Hats off to Lemon Recordings for bringing some cool 80's releases to Europe. This time Lemon brings a very appetizing
Bang Tango compilation with new recordings of old songs, live songs and bonus tracks featuring singer Joe LeSte's work on various tributes. Even though the bonus tracks have nothing to do with
Bang Tango, except for LeSte and bassist Kyle Kyle both performing on Guns N Roses'
Mr. Brownstone. However, the tribute songs are a great bonus and while George Lynch's crunchy guitars steal the spotlight on
The Zoo, Joe LeSte's great vocals dominate
Rock Brigade.
The later years I have been getting more into Jo Leste's vocals mainly because of Beautiful Creatures. His vocals age fine and he sounds better now than ever. Therefore it was a pleasant surprise that most of these songs are re-recordings of
Bang Tango's classic material. Joe LeSte's strong vocals are dominant and really suit the songs.
The re-recording of
Bang Tango's biggest hit
Someone like You is much more in your face with a powerful sound and a much more dominant guitar. A song like
Untied and True sounds more energetic and it's driven by a loud amazing guitar. The backing vocals are a bit sparse and most important compared to the originals these re-recordings only feature one guitarist. However, it really suits the songs and the guitar being a lot more dominant in the mix compensate for twin guitars. The original guitarist Mark Knight and Kyle Stevens have been replaced by competent guitarist Mark Tremalgia, who does a great job being a one man guitar army.
Kyle Kyle's famous funky bass was
Bang Tango's trademark and
Love Injection from the first album is among the highlights on this greatest hits CD displaying the funky diversity of
Bang Tango.
The live tracks have a raw sound to them, which really suits
Dressed Up Vamp. A really cool live feel, energy and great guitar playing makes
Dressed Up Vamp better than on "Dancin' on Coals".
Midnight Struck is performed acoustic with female vocals singing "duet" with LeSte.
Bang Tango was known for their live shows and their raw edge is certainly captured on the live tracks that are taken from 1998's "
Bang Tango Live" also with Kyle Kyle and Mark Tremalgia.
"The ultimate
Bang Tango Rockers and Thieves" is a good greatest hits record with a twist, which makes it far more interesting than the usual best of package. You can question whether they should have kept a few original songs on this album as well, but I guess it's a matter of taste. Personally I love the re-recorded versions.
Written by
Michael Sunday, February 13, 2005
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