Search - Smoking Popes :: Party's Over

A finale of covers from the Smoking Popes: a tasty farewell

Alan Hutchins | Denver, CO United States | 03/25/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Smoking Popes were an exceptional suburban-Chicago-area punk/pop band of the 90's. Lead singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist Josh Carterer and his brothers Eli (lead guitar) and Matt (bass) teamed with phenomenal drummer Mike Felumee to scorch the hearts and ears of melody-minded lovers of thrashed-up pop songs everywhere. Josh's vocal delivery was pure retro croon, and the sound of the vocals pitted against a wall of guitars/bass/drums made for a very distinctive and melodious teaming. After numerous indie releases in the early 90's, their second independent full length "Born To Quit" was re-released by Capitol in 1995 and spawned the almost hit "Need You Around". Relentless touring, videos, and well-placed soundtrack songs followed, as the Popes appeared to be poised for a leap into wider recognition. Alas, a second Capitol release called "Destination Failure" did not ignite the charts and by 1998 the band was on thin ice. Their label did not embrace the idea of releasing a collection of cover songs done in distinctive Popes style, and Josh's awakening Christianity made him feel torn between what he saw as opposing forces: a need to serve both his beliefs and the obligations of the band. Capitol dropped the band and it broke up around the same time. In the wake of this breakup, drummer Mike became involved in Double Zero records, which has focused on releasing discs by artists mining some similar musical areas, such as Mike himself or Josh's new band, Duvall. In addition, Double Zero has released some sought-after material for lingering product-starved Popes fans, like a CD compilation of most of their Indie singles/discs, or a live disc from a November, 1998 date at Chicago's Metro(one of their last few gigs).

The aptly named "The Party's Over" is made up exclusively of cover songs and most were done in sessions in 1998 with the late Phil Bonnet producing. The Popes always showed a strong sense of being influenced by artists outside of the rock world, and this collection demonstrates these tendencies abundantly. The artists who provided the inspiration for these songs are Patsy Cline ("Seven Lonely Days") , Willie Nelson ("Valentine"), Ella Fitzgerald (among many others who did "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" and "Stormy Weather"), Judy Garland (among others who did "The Party's Over" , "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Zing! Went the Strings of my Heart"), The Byrds and/or the Flying Burrito Brothers ("Farther Along"), and Chuck Jackson (who had a hit with the Burt Bacharach/Hal David-penned "Wake Up Crying"). The final song is the Kris Kristopherson hymn "Why Me"-this is done solo by acoustic by Josh (with female backing vocal) and was recorded much later after the end of the Popes. It's also the title song on Josh's self-released five song EP of religious songs.The first nine are just what you'd expect: Amped up guitars, crashing drums, and Josh's mellifluous tenor floating above. Some of these fairly radically reinterpret the originals (to great effect on "Zing!..."), and some play it pretty straight (like "Stormy Weather"). The presence of a Willie Nelson cover is no great shock to those who sought out their incredibly rocking UK B-side cover of his "Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground", but despite his "Valentine" and some other country songs appearing here, the Popes never really play them as country songs. Though there are no original songs here, it's amazing how much of a stamp the Popes were able to put on almost anything they played. Several of these songs remind the listener of the Popes own material. Think of this as more of an appetizer than a main course, because it's a short disc. It's a pretty good, albeit brief, final coda to a band that deserved a much better fate than circumstances allowed.

Anyone who appreciates this band already needs to own this disc. If you're a newcomer and just discovering them, you owe it to yourself to start with "Born to Quit" or "Destination Failure". These were the last two fully realized musical statements of the band. If you're ready to move on from there, this is a good place to go next. If you need to hear Josh crooning more current original material, check out Duvall."