The flood of artist tribute albums is pretty loathsome -- too much piggybacking on someone else's creative coattails just to get heard -- but Turban Renewal shapes us more like it, from the name to a dedication to Mattie and Hattie. Take one obscure but deserving artist, assemble the right bunch of in-with-the-out-crowd suspects cum fans, and let 'em loose on the songbook. It may have prompted Rhino to get its Pharaohization best-of compilation out on CD a couple of years later -- but Turban Renewal shows even more clearly how distinctive Sam the Sham himself really is.
See, he may be eternally linked with '60s garage punk now, but Sam came out of the rhythm & blues, and even those monolithic riff tunes had a lightness and swing to the rhythm, because the players were coming up with black music (and Tex-Mex R&B, in Sam's case) as a big part of their listening diet. That light feel is missing in action here -- it's almost all rock thud, bash and crash down below in the rhythm section -- and nobody comes close to matching Sam's vocal charisma or charm, either.
There are plenty of worthy performances here -- it's just that the tracks mostly capture one element of Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs' essence, and the rest escape them. There are solid efforts in the faithful vein (Homer Henderson, Handsome Dick Manitoba, Untamed Youth, and the ever-reliable Fleshtones, although their take on "Medicine Man" captures the exuberance with more of a ? and the Mysterians feel). Others plug into R&B from a guitar-heavy, neo-New York Dolls angle with varying degrees of success: the Devil Dogs, John Felice, Swingin' Neckbreakers; Ranch Hounds, with their storming take on "Greenwich Grendel," and the Naughty Ones' solid R&B groove with harmonica and sax.
Ben Vaughn's accordion-driven "Grasshopper" gets the charm, Ray Loney's "I Couldn't Spell !!*@!" catches the slyness, and the two power pop outings are surprisingly good (The Brood and the Vacant Lot's backing harmonies and drum drive on "How Do You Catch a Girl"). Plenty of crash and burns, too, from the merely unmemorable -- Chiflados del Ritmo, Flat Duo Jets -- to badly misconceived -- Great Gaylord's unfunny "Deputy Dog," Nine Pound Hammer's totally wrong Ramones-blast through "Oh, That's Good," or Hasil Adkins doing a one-rockabilly-wildman-band thrash on "Wooly Bully".
Can't say anything on Turban Renewal really cuts the originals, but it's stronger overall than it sounds at first listen, and probably gave a lot of these bands a cool cover version for their live sets. Tell you the best thing about it, though -- it'll send you scurrying off to track down that Rhino Sam the Sham compilation. And, damn, that sucker will sure sound good. ~ Don Snowden, All Music Guide
Ranch Hounds (Performer), Ruyter Suys (Vocals (Background)), Deke Dickerson (Guitar), Lonesome Bob (?), Chris Horne (Guitar), Rockin Jelly Bean (Bass), Swingin' Neckbreakers (Performer), Keith Streng (Guitar), Peter Zaremba (Organ), Ted Roddy (Vocals), Pete Ciccone (Artwork), Andy Shernoff (Bass), Mike Vasquez (Engineer), Rick Coraccio (Bass), Andy Shernoff (Yells), Joe Nick Patoski (Vocals), Dexter Romweber (Vocals), Michael Sweetman (Saxophone), Ben Vaughn (Guitar), Mike Caiati (Engineer), Michael Vazquez (Engineer), John Reed (Guitar), Vacant Lot (Performer), Hasil Adkins (Drums), Bill Milhizer (Vocals), Pat DiNizio (Vocals (Background)), Fink (Guitar), Mighty Joe Vincent (Drums), Al Caiata (Vocals (Background)), Scott McCaughey (Bass), Marcus Natale (Compilation), Bill Milhizer (Drums), Chris Cush (Vocals), Dave Wesselowski (Vocals), Gary Moon (Bass), Philip Macade (Vocals), Nine Pound Hammer (Producer), Rockin' Jelly Bean (Bass), Shoe (Drums), John Felice (?), Dave Wesselowski (Bass), Handsome Dick Manitoba (Performer), Hasil Adkins (Vocals), Fink (Vocals), Speedy Sparks (Producer), Billy Miller (Vocals), John Felice (Vocals), Ben Vaughn (Vocals), Flat Duo Jets (Performer), Pete Ciccone (Guitar), The Naughty Ones (Performer), Batman Perez (Vocals (Background)), The Untamed Youth (Performer), John Szymanski (Harmonica), Steve Baise (Bass), Ned Brewster (Drums), Lara Espinoza (Sax (Tenor)), Conrad Uno (Engineer), Jim Janota (Drums), Fabulous Andy G. (Guitar), Kristine Cummings (Organ), Al Caiata (Engineer), The Senders (Performer), Tim Purrier (Vocals), Jack Hickey (Guitar), The