Chuck Ragan / The Loved Ones - Give and Take 7" Split

Artist: Chuck Ragan & The Loved Ones

Album: Give and Take 7" Split

Label: Ten Four Records

Chuck Ragan and The Loved Ones are a couple of the most celebrated artists in the punk community today.  Thus I've been slightly confused by the lack of attention this small but impressive split hasn't been getting.  At first I thought "well maybe it just isn't that good."  Sometimes great artists try covering each other and just don't "get" each other.  In this case each band even has the challenge of matching each other's style - Chuck Ragan with his stripped down acoustic folk tunes and The Loved Ones with their traditional, "Springsteen" inspired brand of punk rock.  However, in the "Give and Take" 7" Split each band demonstrates that they not only love each others work, but that they know what makes each other tick.

Chuck Ragan opts to cover one of The Loved Ones newest tracks, "Pretty Good Year," the opener  from 2008's "Build and Burn."  I've always found the measure of a great cover song is when the artist can respect the original source material while making it their own - if I'm constantly reminded about the original song I might as well simply listen to the real track.  Not surprisingly, by stripping the song down to its simplest form, and considerably slowing the tempo, Ragan has reinvented the song's focus.  The song starts with a slow, thoughtful introduction, establishing a sense of desperation originally absent in The Loved Ones' quicker tempo, but clearly present in the lyrics.  From there Ragan speeds things up and layers on the instruments, adding tambourines, supporting guitars, backing vocals (including some female vocals) - building a climax with each chorus - all guided by the raw emotion ever present in Ragan's voice.

With the pedestal the punk community holds Ragan on, The Loved Ones probably had the more challenging task.  In this case the band has had to completely re-envision one of Ragan's prized gems, "For Broken Ears."  "Filling out" an acoustic track always tests a bands understanding of the source.  Recently, many artists on the punk flavoured All Aboard: A Tribute to Johnny Cash tribute missed the mark.  For example, the Bouncing Souls cover of "Man in Black" simply added too much of their own sound without retaining what made the song  a classic.  Fortunately The Loved Ones "get" Ragan, and while they stick pretty close to Ragan's version, they add some interesting flourishes; most notably, the quiet and sparing use of an organ in the background.  During instrumental sections the band employs lone horn solos, capturing Ragan's solo essence amidst a full punkrock backdrop.  Unfortunately, after a tight introduction reminiscent of the vocals in the band's song "I Swear," lead vocalist Dave Hause loosens up during the chorus, making the vocals slightly self indulgent and the chorus the weakest part of the song.

Personally, I love this split.  Chuck Ragan does a great job of "Taking" away the layers of punk from "Pretty Good Year" and redefining it as a modern folk classic, and The Loved Ones produce admirable results when "Giving" a fuller sound to Ragan's classic.  The Give and Take 7" is a successful experiment that will find its highest appreciation in the libraries of  fans of both artists, but that can ultimately find appreciation outside that niche.