Cornet Blue - Cornet Blue

by Malcolm Carter

published: 16 / 9 / 2002

Label: Laughing Outlaw
Format: CD

Classic power pop release from 1999 from Australian duo, Coronet Duo, which produced by the much acclaimed Mitch Easter, has now been re-released with 5 extra tracks

Review

Seemingly now firmly a part of the ‘Laughing Outlaw Family’, the legendary Mitch Easter co-produced this album from the Sydney based duo who go under the name of Coronet Blue. Easter also plays all the lead guitar parts which , as might be expected from anyone familiar with the great man’s work, are stunning. I mention this first so that anyone who wonders who the hell Coronet Blue are will know straight away that, by having the fingers of Easter on the guitar strings and his butt in the producer’s chair, we can assume that Coronet Blue are more than worthy of a listen. Has Easter ever been involved in anything not worth listening too? I also wanted to get the Easter connection out of the way early as this is, after all, a Coronet Blue album, and not a Mitch Easter one despite the undeniable magic he has weaved throughout these tracks. The duo of John Rooney and Anthony Bautovich, which makes up Coronet Blue, handle all the lead vocals here, and at least one of them has a hand in co-composing all of the 17 tracks here with the exception of 2 songs. This album was, in fact, Laughing Outlaw’s first ever release in 1999 , but it is now available with 5 bonus tracks not on the original version so that it now holds the complete Mitch Easter sessions. Hailed as a power pop gem (and coming from a couple of musicians who cite Brian Wilson, The Hollies, Badfinger and The Zombies as their heroes ,that is not a big surprise) it is not the usual bright, shimmering power pop route that these guys have taken. For a start their lyrics have a darker edge to them than most songs of this genre. Titles like ‘Black Angel’ sum up the harder rock sound of that track fittingly. A killer riff, courtesy of Mr. Easter, turns this tale of unrequited love into a much darker and sombre affair than that usually associated with the term power pop. It is not all dark and moody though, despite some bleak but fascinating lyrics. The sound of Easter’s old buddies REM can be heard in the track ‘For Too Long A Secret’ , while on ‘Auf Wiedersehen’, possibly the best song on an album full of strong songs, Coronet Blue’s poppier side comes to the fore. ‘When Will Your Love Be Mine’ is out and out classic power pop. Again fuelled by some searing guitar by Easter this track is obviously the basis for all the Big Star comparisons levelled at this band. The same could be said for the following track, ‘Fool In Love’, although now the power pop sound is given a punk-lite direction with backwards glances to Green Day along the way. The original album finishes with the Darryl Mather composition ‘ Something You Can’t Miss’. It’s a, for want of a better word, a power pop ballad with some lovely oh, la las, which appear in the background of the chorus amidst gorgeous organ from Angie Easter and heartfelt vocals from either Rooney or Bautovich. Not listing who sings lead on each track in the inlay makes it hard to know who is actually singing. But each of the duo has a distinctive voice. One is more pop orientated than the other is. They have the best of both worlds really. One vocalist handles the harder edged rock songs like ‘Mission Bell’ and the other takes on the vocals on the more lighter power pop sounds of ‘Tenterhooks’ for example. ‘Tenterhooks’, by the way, is the first of the 5 bonus tracks and one can’t help but wonder why the tracks were left off the original release. Maybe it was felt that 17 tracks were too many for a debut album. But certainly the last 2 of these bonus tracks, ‘No Faith No Heart’ and ‘After Passion’, both firmly rooted in the power pop mould, should have surely made it onto the record the first time round. They are as strong as any song on the ‘original’ release. If you like your power pop with a little more substance while still hanging onto gorgeous melodies, heavenly harmonies and superb songwriting then Coronet Blue could be just what you are looking for.

Track Listing:-

1 Mission Bell
2 Brightest Flame
3 Black Angel
4 Particular Kind Of Girl
5 Givin' You All The Love
6 For Too Long A Secret
7 So Many (The Mystery Song)
8 Auf Wiedersehen
9 When Will Your Love Be Mine
10 Fool In Love
11 Surrender
12 Something You Can't Miss
13 Tenterhooks
14 The Spell
15 Tonight
16 No Faith No Heart
17 After Passion