Oh I say, steady the buffs there - I'm no mystic,
but I know I don't have to look much past that cover to know this isn't of
British origin. We don't have too many problems in decking our cheapo
compilations out in candid cheesecake shots of women in their underwear, but
we're far more squeamish when it comes to adding a bloke in the same state of
undress. A chap in a tux or dinner jacket arriving to take his fiancée out to a
meal maybe, but bare chested and skin on skin with a female? You won't see
that staring out of the cheap racks down at Woolworth's.
And sure enough, Stef Meeder is from the Netherlands and 'Games That Lovers Play' is a Dutch release. That though is where the exoticism ends; this is yet another album of Hammond organ led, instrumental versions of contemporary songs with no obvious thematic link that vary from 'Puppet On A String' to 'Sloop John B' to 'Lara's Theme from Dr Zhivago' via more obscure tracks that were probably big news on the Continent during the sixties but which have passed me by.
That '30 Hits For Hammond Organ' title is a bit disingenuous though - as far as I know, none of these tunes were actually scored specifically for a Hammond, and there's not really 30 in content either as most of them are excerpts performed in clusters of three songs as a medley. It's like marketing a DVD full of trailers as '30 Films'. What's also highly misleading is that cover shot and album title; from that evidence alone I'd be expecting music of wild, lid-off abandon or else the sound of sensual, red light lit sleaze, but not a bit of it - 'Games That Lovers Play' is another faithful but pedestrian stroll through the tunes that's not going to pop anyone's cork; that cover is just about the most exciting thing about it.*
The act here is billed on the back as 'Stef Meeder with rhythm section' with the four players of his quartet listed individually, yet despite that we're never in any doubt as to who's running this show - there's no jazzy improvisation or spark of individuality between the players and the only purpose of the other three seems to be a glorified click track to keep Meeder's organ on course and to fill in the gaps between the notes of the melody; I'm no musician, but I'm pretty sure I could pick up a bass or sit behind the drums and play along to this. It's all rather safe and dull all told, music more suited for a rainy Sunday indoors than a day in the sun down at the topless beach. Which, I suppose, is the last place you'd expect to find a Hammond organ anyway.
* That's not quite true - the producer is listed as one Joke Van Halen, which made me laugh as it sums up everything the band put out when Sammy Hagar was fronting them.
And sure enough, Stef Meeder is from the Netherlands and 'Games That Lovers Play' is a Dutch release. That though is where the exoticism ends; this is yet another album of Hammond organ led, instrumental versions of contemporary songs with no obvious thematic link that vary from 'Puppet On A String' to 'Sloop John B' to 'Lara's Theme from Dr Zhivago' via more obscure tracks that were probably big news on the Continent during the sixties but which have passed me by.
That '30 Hits For Hammond Organ' title is a bit disingenuous though - as far as I know, none of these tunes were actually scored specifically for a Hammond, and there's not really 30 in content either as most of them are excerpts performed in clusters of three songs as a medley. It's like marketing a DVD full of trailers as '30 Films'. What's also highly misleading is that cover shot and album title; from that evidence alone I'd be expecting music of wild, lid-off abandon or else the sound of sensual, red light lit sleaze, but not a bit of it - 'Games That Lovers Play' is another faithful but pedestrian stroll through the tunes that's not going to pop anyone's cork; that cover is just about the most exciting thing about it.*
The act here is billed on the back as 'Stef Meeder with rhythm section' with the four players of his quartet listed individually, yet despite that we're never in any doubt as to who's running this show - there's no jazzy improvisation or spark of individuality between the players and the only purpose of the other three seems to be a glorified click track to keep Meeder's organ on course and to fill in the gaps between the notes of the melody; I'm no musician, but I'm pretty sure I could pick up a bass or sit behind the drums and play along to this. It's all rather safe and dull all told, music more suited for a rainy Sunday indoors than a day in the sun down at the topless beach. Which, I suppose, is the last place you'd expect to find a Hammond organ anyway.
* That's not quite true - the producer is listed as one Joke Van Halen, which made me laugh as it sums up everything the band put out when Sammy Hagar was fronting them.
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