Editorial Reviews
Put Your Tongue to the Rail: The Philly Comp for Catholic Children Songs of the Jim Carroll Band
Music Review:
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Ramsey Pennypacker, Philadelphia Weekly
There have been many Philadelphia band compilations over the years, but it's doubtful that any have had the broad scope of "Put Your Tongue to the Rail: The Philly Comp for Catholic Children" (Genus). A just-released collection of local acts performing the songs of seminal punk-poet Jim Carroll, the two-disc set includes fiery contributions from Marah, Burn Witch Burn, Iota, Del Pez, Brother JT, Thorazine, Jen Hess, and 17 other local artists. "The general goal was to bring Carroll's characters to life by matching them up with the right voices from the philly scene," says Mike Villers, the comp's producer, who began the project in 1996. "Then we arranged the songs lyrically and musically to let the stories unfold seamlessly, like in a movie or a book." That's an apt analogy, as it is largely Carroll's vivid, cinematic lyrics that hold these disparate tracks together. On a deeper level, though, it's also the sheer quality of these performances that gives the album its strong sense of unity. For anyone who doubts the reality of a Philadelphia rock scene, "Tongue" is the proof. And for anyone who's still not sure, there'll be no fewer than five release party concerts at area venues in the second week of December.
Ted Rall's Rall Deal column, maximumrocknroll
Disposable Income Alert: For the first time in ages, I can recommend you drop your hard-earned cash on one of those tribute records to the long lost heroes of early punk rock. "Put Your Tongue to the Rail: The Philly Comp for Catholic Children" isn't exactly going to get the Pope's blessing anytime soon; it's a full length collection of Philly bands doing covers of Jim Carroll Songs. Carroll, best known for his 1980 single "People Who Died," ("Judy jumped in front of a subway train, Eddie got... read more
Album Description
"Put Your Tongue to the Rail" is a two-cd tribute to the Jim Carroll Band. It features more than 2 dozen artists from Philadelphia performing the early 80's musical work of Jim Carroll, the seminal punk/poet whose autobiographical Basketball Diaries were made into a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Stylistically it touches on punk, post punk funk, traditional american guitar rock, garage/psychedelia, singer/songwriter stylings, eastern european folk music, stadium rock, homocore-cabaret, country, and free jazz. Yet within the unifying context of Carroll's lyrics, these wide ranging styles hang together seamlessly, creating an often breathtaking musical mosaic. The artists inhabit Carroll's songs as much as perform them, injecting his characters with distinctive personalities and propping them up with liberal doses of musical punch. What's more, "Put Your Tongue to the Rail" has excellent production values--and it was mastered by Jim Carroll Band bassist Steve Linsley, lending the project even further authenticity. Intelligent and intense, "Put Your Tongue to the Rail" recreates Carroll's songs in brilliant bursts, exploiting his lyrical genius to the fullest while adroitly showcasing the depth and diversity of the current Philadelphia music scene.