Recorded at Chrysalis Alternative School with the DSO Mobile Unit. Transferred to MCI 2″ 16-track & mixed at Studio (C).
CHARTBUSTERS:
Any review of Gregg Turner kind of needs to get the whole thing about how he was in Angry Samoans out of the way, and now that we’ve done so, we’re happy to report that Chartbusters! is so totally good it’s almost unbelievable. Turner has always excelled in funny, witty lyricism and a decidedly tongue-in-cheek feel, but with his Roky Erickson meets Ruben and the Jets-era Zappa musicality along for the ride, we may just have his best solo release to date. Whether he’s dissecting the works of Kafka or singing a little ditty about a gal he once knew in Tucson, Turner’s doo-wop melodies are as catchy as they come and as fun as it gets, and Chartbusters! winds up being far more fleshed-out than 2013’s Gregg Turner Plays the Hits. Hell, there are even girl group backup singers, adding throwback melodies to the songs. Turner has already announced he’ll release the album on vinyl, and he’s cleverly bisected it by side, with the poppier tunes comprising Side A and the sadder numbers and weirdness of a track like “The Box” rounding out Side B. Maybe you don’t realize what a big deal this guy actually is, and that’s actually fine, but those who choose to do a little digging will find more than enough reason to pick up Chartbusters! upon release. You can thank us later. (Alex DaVore) – Santa Fe Reporter
