Various Artists — A Tribute to the Madmen.Marc Bolan & David Bowie

Three and a half hours of covers by 25 bands and musicians, some familiar and others new. Most of the artists contributed a cover of a Marc Bolan song and another of a David Bowie song. The exceptions are Witchwood, who contributed two of each, and Electric Swan who only contributed a cover of Bolan’s “Midnight.” There is far too much music here is focus on specific bands and songs. Suffice it to say that some bands took the approach of emulating Bolan or Bowie while others used this opportunity to reinterpret these songs. Some covers are upbeat, while others have a dark and sinister vibe. One artist, Silvia Cesana and The Band surprised me with their covers of Bolan’s “Girl” and Bowie’s “Heroes.” Rather than the songs we have grown used to, Silvia’s versions are bluesy RnB renditions that work if you forget about the originals. The covers on this compilation span the careers for both Bolan and Bowie, and of the 49 songs, only “Ride a White Swan” is covered twice.