StreisBAND. No joke.
The ad inviting drummers to audition for the Barbra Streisand metal hardcore covers duo StreisBAND warned: “This is an amusing band but by no means is it a joke”. Several people posted the ad on my Facebook. I’m not a drummer, but they all know what a major Babs fan I am. Like, they really don’t come much bigger. They also knew that the concept of a metal hardcore Streisand tribute band would have massive appeal. The outcome of such a project could only ever be a Pretty Good Thing. When I realised that it was the brainchild of composer Stephen Crowe, it all made sense and my expectations were raised tenfold. And, listening to sneak preview tracks from their forthcoming album, it’s clear StreisBAND have delivered.
Crowe, an avant garde composer and musician, has been writing “little operas” for years, including the acclaimed Bacon Opera, with a libretto incorporating the inebriated South Bank Show interview between Melvyn Bragg and Francis Bacon. Crowe also plays with free-improv trio Ynd.
StreisBAND isn’t a covers band in the vein of Tragedy, the brilliant all metal Bee Gees tribute band. Crowe’s line up of “just a singer and a drummer” is the first clue. On listening, it’s clear that this is at once a tribute, a labour of love, an art project and – as much as anything – an invitation to join two men having a bloody great time.
What might at first appear as a simple gimmick reveals itself quickly to have much more substance. StreisBAND aren’t pandering to those aware solely of the most popular and radio friendly StreisSongs. The track choices reveal an in-depth knowledge and appreciation of Babs’ catalogue. For every “Woman in Love” there’s a “Come to the Supermarket in Old Peking”. For every “Don’t Rain on My Parade” there’s a “Come Back to Me”. The latter, sung by Yves Montand to Streisand’s character in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (he’s trying to woo her through telepathy, natch), was used by Babs as part of an electronica medley in her awesome 1973 TV special, Barbra Streisand and other Musical Instruments. This broadcast special (and accompanying album) was a big influence on Crowe, and it shows. Not many think of Babs as experimental, or of pushing boundaries. But she does, whether through her “concerto for voice and appliances” (“The World is a Concerto/Make Your Own Kind of Music”), her classical interpretations (Classical Barbra), or covers of children’s songs (Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf and Sing).
The canny listener can hear Babs envelope-pushing in most every ballad and belter. Streisand changed what it meant to be a pop singer. The choice of obscure covers on her first several albums proved that the material was more important to her than fitting in with the groovy new sounds of the time. She has seldom been predictable. And when she’s tried to be “contemporary”, it hasn’t always worked. But sometimes the choices have been extraordinary. Have you heard her sublime version of “Life on Mars”? Or the “interesting” choice of Lennon’s “Mother”? In every StreisBAND track, there’s an acknowledgement of Barbra’s contribution to music and the significance of her oeuvre. There is much affection here, where you might expect only to find piss-take. C
Corinna is one of the founders of The Ethel Mermaids. Read more at the Mermania blog, at The Ethel Mermaids Facebook page and on Twitter @ethelsmermaids