Album Notes

Guess Who’s Home is an 18 song tribute to the band that Rolling Stone called “One of rock’s most consistently fascinating maverick bands.” What we’ve got here is a true testament to the incredible song writing of The Guess Who. Not only do their songs stand the test of time, they also withstand treatments, and flourish, in a mighty big spectrum of genres.Whether it’s the crazed bluegrass of the D.Rangers on Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon , the Scorchin’ Blues of Big Dave McLean on Seven Long Years, the psychedelic tinged roots of The Scott Nolan Band on Guns, Guns, Guns, or The Fabulous Kildonan’s, with their manic take on Bus Rider, every song on Guess Who’s Home is re-created with a hometown passion.

In a city where St. Randy and St. Burton have long been deified, musicians pay tribute to The Guess Who every day. But that didn't stop 18 Winnipeg rock and roots outfits from putting their own spin on classic tunes by the city's most celebrated rock band.

The lineup includes luminaries like bluesman Big Dave McLean, his protegés The Perpetrators and Sham Allen And The Dispersions, an impromptu act featuring Joey Gregorash on vocals and band biographer John Einarson on guitar. But like all tribute albums, the most interesting covers are the ones that depart most from the original source material, like The D. Rangers bluegrass Runnin' Back To Saskatoon, The Dust Rhinos' Celtic Share The Land, Romi Mayes' solo acoustic Hand Me Down World and a raunchy, ska-rock No Sugar Tonight by The Barrymores.

For the ironically inclined, there's establishment-hating P.J. Burton leading his Chocolate Bunnies From Hell through an almost reverent No Time. The icing on the cake: local punk legend Mitch Funk joining The Fabulous Kildonans for Bus Rider.

Is it all Burtonalicious? Hell, no. But it's a slice of Winnipeg-centrism you don't want to miss.

-Bartley Kives
Winnipeg Free Press