By Henry Lipput
The rock and roll super group that accompanied Vince Melouney on his “Women” single last year (in my review I called it “a crash course in garage rock”) was made up of members of Blondie, the Jigsaw Seen, and Strangers In A Strange Land. It now has an official name and has released a single.
"Come Some Christmas Eve (Or Halloween)," the single from Tall Poppy Syndrome (Bandcamp), was written by Vince’s former bandmate Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees in 1968 for that band’s Idea album (it wasn’t included in the original album but is part of the 2006 reissue). Vince, as you know, is an Australian guitar legend and was a member of the classic Bee Gees lineup from 1967 to 1969.
"Come Some Christmas Eve (Or Halloween)" isn’t a seasonal song despite the mention of those two almost holidays. The song concerns a long-lost love and perhaps those two days had a special significance for the lovers (dragons also seem to figure in the relationship).
The new version is a completely different animal than the original. Tall Poppy Syndrome’s version grabs mid-60s influences and puts them into a melting pot to serve up a steaming plate of prime rock and roll. Vince brings his signature crisp, clean guitar sound to the song, drummer Clem Burke of Blondie channels his inner Moon man, Jonathan Lea of the Jigsaw Seen adds more guitars and an Indian-sounding mellotron wash, and Strangers In A Strange Land’s Alec Palao’s bass playing is very much in the McCartney Revolver-era vein while his bandmate Paul Kopf lays down a terrific vocal on top of it all.
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