Gallbladder Greats (Copy Machine - Bile)

Member Name: Frankingsteins

Product:	Copy Machine - Bile
Date:	16/02/08 (14 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: You may know the original songs...

Disadvantages: ...but these covers are nothing special.

As a collection of covers performed in an industrial rock style, this album isn't only poorly conceived, but it's downright lazy as well. Not only does it allow Krztoff to make some money off the backs of other artists' work (only a little money admittedly, as this stuff isn't exactly a big seller), but as some of the material has been around for at least a few years and has frequently appeared on earlier releases, would it really have taken an enormous effort to include more than nine songs?

Despite his usual flair for the genre, Krztoff really brings very little to these covers, the sole exception being the Who's 'My Generation' which is messed around with to reflect a much darker tone and is largely unrecognisable, but even this was previously available as the leading track from the 'Biledegradable' E.P. The rest are predictable and uninventive re-hashes of commercial rock and mellow pop songs performed in a style that's more reminiscent of Marilyn Manson's own covers than anything, which should give you some idea as to the quality you can expect from this release.

Grinding guitars and irritating keyboards are the key players here in reminding of the much better sounds of the original performances, and it's only Krztoff's vocals that impress to any degree in his takes on Alice Cooper, Mike Patton, Kurt Cobain and even Gary Glitter. It's fortunate that most of the songs are based in catchy rock, as this at least prevents the listening experience from being too boring, but the sound does become incredibly samey, especially in the more inherently repetitive songs like 'Do You Wanna Touch Me There' and 'Creep.' I'm never really a fan of cover albums, unless they take a radically different and enlightening view of the earlier material that earns them the right to exist as separate entities. This doesn't.

1. Clones (We're All) (Alice Cooper cover)
2. Do You Wanna Touch Me There (Oh Yeah) (Gary Glitter cover)
3. Love Stinks (J. Geils Band cover)
4. We Got the Beat (The Go-Go's cover)
5. My Generation (The Who cover)
6. Midlife Crisis (Faith No More cover)
7. Scentless Apprentice (Nirvana cover)
8. Not to Touch the Earth (The Doors cover)
9. Creep (Black from the Dead cover)

Summary: Bile's sixth album (2002).