REVIEW: Danny Wilde & The Rembrandts, Spin This! (East West)
- Bob Gajarsky
How does a #1 record change things for an artist? In the case of the Rembrandts, three albums were exchanged as the answer for the question, 'Who sings the theme song from Friends?'
Time passed on, Phil Solem departed the duo, and Danny Wilde continued solo. But Danny Wilde's name didn't attract people during his solo career in the 80s...and the Rembrandts name does...so Wilde & The Rembrandts it is.
Fortunately, nothing much has changed from the Rembrandts formulaic lightweight power pop. "Shakespeare's Tragedy" is a prototypical Rembrandts should-be-in-a-perfect-world hit. With the orchestral arrangements being written and conducted on two tracks by Brian Wilson-cohort Van Dyke Parks, it's easy to tell where Wilde's loyalties lie, even if the actual performances don't match up to anything from the Smile era.
The first single from Spin This!, "Long Walk Back", which was co-written the Gin Blossoms' Jesse Valenzuela, is a dead ringer for the Blossoms' "Follow You Down". However, on most of the remainder of the album, it appears Wilde has tried to mimic (with a fair amount of success) the songwriting developed on The Rembrandts. For those unsure of the softer rock in Wilde's arsenal, producer Gavin McKillop's track record (Toad The Wet Sprocket, Goo Goo Dolls) offers a strong glimpse as to what The Rembrandts offer.
Not quite measuring up to the high standards of the Rembrandts eponymously titled 1990 debut album, Spin This! will prove to be another fine addition in the Rembrandts - or Danny Wilde - catalog.
