www.MarkTAW.com/reviews/TheSportingLife.html (printable version)

Let me qualify my review by saying I'm a bass player and come to this album because of John Paul Jones. I admire his attitude and musicianship, and love the sound of 8 string bass.

This album is a tour-de-fource of musicianship. I'll start from the bottom and build up. Pete Thomas' drumming is spot-on, heavy, and really rocks when you turn the volume up a bit. I hope you have good bass response! Pete Thomas comes to this album by way of his work with Elvis Costello. He's hard hitting, accurate, simple, subtle, comlex. Everything you would expect Bonzo's bass player to want in a drummer.

From what I understand, John Paul Jones wrote many of the riffs and brought them to Diamanda Galas to have her add the vocals to. This is evident in the way the vocals sometimes overlap the changes. The bass playing is superb, and more accessible than on his first solo album Zooma. Many of the riffs remind me of Zeppelin riffs - the opening track remind me of When the Levee breaks. The second track reminds me of a few songs - Nobody's Fault But Mine, Living Loving Maid, the outro to Black Dog.

Don't get me wrong, this is far from recycled Zeppelin. Far from it. Let me put it to you this way. Between Page/Plant and this album and Zooma you get a real sense of who did what in Zeppelin. How integral Jonesy was to their sound. In interviews people ask "Don't you think your recent work is a little Zeppelin influenced?" and he replies "Well, don't you think Zeppelin was a little John Paul Jones influenced?"

I've seen Jonesy play an acoustic mandolin version of Going to California, playing both rhythm and lead that was totally mind blowing. His latest album has another mandolin song, masterfully done. It makes you wonder, what were Jimmy Page and Robert Plant doing?

So while Page and Plant seem to be content reliving former glory, John Paul Jones is quietly pushing a few envelopes. As innovative and bombastic as Zeppelin ever was, this album challenges my ears, and simply rocks.

By the way, it's difficult to describe the sound of an 8 string bass... Think of what Pearl Jam's Jeremy (12 string bass) might sound like if covered by PJ Harvey.

Now for the top. I heard Diamanda Galas won a guitar solo of the year award for her singing. Her range is impressive and intimidating - 3-1/2 octaves. In interviews Jonesy said that she simply blew him away. That they brought the tapes over for her to track vocals to, and she did these songs in one take. Obviously with lots of overdubs, the vocals are very much layered and textured.

That said, many of you are going to be turned off by her voice and lyrics. Anyone who is already a fan of Diamanda's knows how shocking and powerful her music is. The imagery is dark. One song begins with the line "I don't like him. Let's kill him" and there's lots of cursing, and otherwise dark dark imagery. The world she creates is deeper, darker, more intimidating, and truer than the worlds PJ Harvey and Garbage create. I'm actually embarrased to make that comparison, because in fact I can think of nothing that compares. Maybe Dostoyevsky.

The album may be named after a classic British film named This Sporting Life. A dark black and white flick from the 1960's about a Rugby player who's unable to escape the realities of his life.

This is one of my top 10 albums of all time. It was one of three tapes in my car, and I would listen to it all the time while driving around. It's powerful, accurate, and like nothing else out there.

One more thing, these songs were recorded as they should be. In one take. As a musician I noticed one or two moments where things where not 110%, and wondered how they let it slip through. Then I heard that these tracks were recorded in 1 take, and rather wonder about their quality control, I marvelled at the quality of their musicianship. Everything, I mean EVERYTHING is spot on. The drums and the bass lock like nobody's business. The vocals soar to truly scary heights, and dip to profoundly deep lows.

You believe music courses through their veins, and thier music comes from who they are, not who they want you to think they are. In an interview (yeah, I read a lot of them) Jonesy said this album failed commercially - Diamanda Galas fans were turned off by her playing with this rock and roll icon, and Zeppelin fans were turned off by the avante garde singing. Jonesy's next effort - his first solo effort - has no vocals, which makes it even less accessible.

Rest assured, the are not doing this to make money, they are not doing this to further their careers. They are doing this to make music. A rare thing in today's world. Something we, as a society, need to nurture, and encourage. If you're looking for the cure to the MTV world of everything-sounds-the-same, this is a good place to start looking. If you have the courage.

For albums in a similar vein I would point to PJ Harvey's Rid of Me, Garbage's first and second albums, Radiohead's OK Computer, Diamanda Galas and Led Zeppelin albums are also obvious choices.

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page first created on Monday, July 15, 2002

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