South San Gabriel :: All Night Long (Lionel Ritchie)

Denton, TX’s Centro-matic/South San Gabriel quietly release, and tour, their records in relative obscurity. As a longtime fan I’ve noticed diminished returns in not the quality of their work, but in the attendance of their shows and general reception to their output. A shame, too, as Will Johnson and Co. continue to impress for those keeping up. Their latest, the seven song EP, Eyas, employs the same tack as 2009’s double LP, Dual Hawks, in splitting the sound between the more ‘rock’ oriented Centro-matic and the hushed quiet of South San Gabriel. It’s a smart move the band describes   as serving ” as an apt farewell to that phase of our bands, leading us down a new path toward a handful of new releases over the next little while.”

For this release the band have cut out the middle-man and are self releasing the EP digitally via their online store and the usual digital distributors. The final track of Eyas gives Lionel Ritchie’s “All Night Long” the South San Gabriel treatment transforming the smooth r&b of the original into a near unrecognizable, pedal steel soaked, dirge.   See this band live.

MP3: South San Gabriel :: All Night Long (Lionel Ritchie)
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12 thoughts on “South San Gabriel :: All Night Long (Lionel Ritchie)

  1. Really truly great. It’s nice (and somewhat strange, because I vividly remember hearing the original on the radio) to see songs from the ’80 that were perhaps damaged by lets say, the production methods and gear of the times, get a makeover with more natural sounds.

    Further proof that a great song is a great song, no matter what style it is played in.

  2. This is really excellent.Thanks for posting. You know this reminds me of what the Scud Mountain Boys did so well and why I miss that band. I loved their treatment of songs like “Wichita Lineman” and “Gypsies Tramps and Thieves.” I’ve enjoyed Joe Pernice’s post “Scud” output but I miss this type of total makeover he did with songs in that band. I will have to go check this out further.

  3. Mr. Radio is right on the money– Great songs stand up to time and treatment, and Lionel’s passed with flying colors again. Makes me want to spin the Supersuckers version of “Sail On”– mood-wise, the polar opposite of “All Night Long” but a worthy version nonetheless.

  4. Most underrated band(s) of the century. Hands down. The fact that they’re relatively unknown just goes to show that life is definitely, amazingly, insultingly unfair.

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