It was with jittery nerves that I approached this record, fully aware that certain odds are stacked against it. After all, as The Doors, Queen and numerous other bands have proven, sustaining the fire when your frontman’s out of the picture can be somewhat tricky.
So we have it that Tony Visconti (bass) and Woody Woodmansey (drums), the rhythm section behind 1970’s The Man Who Sold The World album have reunited to conjure it once again, albeit with neither David Bowie or its chief arranger, legendary glam guitarist Mick Ronson.
If this all sounds a bit creaky, well – it does. But somehow Holy Holy have not only recreated the LP; they’ve also revved it up quite impressively. It’s often said that the album was the prototype of heavy rock and although the claim is debatable, this album’s explosive rendition of ‘The Width Of A Circle’ certainly leans in its favour.
Heaven 17 vocalist Glenn Gregory does a fair job singing Bowie’s parts, but it’s audibly the rhythm section who fizz and crackle: I’m not sure if Woodmansey played this well on the original LP, but right now he’s drumming like a fiend. Ronson’s guitar parts can’t be bettered of course, but they’re faithfully delivered – and ghostly backing vocals are frequently deployed to elevate the soul of the thing.
Highlights include a crunchily satisfying ‘Black Country Rock’, a faithfully spooky rendition of the title track and, on CD2, some saxed up, Spiders-tastic Ziggy-era goodies. Marc Almond’s operatic treatment of ‘After All’ hits the mark then wobbles around it, but then with songs about madness, a little imperfection can be a good thing.
In many ways this is mission impossible: much of the album’s allure lies in its hedonistic production, its sinister air of occultism and, of course, Bowie’s darkly emotional delivery – qualities that this record can only echo. But if you can swallow that, Holy Holy have delivered a hugely enjoyable tribute, and one which you can catch on tour this summer too. It’ll be worth the ticket.
[Rating:3]
>
