Saturday 22 February 2014

CORKY LAING: Review


*Corky Laing - Playing God **(2013)*

*Label:* Gonzo Multimedia
*Band Site: *www.facebook.com / playinggodrocks
*Running Time:* 62:03
*Reviewer:* Harry 'JoJo' de Vries
*Rating:*
*(Out of 5 Jojo's)*


*Corky Laing* is well known for being a member of the legendary band
Mountain, in which band he touched the drums. Their album 'Nantucket
Sleighride' in 1971, I think still stand and is a hard-rock classic. He
then went on to West, Bruce and Laing with which he was quite successful
until 1974. After that there is very little heard of Laing and apparently
his stay in Finland spheres. The occupation of 'Playing God' has also shown
this.
*"Playing God" is a* rock opera and a musical metaphor for the sickness of
this society or the contemporary desire of many people to want to be
perfect: mentally, physically, in work and private life. The text entered
in the town of Happy Ville and its inhabitants who strive after perfection
and are even subject to genetic manipulation. They want to determine how
good and beautiful their children are physically and psychologically
yourself. Hence the band name 'Corky Laing & The Perfect Child'. In writing
this rock opera Laing has not only used his imagination, but also shows he
is a good observer of the strange antics of the gay sapiens and in addition
he has also based on scientific evidence. Either way, it is interesting
given and for psychologists.
*And then the* music. Besides drumming Laing takes some of the vocals in
the 28 relatively short pieces that tell the story. That singing is nice on
him, though there are better singers on this album as Bonnie Parker and
Denny Colt (both from the band Tang) and the Finnish singer Maya Paakkari a
delicious raw voice. The music well executed is a set of driven by guitar
riffs (hard) rock, ballads and some spiritual instrumental pieces and
depicts the story well, though of course I do not know if I would have
experienced if I would not have known the story that so .
*My problem* with this type of multiple shorter tracks existing albums is
that it is patchy. This is also the case here. On the one hand makes sense
because each miniature depicts a fragment of the story. Moreover, this
perception is not the full benefit. Nevertheless, I think that Laing with
'Playing God' good rock opera has put down and the current version in the
theater seems quite attractive. The story demands that theatrical
imagination and perhaps some hungry, ambitious yearning for perfection
citizens still learn from it too. *Harry de Vries (02-2014) *

*Personnel:*
Corky Laing - drums, vocals, percussion, guitar
Bonnie Parker - bass, vocals
Denny Colt - guitar, vocals
Lasse Vayrynen - guitars, guitalele, bass, keyboards, backing vocals Matti
Hayry - guitars, guitalele, keyboards, vocals
Tija Takala - guitar, vocals
Maya Paakari - vocals
Harri Vayrynen - guitar, bass, vocals
Mikaela Mansikkala - vocals
Hanna Paatero - backing vocals

*Discography:*
Playing God (2013)

Posted by Afterglow on

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CURRENTLY AVAILABLE AT GONZO:

Playing God
CD - £9.99






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