The Lost Fingers – Lost in the 80s
Reviewed by Sadie O. 10/19/09
Terrible 80’s hits covered a la Django – brilliant musicianship and vocals and arrangements. It works both as a funny novelty record and really musically excellent body of work – that doesn’t happen often. Either way, it should lift everyone’s spirits. It’s hard to imagine why these things weren’t recorded like this in the first place…
No FCCs that I could hear. I like 1, 8, also 2, 6, 11, 12 – all of em.
1. 3:49 *****guitar flourish intro, midtempo funky shuffle – the combination of guitar jazz and disco lyrics is pretty wild. Terrific guitar duet mid-song.
2. 3:51 ****solo vocal intro (much the same as original), then breathtaking Django-style guitar.
3. 3:09 ***downtempo, swingy, more than a hint of Satchmo in the vocals.
4. 4:13 ***slow intro in French, then uptempo two-step with hyperspeed guitar runs.
5. 3:42 ***chugging little 4/4 groove, fingersnaps, pretty guitar riffs and sleazy lyrics.
6. 3:49 ****uptempo swing with skat singing. Airy and light.
7. 4:09 ***uptempo and upbeat, and really silly – if the musicianship wasn’t so good. Another blistering guitar solo…
8. 4:17 *****damn! Uptempo with cute little backing bops and overwrought lead vocals, and a song EVERYONE remembers. Completely brilliant ending.
9. 4:53 ***guitar flourishes intro, lounge bopper.
10. 3:31 **very subdued guitar and upright bass intro, then midtempo bouncy happy boppy thing.
11. 4:06 ****Spanish guitar intro, uptempo wiggle – don’t know how they made this dog sound so good. Nice bit of walking bass and nuttiness.
12. 5:23 ****lazy downtempo stroll, brilliant vocals (listen and weep, Nat King Cole!) NB: a few moments of dramatic silence.
13. 3:47 ***back to the uptempo sashay and Djangoism, very light and unctuously hip vocals in Frencha.
14. 3:18 ***furiously uptempo guitar scratching, bops and very, very French vocals. And at the end, everybody dies! YAY!!!