The Spongetones
Where-Ever Land
Permanent Press
Where-Ever Land rocks and rolls in with some frolicking raucous and very traditional fun. The impression is that of the Pure Prairie League overpracticing “New Age Girl” and lots of Huey Lewis covers. This is early ’70s semi-hard rock at its ’90s best. It definitely and generously delivers bar-born, honky-stomp rock. Also mixed in is the effect of taking some of the lesser-known early Beatles songs, or some of the better known Dave Clark Five songs, and playing them sideways endlessly. Some of the songs sound like they may have been Ringo rejects. But maybe the joke’s on me, I’ve never heard of the Spongetones before this, so this could actually be their long-awaited reunion album.
Some of the many bonus tracks get rawer, more acoustic, like a classic Neil Young doing “Snoopy and the Red Baron” (a song called “Woodstock II”). If you like Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock’n’Roll,” you’re gonna love every song here in Where-Ever Land. Permanent Press Recordings, 14431 Ventura Blvd, #311, Sherman Oaks , CA Permanent Press Recordings
