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The Tindersticks' cover of the Townes Van Zandt song "Kathleen"
is not meant to be listened to by the faint of heart. Between the breathtaking
strings to the funereal tempo to the heartsick mumble of Stuart Staples,
it is the dying song of the shot-down gunfighter in the best Western you
never saw. It is the sound of widescreen introspection. It is the best
song Lee Hazlewood never recorded. It is one of the best songs the Tindersticks
ever recorded. The bandmembers are skilled creators of moods but often
fall down on the job when seeking to create melodies that will stick.
When they get a hold of a song with a fine melody, like "Kathleen"
or "Pavement's Here," the band can make magic. Shockingly, the
Tindersticks' original version of "Kathleen" is only available
on the EP of the same name. The song does turn up on their live disc,
Bloomsbury Theatre, recorded in 1995. The rest of the disc is first-rate
as well. "A Sweet Sweet Man" is a fleshed-out, jazzed-up version
of the short snippet that was on their first album. It contradicts the
argument that the band is weak on creating original melodies quite swimmingly
and ends with a fantastic sax solo too. "Summat Moon" and "E-Type
Joe" are short instrumentals in the band's film music mode. Fans
of the band must track the Kathleen EP down if they don't have it already.
It is a vital piece of the band's history.
(by Tim Sendra, All
Music Guide)
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Plattentipp 
