Search - Doug Hilsinger, Caroleen Beatty :: Brian Eno's Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy

Brilliant forgotten treasure re-recorded by genius fan

05/20/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"brian eno's original lp, Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy,his second solo effort from 1974, is an often overlooked and amazingly advanced and unique record that has been one of my very favorites for years.
The idea of someone actually trying to re-create this classic and experimental work is mind-boggling. They would have to be exceptionally talented musicians with enough technical savvy to record and produce a very complex tribute, one worthy enough to present simultaneously with the re-issue of the original work, just released in the same week. They would have to know and love the original completely and be pretty brave to undertake the task.
With this disc their love of the original and the undeniable musical genius and capabilities of Doug Hilsinger and Caroleen Beatty (both are members of the San Francisco band Waycross)ring loud and clear. From beginning to end this record soars with a breathtaking beauty and confidence, exercising perfect levels of interpretive freedom yet concise restraint and respect for the original. It's not simply a soundalike, it is a celebration of an almost forgotten gem in musical history and Hilsinger and Beatty rose to the occasion with a supernatural glow and charm and wit. Their version of "Third Uncle," likely the most well-known song from TTMBS, stomps and lilts with a dichotomous force, somehow sounding sped up and slowed down simultaneously--yet completely recognizable. This record is exciting from end to end--as you will see from the liner notes, Brian Eno couldn't have been happier with their labor of love. This disc is essential for all."

I enjoyed the heck out of this.

Turner Morgan | San Francisco, CA United States | 12/14/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"the two folks who put this together opened for Camper Van Beethoven locally to me not too long ago. I'd figured it would be sort of tedious, but I was amazed to find myself completely into it. The album captures a lot of the sheer electrical excitement of that performance, though- regrettably- not all of it.

While the original album's one of my favorite albums period (and certainly my favorite Eno solo album), the new sensibilities that Beatty and Hilsinger bring to a couple of the tracks are especially impressive- I find their interpretation of 'Mother Whale Eyeless' to be vocally superior (I know, I know; I'm a heretic), and I like the tweaks they did to the rhythm of Third Uncle.

My only real complaint is that a lot of the songs do not take the original as a jumping-off point. I think that the Hilsinger/Beatty covers work a bit better when they are experimenting, and going off in a new direction from the original work: color-by-numbers covers have always displeased me, as if I wanted to listen to the same performance as the album someone else wrote, I'd put on the album that someone else wrote."

Absolutely Worthy Remake... and it rocks!

Kristopher Spencer | Royal Oak, MI | 06/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hats off to Doug Hilsinger and Caroleen Beatty for recreating Eno's classic album. It's amazing how they captured the sound and spirit of the original, while giving it their own sonic stamp of inspiration and creativity. By emphasizing the multi-tracked guitars and the hard rock beat, Doug modernizes an already modern rock masterpiece. Caroleen's vocals add some wonderful emotional punch to Eno's witty, oblique lyrics. This is definitely an album to crank."