Souvenir compilation from Rubinoos’ 2009 tour of Spain
This collection was issued for the Rubinoos 2009 tour of Spain and pulls tracks of recent vintage, including selections from 2006’s Twist Pop Sin and 2007’s Japan-only One Two That’s It. A trio of cover outtakes from 2003’s Crimes Against Music (Bacharach & David’s “Little Red Book,†Tommy Roe’s “Dizzy†and The Monkees’ “Valleriâ€) make their domestic debut, and a quartet of outtakes from 1998’s Kevin Gilbert-produced Paleophonic are issued for the first time. These latter four are real treats, highlighted by the broken hearted “Everybody’s Got Somebody But Me†and the Everly’s-styled ballad “Home to You†(which was previously recorded by the Rubin-less Vox Pop in 1998). Additional gems include a cover of the Hollies’ “Bus Stop†that opens with Jon Rubin accompanied nearly a cappella by lush harmonies, hand drums and a triangle, and a gutsy production of the Raspberries’ “Cruisin’ Music†that one-ups the original’s thin sound. The 1984 basement production of “Two of Us†has a fetching DIY quality that captures the Rubinoos channeling the Paley Brothers. If you missed the group’s recent records, this is a good sampler, and if you’re a Rubinoos fanatic, the outtakes are must-haves. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com] 