Thunderbird Divine Premiere Osmonds Cover “Crazy Horses”
Look, it’s a cool song, alright? And if it sends you, say, on an Osmonds listening bender for some untold period of time, maybe forever, who is anyone to judge? Who among us will stand in judgment of Thunderbird Divine drummer Mike Stuart, guitarist/vocalist Erik Caplan, keyboardist/vocalist Jack Falkenbach or bassist/vocalist Josh Solomon?
Shit, not me. Because I’ve heard the 1972, by-the-Osmonds version of “Crazy Horses,” and that’s a ’70s heavy groover all the way as well as a pop tune you’re going to have stuck in your head into perpetuity. Philly’s Thunderbird Divine take it on with due ceremony — they make it a party because it is one — and with respect to the original. Its spirit of homage, to the song itself and that weird and beautiful moment in the history of rock and roll, is palpable. Chunky riff out front, organ flourish not far behind, and Caplan‘s vocal quick into the verse, and yeah, they’re riding that groove and god damn right to do it. A gang-shout chorus is a nice touch, and various other hey-we’re-all-here-too-having-a-good-time backing lines in the verses reinforce the point, which is this is a blast. So come down off your own horse — high up as it is — and enjoy yourself for about, oh, three minutes flat. Dare you.
There is precedent, if you need it. Eons and eons ago, in 2006, New York’s Puny Human (still miss seeing Jim Starace on stage; he was incredible) took on “Crazy Horses” as part of Small Stone Records‘ compilation Sucking the ’70s: Back in the Saddle Again, sandwiched between the likes of Sasquatch and a Clutch/Five Horse Johnson collaboration, so yes, “Crazy Horses” is legit, however goofy its origins may be. Isn’t that what good art does? Takes what’s been done before and makes something new from it? I doubt the Osmonds new at the time their track would be come beardo-fodder half a century later, but if you can believe it, stranger shit has happened.
Thunderbird Divine, who’ve done some lineup jumbling since last I heard from them, are the perfect band to capture the vibe here — don’t forget, they also did up The Yardbirds that one time, though that’s a little more in-wheelhouse, genre-wise. For more from them, check out their 2020 EP The Hand of Man (review here) and find yourself hoping like I do for more soon. New album reportedly in the works, and apparently they’ve got something special coming for Valentine’s Day. Can you feel the love yet?
This one’s gonna be in your head forever, so you might as well get used to it and enjoy:
“I think ‘Crazy Horses’ is a secret golden ticket for rock musicians,” says Erik Caplan, Thunderbird Divine’s Guitarist/Vocalist/Weird Instrumentalist. “That album is a decoder ring for messages from a group of oddball ’70s superheroes. Folks of a certain age might only remember The Osmonds as a family of Mormons with exceptionally huge smiles who occasionally sang sugary sweet love songs in front of screaming teenage girls in middle America. While this is true, these brothers were also a very legit rock band with the skills to write and perform banger rock tunes. The title track and “Hold Her Tight” sound like Sir Lord Baltimore with horns. These guys could really play, and great stuff can often come from unexpected sources.”
“Musically, the song is a perfect match for us,” Caplan explains, “It’s got a driving groove, a weird synth part and a hook for everyone to yell. Jack (Falkenbach, Keys/Vocals) got into the freaky ribbon synth used to make the ‘horsey’ sounds. He went and found one of these things. Mike (Stuart, Drums/Vocals) became slightly obsessed with the song, and he did a deep dive into The Osmonds’ catalog. He also created the ‘Horse Fink’ illustration. I think he might be an Osmonds historian now. He crushed the drumming on this recording. Josh (Solomon, Bass/Vocals), the newest addition to our collective, took the song by the horns and dug into the production. He’s got a great ear for arrangements and wasn’t afraid to visit some experimental places with the recording.”
“Is our version a slavish reproduction of the original?” Caplan asks. “No. But that’s not what we do. As George Clinton said, ‘Nothing is good unless you play with it.’ We had a lot of fun in the recording process, and I can’t remember laughing so much at a session. And now it’s one of our favorites to perform live. Granted, we don’t have the outfits or the choreography, but, man, it’s a blast.”
Thunderbird Divine is:
Erik Caplan – guitar/lead vocals/theremin/etc.
Jack Falkenback – keyboard/vocals
Josh Solomon – bass/vocals
Mike Stuart – drums/vocals
Thunderbird Divine on Facebook
Thunderbird Divine on Instagram
Thunderbird Divine on Bandcamp
Tags: Crazy Horses, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Thunderbird Divine, Thunderbird Divine Crazy Horses
