Artiesten uit Scandinavië zijn meesters in het kopiëren. Meer dan eens hebben ze ons compleet verrast met platen die uit een ander tijdperk leken te komen. Prachtige westcoastprodukties of knappe altcountry, het leek wel of die bands uit Zweden, Noorwegen, Finland en Denemarken altijd alles goed deden. Maar dan nu Chasing The Wind (Steel Mountain Records) van het Noorse duo PG & Frank. Wat een miserabele plaat! En in zekere zin toch gelukt. Dit is namelijk het soort slaapverwekkende countryrock uit de jaren zeventig, waarvan je achteraf kunt vaststellen dat die muziek toch nog ergens goed voor is geweest. Want als reactie daarop ontstond namelijk punk. Maar welk doel het kopiëren van die bloedeloze seventiesrock dient, ik heb werkelijk geen idee. Ik vraag me af of PG & Frank dat zelf wel hebben. Het lijkt me dat ze in de val zijn getrapt van John Beland. Die producer en multi-instrumentalis speelt in een bandje dat zich nog steeds The Flying Burrito Brothers noemt, wat een schande is natuurlijk. Het allerergste is wel een nummer met Caribische invloeden. Alsof er destijds niet voldoende shit is gemaakt door cocaïne snuivende multimiljonairs op veel te dure jachten. De zang van PG & Frank is trouwens wel geknipt voor dit soort bloedeloze softrock.
05/09/2009 Permalink
I am sorry to see how small and narrow your musical vision is. We all are entitled to our own opinion. Too bad your is so poor.
John Beland is a highly respected name in the business and he brough PG&Frank to the top charts in Norway. But that may not count?
05/09/2009 Permalink
Somebody emailed a copy of the above review. Normally I don’t respond to reviewers. However, in this case I have to. Once again we have an alternative punk country critic dicing something he knows little about.
For one thing, there has been NO Flying Burrito Brothers band since 1999. So I don’t know where you come off with the statement that I’m “STILL” playing in the band, or that the band is still together. Why would you write such a bullshit statement to your readers? Get your shit straight before you spew it all over the internet.
The fact that Norway, Finland and Denmark band’s continue to make west coast country rock records should tell you that not everyone on this planet looks upon that style as “numbing country rock.” What’s “numbing” are nerd semi-journalists like yourself, who make up shit and force it down the throats of gullable readers.
And what kind of “trap” did I set for PG & Frank? The only thing I set out to do with them was to get their music on the radio, which I did, unlike most of the nonsense you rave about. Yet another brilliant statement from your end.
It’s funny you should say that this music is “bloodless.” My creative backgroung has been working in the studio with class acts like Linda Ronstadt, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Dolly Parton, Charlie Louvin, Waylon Jennings, Alison Krauss, Sonny Landrith, Earl Scruggs…that’s what runs through my blood.
What’s in your’s, reviewing acts on the internet….online poker?
Finally, the “shit record” you refer to stayed at number one for over a month in Kristiansand Norway this year….so up yours.
John Beland
Formally, Flying Burrito Brothers
Austin Texas
06/09/2009 Permalink
Ik ben het helemaal met John eens. Wat een slaapverwekkende cd is dit zeg.
Nou John jij hebt er een aardige onderzetter bij ( is hij toch ergens nuttig voor deze cd)
24/09/2009 Permalink
I bought the PG & Frank CD “Chasing The Wind” and think it is exceptional. Furthermore, the above reviewer is out of his mind to hurl such crap about these guys. Their songs are all self written and very heart felt, something that the above reviewer would know little about.
what’s simply astounding is his insinuation that former Flying Burrito Brother John Beland is a fraud playing in a phont Flying Burrito Brothers band is absolutely INCREDIBLE!
For 25 years beland led the band to many hit singles and successful albums, many of them alongside of founding members Sneeky Pete Kleinow and Chris Ethridge, as well as long time Burritos Gib Guilbeau. He didn’t live off the name Flying Burrito Brothers..he brought it to commercial success worldwide, devoting a quarter of a century to the band’s recordings and touring.
Why does John Gjaltema come on so viciously about musicians such as PG & Frank, as well as John Beland? Perhaps there is a personal issue he does not wish to write about. (Did someone sleep with somebody’s wife or girlfriend?)
In any case, this CD and this style of music is great. Maybe it’s not for everyone, but to many of us country rock fans, PG & Frank have hit the mark dead on with Chasing The Wind.
It’s obvious that the above reviewer’s knowledge of The Flying Burrito Brothers is something he fabricated in his head..without checking the facts. On behalf of those of us FBB fans, I applaude john Beland for his efforts on this lovely CD by PG & Frank, and appologize to him for the garbage Mr. Gjaltema has spewed in this hatchet job of a review.
25/09/2009 Permalink
Dig a deep hole and bury the cd