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Reimagining albums is a great way for a band to keep their fanbase interested while they are working on a new album. More often a miss rather than a hit, as sometimes it can come across as being a tad self-indulgent and hastily thrown together, but sometimes it does work. Thunder cracked it with 2018’s ‘Please Remain Seated’, and four years later Glasgow’s Gun have bettered that particular release with their very own collection of reimagined tracks – ‘The Calton Songs’.
What makes ‘The Calton Songs’ such a particularly impressive achievement is that this features Dante Gizzi (lead vocalist since 2010) re-recording songs put down on tape by original lead vocalist Mark Rankin decades ago, and not only matching the original versions but in some places actually bettering them. His vocal skills won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has caught Gun in a live setting since Dante moved from bass to lead vocals in 2010, and especially not to anyone who caught him fronting his pop-rock outfit El Pres!dente when Gun first split. Another enjoyable aspect about ‘The Calton Songs’ is that it is great fun, and you would have to possess a cold dead heart not to crack a smile during the album, or god forbid – whistle along (especially on a toe-tapping glam-meets-ragtime rendition of ‘Crazy You’). Yes, this might be Gun reimagined, but that does not mean that it’s the guys simply sitting around on stools with acoustic guitars and Paul McManus slapping the shit out of a Cajon. This is Gun reimagined with pianos, lush backing vocals (‘Coming Home’ and ‘Higher Ground’), string arrangements (‘Don’t Say It’s Over’ is spellbinding), and some brass thrown in for good measure.
Break-out hit single ‘Better Days’ (1989? – really?) works perfectly in this format, and it’s easy to flashback to the late 80s and imagine the nucleus of the band; Jools Gizzi on guitar, Dante on bass, and Mark Rankin birthing the songs in a similar way in their bedrooms in The Calton in the East End of Glasgow. ‘Higher Ground’ is another that works perfectly, Dante delivers a wonderfully low-key, organic vocal performance on one of those moments touched on earlier where the new version betters the original. Lots of atmospheric percussion on this one, probably a Cajon from Paul McManus, but who knows, might be bongos instead! And the Gospel-like female backing vocals (credited to The Sisterhood) are show-stealing. ‘Inside Out’ is full-on electric and the guitars simply sizzle on a track 33 years old that still packs a wonderful commercial punch perfect for daytime radio – that is, if daytime radio played tracks with a guitar solo. The throbbing basslines of ‘Money (Everybody Loves Her)’ are even fuller here than in the original, and the end result sounds fresher than ever…similar to the crowd-pleasing ‘Shame on You’ which Dante really does make his own, and once the train-track-like guitar sound kicks in, it’s kinda hard to resist the urge to make a tit of yourself with some seriously bad dancing…ditto the horn-filled romp through the more-gonzo-than-normal version of ‘Word Up’….just go with the flow and burst out your best (or worst) moves.
Throw in a brand new track in the shape of the pulsating ‘Backstreet Brothers’ – which is a tip of the hat to growing up in an era refreshingly gadget-free, and namechecks the motion potion itself: Buckfast – and ‘The Calton Songs’ is pretty much perfect. Bloody great fun to be had once you press play, and what a job from Dante Gizzi, well played that man.
Available now through Cherry Red Records, more information here.
Review – Dave
Photo Credit – Dave Jamieson
Gun 2022 Tour Dates:
08 Nov Gijon – Acapulco Gijón
09 Nov Madrid – Shoko Madrid
10 Nov Vitoria – Urban Vitoria-gasteiz
11 Nov Barcelona – Sala Wolf Barcelona
12 Nov Gandesa – Pavelló Poliesportiu Gandesa
30 Nov Bradford – Nightrain Bradford
01 Dec London – O2 Academy Islington London
02 Dec Nuneaton – Queens Hall Nuneaton
03 Dec FULL BAND ACOUSTIC at Barnoldswick
04 Dec Blackpool – The Waterloo Blackpool
05 Dec Bath – Komedia Bath
06 Dec Sunderland – Firestation Sunderland
07 Dec Galashields – Mac Arts Galashiels
10 Dec Glasgow – The Barrowland Ballroom Glasgow
11 Dec Aberdeen – The Lemon Tree Aberdeen
Ticketing information – here
