Review: Colin Hay Makes Past Perfect

Colin Hay/I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself/Compass
Four out of Five Stars

To paraphrase a lyric from a classic song by the Rolling Stones, Colin Hay is indeed a man of wealth (we assume) and taste (we know!). The latter fact is made abundantly clear by the songs he chose to cover on I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself, a title that contradicts the fact that he knows exactly what to do with himself in terms of revisiting songs that are of enduring appeal. 

Still, as Hay mentions in the liner notes, the idea of covering a selection of his favorite songs more or less came about by chance. Following the death of Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers, he went to his basement, picked up a guitar, and started playing the chords of Marsden and company’s perennial classic, “Don’t Let the Sun Catch Crying.” He sent the song to his collaborator, co-producer, and multi-instrumentalist Chad Fischer, and in due time other songs followed, all of which Hay cites as having made an indelible impact on his musical progression. 

As a result, the project evolved much like a mixtape, all classic tracks rendered in ways that effectively mimic the originals. Hay’s voice, generally of a sandpapery sound with a faint reggae lilt, slides easily into each of these selections, allowing most of his choices to mimic the originals as opposed to a reimagined cover. For example, it’s hard to tell his take on the Faces “Ooh LaLa” from the seminal version. So too, Hay’s revisit to “Can’t Find My Way Home” is practically a carbon copy of Blind Faith’s original. 

Granted, the idea of covering the classics is nothing new. Artists, as varied as Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, and Paul McCartney, have all done the same. In many cases, the venture provides an opportunity to kill a little time prior to their next project. Instinct and imagination need not compete, especially when a familiarity factor is involved. When songs such as “Waterloo Sunset,” “Norwegian Wood,” “Many Rivers to Cross,” “Wichita Lineman,” and “Norwegian Wood” are involved… well, suffice it to say the odds are heavily stacked in favor of success.

In this case, one gets the impression that Hay was simply indulging his fondness for these songs and was content to simply share them by reproducing the arrangements without tampering with the template. While some may ask the point of it all, others will relish the opportunity to enjoy what amounts to a classic compilation. Hay’s reputation as a gifted singer and songwriter is well established. Now he can claim to be an excellent archivist as well.