When two legends of the punk rock world unite then sparks will fly, even with acoustic guitars!!
At a sprightly 67 years old Texan guitarist/songwriter James Williamson has seen it and done it several times over. From his first band, The Chosen Few, formed in ninth grade in his Detroit school to his contribution on Iggy & The Stooges 2013 album Ready To Die, via non-musical career change with a 15 year spell designing products in Silicon Valley, it has been an unpredictable ride.
Deniz Tek is also more than just a musician, his talents have seen him become an ER doctor and ex-Navy flight surgeon. However, he is back amongst the music and it’s clear that the Radio Birdman vocalist/guitarist just can’t keep away. Creativity flows through the man and a meeting with James Williamson has turned into something that would bring out the best in both of them.
The duo had been wanting to do something together for the past 5 or 6 years and now the time is right for them to come together in musical harmony to celebrate the work of Williamson, with Tek adding his own unique talent, which only serves to ramp up expectation more.
It is Williamson who provides the meat on the bones of this EP as it is 4 of his compositions from the early-mid 1970’s that get the re-working treatment. Usually re-worked versions of known and loved tracks rarely ends well. This is the exception to the rule.
The bar-room swaggering stomp of “I Need Somebody” which was first released in 1973 on The Stooges classic Raw Power album sticks pretty close to its original intentions and mood. The attitude and gritty tones are kept in check despite the acoustic feel. This version has a Tom Waits quality to it which brings it up a notch and adds something a little different.
Another Raw Power track “Pentration” follows and strips back the psychedelic quality of the Pop/Williamson penned rocker and adds a touch of laid-back country while maintaining the menace of the original.
It’s then onto the Kill City album which provides the material for the last two tracks. The first of which, “Night Theme”, is a cinematic stroll of the senses backed by the lush orchestral sounds of the aptly named Awesome Orchestra, that is part western and part space odyssey. It is completely unlike the other three tracks and is a wonderful surprise, displaying the creative vision of both men.
The duo were assisted by Michael Urbano who broke out his old 1920s drum kit to join in the fun and Gregg Foreman added some much needed soul with his pump organ and piano skills.
That’s not the only talent they recruited as they also called on a couple of friends to help them out namely Petra Haden, who provided some backing vocals and violin, and Annie Hardy (Giant Drag) who shared vocal duties with Tek on the closing track “No Sense of Crime”.
That final track is a gentle free rolling mid-paced bluesy number that benefits from the duel vocals and is a fine way to round off a delightfully mature and classic sounding EP.
Both Tek & Williamson have a back catalogue to kill for and they can now add this short, but very sweet, EP to their collection of inspired compositions.
Donnie’s Rating: 9/10
Acoustic K.O.is out on 31st March via Leopard Lady Records
