The Eels up inside ya!
The Eels may seem as though they have been around for ever but they are a band who seem to have been getting diminishing returns with each passing album which is a shame and with the release of ‘Essential Eels’ is more than that, its an absolute disgrace. This album really feels like a greatest hits collection and not just because there are a lot of bona fide hits but because there is so much variety on show. So many bands just manage to knock out one big hit and spend their career bashing out rehash after rehash of the same formula until it gets to the stage where you are no longer sure where one track ends and the next one begins. The same accusation cannot be labelled at The Eels.
What other band would have a set list containing ‘Novocaine for the Soul’. ‘Mr E’s beautiful Blues’, ‘I Like Birds’ and ‘Souljacker Part 1’, to name but four and still have so many different stuff up their sleeve to change the tempo about further if required.
One of the best things about this package as it brought home how great ‘Last Stop: This Town’ is and how much of an underrated classic it is. The chirping melodies plays with the deep baritone of the backing vocal and out of all the brilliant tracks on show here, its definitely this writers stand-out.
In addition to plenty of their own material, the cover of Missy Elliots ‘Get Ur Freak On’ is included and maintains the crazy dance edge of the original whilst totally removing it from the hip-hop world where Missy Misdemeanour resides. A lot of people have The Eels as being a humourless band but this cover shows they are willing and able to have fun and mix things up a bit when they want to.
The ‘Useless Trinkets’ collection may not be as essential for everyone but its pretty darned interesting and theres a lot to like about it. Even taking the opening blast of ‘Novocaine For The Soul (Live From Hell)’, the sombre take on the track which burst The Eels onto the world takes the track into a completely different world, with an almost creepy backing sound made by an organ which has escaped from a Stephen King novel and Mr. E speaking calmly over the top. It’s a great rendition, clearly not one that would have bothered the charts but really intriguing. Its also perfectly bookend-ed by the Moog Cookbook remix of the same track which goes from the sublime to the ridiculous but to be honest, it’s the sort of thing that’s going to put a smile on this writers face. It deals in kitsch value and whilst it may not be something to listen to repeatedly, it’ll be fun to surprise on unsuspecting listeners.
Some live cover version add some curiosity value and of particular interest is ‘Dark End of the Street’, which is one of the greatest songs of all time. It was an original R&B classic but when Gram Parsons and the rest of the Flying Burrito Brothers got their hands on it, they turned it into a country rock classic and The Eels version is a little hazier, almost as if its being played through a good few more drinks but its impossible to hide the charm that this song carries. A slightly more contemporary cover is ‘If I was Your Girlfriend’ which borrows from Prince when he was good and its okay but doesn’t live up to the highs of some of the other covers available. ‘Jennifer Eccles’, ‘Cant Help Falling in love With You’ and ‘I Put A Spell On You’
A lot of the extra tracks that bands give to round out packages really aren’t worth it but The Eels have offered up a few gems that are well worth checking out. ‘Mr E’s Beautiful Remix’ is an excellent reworking that brings the funk and joy of life to an already upbeat track and its pretty quirky, as is the alternate version of ‘Souljacker Part 1.’ It strangely manages to keep its menace and venom but does so over a backdrop of bongos, which is not something you hear everyday.
The DVDs are totally per functionary, they look good and they’ll while away some time but the real quality here comes in the CDs and whether you just settle for the greatest hits or you go for the whole hog, you may just realise that The Eels have been a brilliant band all throughout the years and no matter of genre or classification can contain them!