THE "DUDES CAMPING TRIP" LOOK

Quite a few years ago I reviewed a friend's band for my fanzine, I mentioned that they were something like a new wave K-Tel record. For those not as old as I am, K-Tel records were like 70s versions of that Now That's What I Call Music! franchise. You know, those records that compile the hits of the year and plop them on one disc. I made that comparison because they had songs that sounded like new wave, some that were closer to punk rock, a song or two that sounded like Tom Waits early stuff, you know, just all over the place. Not like Top 40, but still kind of a mixed bag. I think I remember them taking offense at my description. Well, shit, that may have been the last time I ever reviewed a friend's band in print. To this day I try not to write about friends' bands unless I am absolutely positive that I'd be into them even if I didn't know who they were. Unfortunately, I usually err on the side of caution, so as a result musician friends really aren't given a completely fair shake. I'll have to remedy that at some point.

The reason I bring that up is because the Bees are another band that are alike a K-Tel record. I don't remember how I first heard of them, but once I heard "Chicken Payback" I was hooked. Talk about catchy! The other night I was listening to a mix and a few seconds after that song began playing, a song I've heard many times over the years, I found myself on my feet dancing around the kitchen. This was unusual for a couple reasons. One is that I had no recollection of actually rising to my feet from a sitting position. It was as if the song yanked me up. But there I was shaking my ancient ass. The other reason it was unusual is that I don't dance often, at least not in the kitchen. What do they say? "Dance like nobody's watching"? Well, I was, and there was nobody watching. Just seconds ago I came across this video. Technical quality be damned, this could be my favorite music video of all time.

That said, that "Chicken Payback" is an undeniable butt shaker, those damn Bees do come off as a K-Tel record. It would be frustrating as hell if you're trying to figure out what the true sound of the Bees is. The thing is that they do other other types of music just as good as the sixties swamp rock inflected dance song that dragged me into their sphere in the first place. To wit, the vintage reggae groove of "No Trophy", their cover of the Os Mutantes' "A Minha Menina", and the seventies soul sound on "Listening Man". Now that's what I call identity crisis!

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Listen:
The Bees - Chicken Payback mp3 at Audio Drums
The Bees - No Trophy (streaming) at YouTube
The Bees - A Minha Menina (streaming) at YouTube