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Alan Grandy is a singer-songwriter from Cleveland who has been around the Cleveland music scene for many years. Whether it is on his own where he has released two CDs including acrowno’stars and El Grande or with bands like The Terrible Parade and/or Jehova Waitresses, Grandy has definitely made his mark on the musical landscape here in Greater Cleveland.
Not that long ago, Alan Grandy went into the studio to create a new release with his current band, Sputnik. That band’s newest release, Rising, shows off the writing talents of, not only singer/guitarist Alan Grandy, but also bassist/vocalist Jay Bentoff and drummer Chris Solt as they create original Rock and Roll that has a sound all its own.
Now, Grandy travels in a different direction as he steps away from the original music he has been known for to create a band for the sake of creating original takes on songs already made famous by other people. The new project from Alan Grandy is known as Admiral.
Admiral finds Alan Grandy once again stepping into the recording studio, but this time he has brough several of his bandmates (current and former) to help create the band. Along with Grandy, the band includes current Sputnik drummer Chris Solt, but with Solt playing the instrument he is more known for- the guitar. Along with Grandy and Solt, Admiral also includes former Terrible Parade member Marky Ray on bass and backing vocals as well as former Sputnik drummer Jeff Harmon who sits behind the drumkit and provides backing vocals for this band. Together, this foursome has created the three-song release Admiral Sings Please Please Me & 2 other Songs, a CD that features three track from the Please Please Me release from The Beatles that was put out 50 years ago in 1963. Consequently, Admiral Sings Please Please Me & 2 other Songs was released physically on February 10th, 2014, almost 50 years to the day that the album was recorded, and was released on I-Tunes; etc on March 22nd, 2014, exactly 50 years after the original album was released.
Admiral begins their three-song release with the song “A Taste of Honey”. Already a hit song by writer Bobby Scott as the instrumental track it was written as and as a more “pop” version by The Beatles once lyrics were added to it, Admiral decided to record an instrumental “pop” version of the song for their CD, giving the track a feel that is the best of both versions. “A Taste of Honey” by Admiral begins with the lyrics “A taste of honey. Tasting much sweeter than wine” before the band launches into an instrumental version that brings to mind a slight surf-rock feel to the music as the guitar playing may remind you of the playing of someone like Dick Dale. The interesting but short take on the song by Admiral continues the tradition of artists making the song their own.
The second song on the CD is “There’s A Place,” another track off of Please Please Me from The Beatles. While the original version by The Fab Four is a rather upbeat and quick-tempo’d track, Admiral slows their version of the song down quite a bit. The slower pace once again creates a very different take on the original song. The version presented here creates a more ballad-like feel to the track. The slower pace also helps to emphasize the loneliness in the lyrics of the track.
Admiral Sings Please Please Me & 2 other Songs comes to a close with the track “Please Please Me,” the title track from that original release from The Beatles put out 50 years ago. Continuing the slower pacing from the previous track of “There’s A Place,” Admiral also slows down “Please Please Me”. The slower pace of the playing and the arrangement of the music add a lot of beauty to the music and give the lyrics a lot more meaning, once again creating a ballad-like approach to the song.
Admiral Sings Please Please Me & 2 other Songs finds Alan Grandy and the rest of the band Admiral creating a very worthwhile tribute to one of the best and most influential rock bands to ever exist- The Beatles. If you are a fan of The Fab Four, this is a Must Listen To release.
To check out Admiral Sings Please Please Me & 2 other Songs, check out the band’s Bandcamp profile.
Volume Magazine 
Check out this review of the album “Rising” from Alan Grandy’s band Sputnik: http://rockandrollreport.com/cd-review-sputnik-rising/
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