by Nick DeRiso
Talk about a throwback. Here we have a guy known for these thrilling light shows at the old Fillmore East in New York, another who worked as a producer and songwriter with Aerosmith, Ringo Starr, Ozzy Osbourne and Harry Nilsson, and a dragon from Tolkien. I mean, this is like the soundtrack to waiting in line for gas.
That said, the Gray Lions, fronted by Marc Rubinstein of Pig Light Show fame (Yes, Grateful Dead, Black Sabbath, Santana, Fleetwood Mac), might not have gotten “Smaug’s Revenge” so right without a smart assist from Mark Hudson. The track opens with a snug guitar groove and this perfectly wrought old-school lyric filled with fantasy and wonder. You hear bits of Ronnie James Dio’s mystical portent, the f-you inventiveness of Frank Zappa. Then, like “Mr. Roboto” smashing through the Styx catalog, that endearing menace is blown to bits as the Gray Lions bolt out into a sweeping repeated chorus straight out of the Beatles playbook.
Rubinstein has said that he’s been working on “Smaug’s Revenge,” either in his head or as a still-developing demo, going all the way back to high school. When Hudson came on board to produce the Gray Lions’ 2010 release Run Wild, he fell in love with the concept and (perhaps no surprise, given his connection to Ringo) added the Fab chorus, complete with 12 voices merrily repeating the title. The Gray Lions, rounded out by John T. Leight on the bass and J.A. “Jim” Landry on drums and percussion, then rocked the rest.
What does it all mean? Well, if you haven’t read “The Hobbit,” maybe this is about a Godzilla monster, or some kind of dino come to life. Those more familiar with J.R.R. Tolkien — and what could be more old-school than basing a tune on that? — will remember Smaug as a dragon. Whatever this thing is, it’s sick and damn tired of us. At one point, in a sequence that recalls our nation’s more recent monkey-versus-robot debate, the creature says: “It can’t be changed, there’s no amends. I can never see a man as friend. When I have scorched every place, only then will I return to space.”
Now, all we need is skyrocketing oil prices amid an unsettled situation in the Middle East and a badly listing U.S. economy to … oh, wait.
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