Meco - Impressions of an American Werewolf in London - 1981 (not available)
Well, Meco's left disco behind completely, and after Music from Star Trek/Music from The Black Hole, I couldn't be happier.
Meco only kept Lance Quinn around this time, the guy who had arranged The Empire Strikes Back for Meco, and promoted him to producer. Like Moondancer, this is an album of songs. Unlike Moondancer, this is a straight pop/rock album, not disco.
Impressions of An American Werewolf in London doesn't really have much to do with the John Landis movie (surprise, I know), but it's probably Meco's most fun album since The Empire Strikes Back. It's breezy, and probably makes a good listen around Halloween.
Side A starts off with "Blue Moon," a cover of the classic Marcels tune, but with an orchestral intro which is appropriately moody (and wolf howls and thunder; Meco still digs the sound effects). That song, as I remember, was actually one of several versions of "Blue Moon" heard in the movie. It's like a lot of covers from the very early eighties; it sounds exactly like the old song, but it's slicker and has heaver drums. It's not bad. "You Gotta Hurt Me" is an original (all of the originals are once again co-written by Maury Yeston) 50s pastiche that's pleasant but forgettable. The cover of Van Morrison's "Moon Dance" is okay. The last track, "The Boys," is an arranged version of part of Elmer Bernstein's score for the movie. It's probably the most beautiful track Meco's produced; it sounds like it was meant to be a radio single version of the score. Sweeping and lovely.
The B side opens with a surprisingly good cover of "Bad Moon Rising." I can't remember if it was in the movie or if it was the Creedence version in the movie. The gypsy music intro is fun; lots of reverb, but a really good cover. The original "No More Mr. Nice Guy" (not the Alice Cooper song) is okay, but the best song on the album is "Werewolf (Loose in London)." This is on The Best of Meco, and it's frigging fantastic. It's a staple of my Halloween mixes every year. It comes up out of the darkness like the Unfinished Symphony, and it gets so big and dramatic and 80s. Seriously, and not in an ironic way, this is one of the best things I've ever heard.
The album ends with a disappointing stinker, "Werewolf Serenade," in which someone or other doing a piss-poor Wolfman Jack impression sings about becoming a werewolf who doesn't have the heart to hurt anyone. It's lame. Guy sounds like a guy doing a bad impression of Harvey Fierstein trying to do a bad impression of Wolfman Jack.
Overall, though, it's a fun listen, and a great follow-up to The Empire Strikes Back. I hope Meco can keep this new sound going. As for this album, I'm going to put it on again at Halloween.
Grade B+
A Side: "Werewolf (Loose in London)," "The Boys"
BlindSides: "Blue Moon," "Bad Moon Rising"
DownSide: "Werewolf Serenade"
1 comment:
I absolutely love this album! There wasn't enough music to make up an album, so Meco came up with this idea - and I think he did a great job! I bought the record in 1982 and I must have listened to it about once a week since then. I was also wise enough to get another record and tape, that I have never played, because I knew they would be worth a bit of money someday. I just hope they release it on CD soon! I remember years ago, I copied a clip of the wolf howling (beginning of track one side A) and with some friends, went to a forest nearby where backpackers frequent - and played the tape very loud...The outcome were hilarious!
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