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Peterson’s got a soft spot for Soundgarden’s ‘Black Hole Sun’ as he was trying to identify another jazzed up version of the track at the beginning of the year. What Anka has done on this here (and with the other 13 tracks) is pick a ‘rock’ track and add jazz swing band backing to it. Ideal for Reno and Los Vegas, ‘Black Hole Sun’ is one of the best tracks and it shows Anka’s still got a great voice after a 45-year career which started when ‘Diana’ hit the charts when he was mere sixteen-year-old teen idol.

Whilst Soundgarden might be thought of soft-grunge, the biggest grunge anthem of all time, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ was anything but soft in it’s original form. Nirvana’s tribute to deodorant is cleaned up and Anka does a great job. All those times when you wondered what the hell is Kurt was ranting on about are no more as on Paul’s version you can actual hear all the lyrics.

However, as a ‘rock’ album, there are some choices that just make me cringe. Peterson owned up on his show to always liking Spandau Ballet’s song, ‘True’ but adding “but I won’t play it”. I was always more of a ‘Chant No. 1’ fan and then they went all commercial. Tony Hadley only redeemed himself when I saw him in my local many years later telling off one of his entourage for behaving like a child (she could have been no more than 5 years old).

Some more British writing talent includes, ‘It’s A Sin’ (Pet Shop Boys), ‘Tears In Heaven’ (Clapton) and ‘Wonderwall’ (Noel Gallagher). Billy Idol’s ‘Eyes Without A Face’ is one of the better slushy ones with The Cure’s ‘The Lovecats’.

Some of the other selections are more predictable and ideal for the mother in law at Christmas. Lionel Richie’s ‘Hello’, REM’s ‘Everybody Hurts’ and from Rocky III, ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ by Survivor (although it’s another one I’m warming to on repeated listens).

The middle ground would be the interpretations of Michael Jackson’s ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ and Van Halen’s oft-covered ‘Jump’. Bon Jovi’s ‘It’s My Life’ kicks the album off as a lively introduction with a little Pink Panther theme about it. The ‘nod’ in the lyrics to the Anka penned ‘My Way’ was no doubt one of the reasons for its inclusion here.

Either Randy Kerber, Patrick Williams or John Clayton have arranged the songs in the big band form and as you would expect, the band is faultless.

So an album that’s great fun for ‘guess the intro’ competitions and one or two to come back to.

Links:
Paul Anka www.paulanka.com Concert Tickets for Reno Events Center on December 30, 2005, will go on sale November 1, 2005 on all Ticket Master Outlets, Circus Circus, El Dorado & Silver Legacy
Paul Anka, United Kingdom: Thursday, November 17, 2005: Today With Des & Mel (ITV1 1.30-2.30pm), Hard Talk Extra (BBC World/News 24) and Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two (BB2)
Friday, November 18, 2005: Channel Five News with Kirsty Young and Children In Need (BBC1 7.00pm) Friday
‘My Way’ with Nina Simone “My Way” is the English version of a 1967 French song called “Comme d’habitude”. In 1968 Paul Anka wrote the the English lyric and Frank Sinatra transformed it into a world hit. A Spanish version exist also (Gypsy King, Julio Iglesias, Paul Anka).
Gilles Peterson : Hanne Hukkeberg in Session : Tracklisting 13/11/05 (2) Paul Anka - ‘Black Hole Sun’ (Globe/Universal)
Gilles Peterson :: Tracklisting 16/01/05 :: Wajeed & Incognito (1) Unknown - ‘Black Hole Sun’ (White)
Blomseth I’ve also been looking for the “Black Hole Sun” cover version. I think I have a positive auditive id. It is Eydie Gorme and Steve Lawrence from the 1997 album “Lounge-A-Palooza”.
Kid Carpet - ‘Jump’ http://www.gigwise.com/contents.asp?contentid=5383