Positive review of the new Crucible tribute album.

Author:  Jeff Jenkins, Stack (JB Hi Fi magazine).

Date: October 2013.

Original URL: http://www.stack.net.au/music-reviews/854/Various-Artists/Crucible-A-Tribute-to-Hunters-and-Collectors

Article Text

Feature Artist

3 1/2 Stars

Tribute albums are always hit and miss. The obvious question is: if a band is worthy of a tribute, do we need new versions of their songs? What can they add to the originals?

Crucible has some notable omissions (Everything’s On Fire and Where Do You Go?), but it’s satisfying to see album tracks represented, including Alligator Engine, Hear No Evil and This Morning, while Abbe May brings her own hypnotic menace to Dog.

British India successfully reinvent Do You See What I See?, Cloud Control capture the folk life of Still Hanging ‘Round (recorded in a Yorkshire cave), while Oh Mercy add an ironic wackiness to the Hunna’s iconic ode to drinking and sex: The Slab (Betty’s Worry). But arguably, only Something For Kate can match the Hunnas’ raw energy – it’s thrilling to hear Paul Dempsey let loose on When the River Runs Dry.

Mark Seymour laments in the liner notes that many people dismissed the Hunnas as “just a pub rock band”. These songs show they were the last great pub rock band – and a whole lot more.

Liberation/Universal.

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