By Geoff Topley
It doesn’t take much of a recorded output these days for record labels to whip out the old greatest hits package. This usually seems to coincide with the impending Christmas period as well. Cynical consideration out of the way, it’s now the turn of A Perfect Circle to get the re-release treatment with Three Sixty, a double disc of their singles (didn’t know they had any), some covers, live tracks and a solitary new track to ensnare the completionist out there. There’s also an outrageous box-set which has an additional three live albums and a DVD, but thanks to a laptop breakdown I’m unable to bring you the lowdown on that. If you were fortunate enough to have the necessary greenbacks, the chances are you already have it any!
Like most people, I came to know A Perfect Circle because of the Tool connection. Maynard James Keenan still remains one of my favourite vocalists, a unique voice and style equally at home in the metallic environments of Tool and the poppier stylings of A Perfect Circle. There’s been several line-up changes over the years, but the core of Keenan and ex-guitar tech Billy Howerdel remain, James Iha currently resides in the ranks. To be honest with you, it was their debut Mer de Noms that warranted the most repeated plays and this collection, featuring five tracks from said album, only goes to highlight the fact that it was their finest hour.
Tracks like ‘The Hollow’, ‘Rose’ and ‘Judith’ have a stunning blend of metal attack and intricate melody, superbly sung by the exceptional Keenan. Complimentary guitar work provided by Howerdel and company ensure skyscraping melodies shoot out tangentially from perfect circles. The crossover value from a more commercial enterprise did very well for the band, threatening to eclipse Keenan’s main band.
Following up such a great debut was never going to be easy and A Perfect Circle chose to take the route of a more mellowed and melodic direction for second album Thirteenth Step. Whilst I cherish this album less, the singles ‘Weak and Powerless’, ‘The Outsider’ and ‘Blue’ still have a memorable hue and charm. The latter track proving the equal of anything off the debut, the glorious rush of the chorus is sublime on every listen.
By third album Emotive, Keenan had begun to channel the same ideas of experimentation of his other act Puscifer, ensuring a further wedge of indifference was being driven between the band and my bank account. In actual fact, I’d forgotten about the cover of Lennon’s ‘Imagine’, which offsets the original’s obvious melody with some minor key inflections. I’d rather the song gets this treatment though than some cack handed over the top histrionics. It works, and it works very well. Less can be said of the live cover of Depeche Mode’s ‘People Are People’ which is stripped of pretty much any resemblance to the original, to it’s absolute detriment. Joni Mitchell’s ‘Fiddle and the Drum’ is a folk turn that proves out the fact that Keenan’s vocal characteristics clearly come from that genre. Finally, the blues standard as covered fantastically by Led Zeppelin, ‘When the Levee Breaks’, is given a lounge jazz makeover. I’m too familiar with the Zep version, which swung like a giant wrecking ball, to enjoy this take.
Even interpreting their own songs represents a challenge to A Perfect Circle, the live version of ‘3 libras’ is almost unrecognisable from the recorded one. Which leaves us with the one new song ‘By and Down’, a pleasant enough tune that could easily have fitted on Thirteenth Step. The track is really more of a sound update than showcasing anything particularly new.
I’m not sure who this compilation is really aimed at to be honest. I’m fairly sure most Tool/Keenan fans will know their way round these tunes and will have all of the tracks already, save the new one. So as an entity, the point of its existence isn’t clear, does it just serve as an accompaniment for the arse-rippery of the box set? For sure, the compilation highlights the fact that these songs have a timeless quality and sound as relevant today as they did on release. If you aren’t familiar with A Perfect Circle, then I’d be more inclined to point you in the direction of Mer de Noms as that record adheres better to the greatest hits ideology.
