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Bon Jovi, the Breeders and Sonny Rollins will never walk into a bar together
Published on 6/30/08
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Yes, I’m a Witch falls somewhere between a remix project and a tribute album. Sixteen artistic collaborators were provided access to Yoko Ono’s original tapes; most saved only her voice, reperforming the original backing tracks or completely reimagining them.
Ono’s prominence in cultural history is assured, but her idiosyncratic voice may still be the deciding factor in who actually enjoys this CD. Her most radical recordings have best stood the test of time, while the more mainstream ones sound a bit period-bound. The Brother Brothers’ big-beat take on the title track and Shitake Monkey’s “O’oh,” both from the same 1974 session, ditch that era’s characteristic electric piano and deadened drums, with results aimed at the contemporary dance floor.
The most successful cuts tend to be the most over-the-top and lushly arranged: the Polyphonic Spree’s “You and I,” Spiritualized’s “Walking on Thin Ice” and the Flaming Lips’ “Cambridge 1969.” The sparser approaches of Antony Hegarty and Cat Power sound too much like they are singing along to someone else’s record. Neoprog band Porcupine Tree recasts the early-’70s horn-rock “Death of Samantha” as something resembling mid-’70s Pink Floyd.
Bookended by Hank Shocklee’s short electronic pieces, the collection coheres quite well, and the hit-to-miss ratio falls firmly on the positive side. And in some cases, the new versions of the songs can stand quite proudly with the originals. (See also “The Hot Seat.”) — Bob Bannister
