the other day i was engaged in a usual hobby of looking for the best cover of “gimme shelter”. believe it or not you’d be amazed at how this has been hacked up over the decades. these covers range from something close to the original, lady gaga stomping on something while singing, and honestly you get lost in all the variations of people out there trying to get close to that rage of emotions the original gave.
it’s hard to capture a time you were living in, to be sure. merry clayton flat out owned it vocally and the song, to me, has become synonymous of the emotional rage of the late 60s. however while on this tour of mine, i discovered the damn truth. after poking around a bit, i saw a new release was coming out. couldn’t wait to expand on this amazing discovery of mine.
going back to the late 60s, i honestly can’t tell you much about it; i was 5 when they wrapped up their time on this earth. but as i grew up i still got to see them fade away and no decade ever fades too fast, really. so i got to understand the raw emotions of the times and see how people reacted to them in life and of course, through music.
when it comes to capturing that time, many try these days; which is nice. but what is amazing is when someone simply nails. they walk about of that big ass tube tv with the bent rabbit ears and through my LCD screen and take me back with them with their music. 2021, i’ll be back in a bit but for now, i’m escaping back to one of the best eras of music with the damn truth driving.
now or nowhere is as good as title as any or this experience. the release itself from the damn truth flows from style to style as they quickly show they’re not tied to a singular vision of this time. just for fun i started each song for a few seconds and then moved to the next song. why? to see how they start telling the story they’re about to tell me.
to be sure, each story stands alone, yet a part of this “experience” the damn truth builds with each passing song. they’ve most certainly captured the time and feeling of decades far gone and brought them back in the most wonderful of ways.
9 times in this release. every song my favorite, every song an instant memory for today, a gift from yesterday for many of who were there. even if i was 5 at the time, i do remember the feeling.
this is it. this is about as classic as rock and roll gets from a time where it found it’s own feet and defined its own way. the damn truth have a bright future indeed with their roots buried in a historic past sound. they own it, they make it their own. and they did a bad ass job of gimme shelter where all this started for me.
and i gotta say, those sunglasses simply kick major ass. you either already know what i mean, or you’ll know it when you see it.
give the damn truth a shot, purchase your own copy or listen online and make your own connections to their sound. now or nowhere is one of the most solid releases out today from start to finish. well done. so damn well done.
iceberg
the band:
Lee-la Baum – Lead Vocals/Guitar
Tom Shemer – Lead Guitar / Vocals
PY Letellier – Bass / Vocals
dave Traina – Drums / Vocals
This is Who We Are
Love is Blindness
Gimme Shelter
