing has two songs omitted from the 2006 edition. Most reissues have added bonus tracks but Birdman, bless their leather socks, did the opposite and removed “Connected” (sob!..one of my faves), and “Locked Up”.
Why, you ask, were two songs deleted?? Well, the original album was 47 minutes which was longer than most albums. The more music you cram onto a LP the lesser the sound quality. Thirty-five minutes is usually the maximum time that a LP record should be before the sound quality drops and, if you listen to the original 2006 LP, you will notice the last few songs on each side sound a tad less dynamic than the rest of the album.
This new pressing has a more wide open dynamic sound on the entire album compared to the original. The guitars and drums bite harder.
Dr Tek personally choose who was going to master, cut and press this new edition and the bloke has high standards. (BTW this was pressed at Third Man Records).
High points on this album:
1) Rob Younger‘s vocals scream with attitude on this album, one of his best ever vocal performances.
2) Jim Dickson is playing some super cool bass stuff . Have a listen to “Would Ever thing Be Enough”. The bass maketh the song.
3) Chris Masuak and Deniz Teks' guitar twin assault is a real treat. Have a listen to the album through headphones to appreciate the sonic attack.
4) Russell Hopkinson is one of my fave drummers and he really excels on this. His style is several thousand miles away from Ron Keeley’s solid-as-a-rock style but is still killer.
5) Pip Hoyle’s keyboards, although not as prominent as the other volume beasts in the band, sneaks in some very cool playing when you least expect it.
The original LP pressing sold out its 1000 pressing very quickly in 2006 (the CD is still listed for sale on the Citadel Records mail order page).
Buy it
