Album: Varshons

Song Title

Time

I Just Can't Take It Anymore

Fragile

Layin' Up with Linda

Waiting Around to Die

Green Fuz, The

Yesterlove

Dirty Robot - (featuring Kate Moss)

Dandelion Seeds

New Mexico

10)

Hey, Thats No Way to Say Goodbye - (featuring Liv Tyler)

11)

Beautiful

Album: Varshons

Song Title

Time

I Just Can't Take It Anymore

Fragile

Layin' Up with Linda

Waiting Around to Die

Green Fuz, The

Yesterlove

Dirty Robot - (featuring Kate Moss)

Dandelion Seeds

New Mexico

10)

Hey, Thats No Way to Say Goodbye - (featuring Liv Tyler)

11)

Beautiful

Performer Notes

Personnel: Evan Dando (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, omnichord, vocoder, drums, percussion); Devon Ashley (vocals, drums, percussion); Gibby Haynes (vocals, background vocals); Kate Moss , Liv Tyler (vocals); Chris Brokaw (guitar, acoustic guitar); John Perry (guitar, electric guitar, tambourine, background vocals); Anthony Saffery (guitar, sitar, keyboards, programming); Ian Kennedy (violin); Adam Taylor (keyboards, programming); LonPaul Ellrich (vibraphone); Blake Flemming (drums); Grant Smith & the Power (tabla, bells); Trisha Scotti, Elizabeth Moses (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Alex Hartman ; Adam Taylor; Anthony Saffery.
Recording information: Camp Street Studios, Cambridge, MA; Fourth Ave. Recording, New York, NY; Queensize Twin Air, Indianapolis, IN; Vacation Island Recording, Brooklyn, NY.
Introduction by: Gibby Haynes.
Photographer: Elizabeth Moses.
Although covers albums can be the last resort of an artist who has run out of ideas, the Lemonheads' Evan Dando has chosen an eclectic and obscure enough track list to sidestep that issue, and he imbues his renditions with a rootsy sound all his own. G.G. Allin's "Layin' Up with Linda" is transformed from a punk screed to an old-fashioned murder ballad, while Green Fuz's garage-rock classic "Green Fuz" is smoothed out, slowed down, and given a moody reading worthy of Jim Morrison. A fairly straight version of Townes Van Zandt's dark "Waiting Around To Die" is a highlight. Producer Gibby Haynes (Butthole Surfers) keeps things simple, and lets Dando's deep and burnished voice, and the quality of the songlist, shine.

Professional Reviews

Spin (p.91) - "[T]he countrified take on GG Allin's 'Layin' Up with Linda' provides a moment of effective shock value..."

Uncut - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Townes Van Zandt's 'Waiting To Die' and Leonard Cohen's 'Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye', the latter abetted by Liv Tyler on backing vocals -- are masterly negotiations of the fine line between modesty and confidence."

Q (Magazine) (p.125) - "VARSHONS succeeds thanks to an inspired breadth of material..."

Paste (magazine) (p.51) - "Dando's rich, thunderous baritone is the star here, falling somewhere between Leonard Cohen and Silver Jew David Berman."

Record Collector (magazine) (p.92) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "The joy of hearing Randy Alvey & The Green Fuz's 'Green Fuz,' strummed at the same tempo here as the original Pebbles nugget, is enormous..."