SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: VARIOUS ARTISTS – PUNK FLOYD – A TRIBUTE TO PINK FLOYD

VARIOUS ARTISTS
PUNK FLOYD – A TRIBUTE TO PINK FLOYD
CLEOPATRA RECORDS

When Dirk McQuickly left The Rutles, he formed The Punk Floyd. This album, Punk Floyd – A Tribute To Pink Floyd, is not the long lost album by that band, but rather punk bands paying tribute to Pink Floyd. It is actually kind of funny how far punk has come since the days of Johnny Rotten wearing an ‘I hate Pink Floyd’ t-shirt on television. In fact, his former Public Image Limited partner Jah Wobble is even on this album (with a great version of “Time” with Joe Klein). Pink Floyd is a band that many hold sacred and few dare to cover their songs. This collection of 17 artists has no problem covering and adapting Pink Floyd into their own sound and style. Once the novelty of the situation wears off, one can enjoy a spirited, energetic and pretty cool album.

Peter & The Test Tube Babies steal the album with their faithful, yet punk-infused version of “Bike”. One can only assume Syd Barrett would love this cover version. It maintains the original spirit of the song, and the psychedelic style is replaced by a driving punk energy. Whereas The Dead Boys’ version of “Pigs On The Wing” maybe tries a bit hard to punk. Waters’ original sadness is replaced by pure anger. And yet, it works here, with a nice acoustic opening that explodes for a very loud mid-section, to return to the lovely melody and sound of the original at the end of the song. The U.K. Subs speeds “Comfortably Numb” up to an almost uncomfortable speed. But, again, this is an interesting take on the classic song. The Skids do the impossible by turning a Pink Floyd song into a Skids song. Their cover of “Breathe” is wonderful and very original. It sounds like classic Skids and is a welcome addition to the album.

Some of the songs don’t work extremely well. JFA’s “Money” is certainly energetic, but it does not bring a whole lot new to the song. It is full of energy and fun but it would have been more interesting to breathe a few more original moments into their version. It isn’t bad, by any means, just not as original as the other covers. The same can be said for The Members version of “The Nile Song”. An interesting choice, but it just becomes a sped-up version of the song with little added by the band. It is still fun to listen to and The Members sound fantastic.

Punk Floyd – A Tribute To Pink Floyd is a very cool album. It is interesting that labels and bands are finding new ways to pay tribute to artists and albums that they love and perhaps had some influence on them. Punk Floyd – A Tribute To Pink Floyd may annoy the hardcore Pink Floyd or classic rock fans, but these bands are not trying to win those listeners over. Fans of punk and an open mind will appreciate these very original and unique cover versions of some classic and relatively unknown Pink Floyd songs. It is extremely well done and a roller coaster ride for those willing to pay the admission. I wouldn’t bother with the safety bar, it is more fun that way.

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