Vigil

by

The Easybeats

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Although I'd hazard to say that none of the songs on this disc are known by the general public, surprisingly enough this album received a HUGE amount of praise upon its release. And even better, it lives up to that praise in spades.

What's here? Some of the Easybeats most solid performances and songs. They eschew their earlier, quirkier material, and go for a more basic, rock n' roll-esque approach (even going so far to have Steve Marriot scream out the choruses on "Gonna Have A Good Time"). Best of all, most of it works; "We All Live Happily Together," an odd bit of social commentary, is an intelligently done track, and "Land of Make Believe," "Falling Off the Edge of the World," and "Come In You'll Get Pneumonia" are wonderful tracks. Give it a try.

As this is a relatively old release from Repertoire, not much information is given in the liner notes. However, the BONUS tracks are quite worthwhile, and thus the Repertoire issue is the one to get.

I would rate this release three and one-half stars if I could. "Vigil" is a motley collection. Two tracks--the timeless "Gonna Have a Good Time" and "Land of Make Believe" come from a shelved album. For other tracks from the same promising source, see "The Shame Just Drained." The producer credit for the rest of the tracks goes to their road manager(!). At least some of the rest of the tracks sound like spruced up versions of their songwriting demos. "Falling Off the Edge of the World" and "Come In, You'll Get Pneumonia" are classics. The covers "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" and "Hit the Road Jack" are embarrassments. "Hello, How are You" is sappy. "What in the World" and "The Music Goes Round My Head" are good bubblegum. "Sha La La" and "We All Live Happily Together" are forgettable bubblegum.

At the same time that this very uneven record came out, the Easybeats were knocking out superior songwriting demos on a regular basis. A few are included among the bonus tracks and many more can be heard on "The Shame Just Drained." If you are already hooked on the Easybeats, you will find plenty to enjoy on this release, but if you are looking for a place to start, I recommend either "Good Friday" (aka "Friday on My Mind") or "Vol. 3." "Vigil" is just too spotty.