A-Bones (Performer), The Devil Dogs (Performer), Mike Tchang (Guitar), Asch Gregory (Organ), Kurt Bloch (Organ), The A-Bones (Producer), Rockin' Thunderbolt Enocky (Guitar), Mike Buck (Producer), Drew Friedman (Cover Design), Scott McCaughey (Organ), Bruce Bennett (Vocals), Jeff Conolly (Organ), Doug Sahm (Voices), Casper Rawls (6-String Bass), Gus Cordovox (Vocals), Wild Bill Thompson (Guitar), Marcus The Carcass (Bass), Lonesome Bob (Shaker), Gus Cordovox (Accordion), Ranch Hounds (?), Homer Henderson (Performer), Dave Amels (Organ), Dan Diego Fortez, Jr. (Guitorgan), Andy Shernoff (Maracas), Dexter Romweber (Guitar), Swingin' Neckbreakers (?), George Sulley (Bass), Roky Erickson (Yells), Alberto Chevez (Vocals (Background)), Matt Bartholomy (Vocals (Background)), Ted Roddy (Harmonica), Janie West (Drums), Crow (Drums), Andy Shernoff (Vocals), Diamond Head (Producer), Miriam Linna (Maracas), Tad Hutchinson (Drums), Chris Raymond (Drums), Teisco del Rey (Guitorgan), John Felice (Yells), John Felice (Performer), Palmyra Delran (?), Lynn Petezell (Sax (Baritone)), Drew Friedman (Artwork), Palmyra Delran (Guitar), Los Chiflados (Producer), Rocky Morales (Sax (Tenor)), Palmyra Delran (Screams), Chris Cush (Bass), Nine Pound Hammer (Performer), Philippe Marcade (Vocals), Miriam Linna (Vocals), Miriam Linna (Drums), Doak Short (Percussion), Puffy Longshot (Guitar), Casper Rawls (Guitar), Mike Mariconda (Producer), Teisco del Rey (?), Jackie T-Bird (Drums), Matt Bartholomy (Bass), The Brood (Performer), Teengenerate (Performer), The Senders (Producer), Greg Talenfeld (Engineer), Scott McCaughey (Tambourine), Pete Ciccone (Vocals), Bruce Bennett (Producer), Albert Caiati (Vocals (Background)), Billy Miller (Tambourine), Hentchmen (Performer), Steve Rager (Organ), Victor Arroyo (Drums), Little Richard Elizondo (Vocals), C. Cruz Rojas (Vocals (Background)), Jay Hudson (Engineer), Hentchmen (Producer), Bill Waldron (Vocals (Background)), Rudy "Tutti" Grayzell (Vocals), Mark Korpi (Guitar), Andy Shernoff (Producer), Hasil Adkins (?), Shaggy (Guitar), The Devil Dogs (?), Fabulous Andy G. (Vocals), Jeff Conolly (Vocals), Billy Miller (Vocals (Background)), Mister Eno Moto (Engineer), The Fleshtones (Performer), Tom Jorgenson (Bass), Roky Erickson (?), Crystal Light (Drums), Jezebel (Guitar), Bruce Bennett (Guitar), Jezebel (?), Joey Vincent (Vocals), Pete Ciccone (Layout Design), Vince Brinicevic (Drums), Dave Kirkpatrick (Engineer), Jim Sangster (Guitar), Ginga Moon (Bass), Marcus Natale (Bass), Lonesome Bob (Cardboard Box), Jeff Conolly (Producer), Bruce Hathaway (Engineer), Lars Espensen (Sax (Tenor)), F. Clarke Martty (Drums), Deke Dickerson (Vocals), Ranch Hounds (Producer), Chris Handyside (Drums), Germano Brix (Guitar), Nat Brewster (Drums), Hasil Adkins (Guitar), Mark Korpi (Maracas), Scott McCaughey (Vocals), Speedy Sparks (Vocals), Al Caiata (Drums), Hasil Adkins (Performer), Chris Handyside (Vocals), Javier Batiz (Bass), Javier Batise (Bass), Bill Waldron (Drums), Dave Schmitt (Producer), Billy Miller (Compilation), Ted Roddy (Bongos), John Szymanski (Vocals), Steve Baise (Vocals), Betsy Mitchell (Bass), Speedy Sparks (Bass), Doak Short (Vocals), Ken Fox (Bass), Aldo Jones (Bass), Joey Vincent (Drums), Vince Brinicevic (Vocals), Rick Coraccio (Vocals (Background)), Tim Purrier (Guitar), Tina Buck (Percussion), Handsome Dick Manitoba (Vocals), Great Gaylord (Vocals), Lyres (Performer), Mike Buck (Drums), Blaine Cartwright (Guitar), Mike Buck (Vocals), Handsome Dick Manitoba (?), Chris Cush (Organ), Richard Julio (Producer), Andy Shernoff (?), Homer Henderson (Vocals), Paul Daughtery (Engineer), Mighty Joe Vincent (Vocals), Fifi (Guitar), Mister Diamond Head (Producer), John Szymanski (Organ), The Brood (?), Keith Streng (Vocals), Peter Linzell (Sax (Baritone)), The Fleshtones (Producer), Tom Jorgenson (Vocals), Peter Zaremba (Vocals), Lorenzo Estefan (Vocals), John Jorgenson (Drums), Mark Korpi (Vocals), Dave Wesselowski (Percussion), Alberto Chavez (Vocals (Background)), The Untamed Youth (?), Roy Loney (Vocals), Blaine Cartwright (Vocals), John Felice (Guitar), Tina Buck (Vocals), Vacant Lot (Producer), Lonesome Bob (Vocals), Nau (?), Fink (Producer), Chris Horne (Vocals), Albert Caiati (Engineer), Albert Caiati (Drums), Ben Vaughn (Producer), Conrad Uno (Producer), Billy Miller (Producer)
