When I first discovered that Fish Altieri was a fellow Bronxite, I felt compelled to listen to his CD. I thought he looked familiar, but couldn’t place the face, until I checked out his website. It seems that Fish hails from a band called The Raw Poets. Hailing from Edgewater Park, Bronx, Fish was a local hero and people would flock to the local bars whenever The Raw Poets were scheduled to play. And so, I was now psyched to pop this CD into the player.
Looking at the titles of the songs in Anthology of an Unknown was an eyebrow raising experience: Some Mad Sailor, Sam’s Cow, and Pointless Fries. But I was determined to keep an open mind and was really looking forward to hearing Skidmarks on Tremont.
The opening song, Orchard, has an excellent sound to it. This is what Altieri’s promoters call New Classic Rock. I like Classic Rock, so I was certain I’d enjoy this. The lyrics pretty much tanked, but Fish’s voice is well suited for classic rock, so I continued on to the next track. The People in the Park was pretty decent. In fact, it almost seemed like Altieri was singing about the folks that hang out in Edgewater Park at night.
But pretty soon, I started noticing a trend. Not only was Fish Altieri starting to sound more and more like Neil Young in each track, but the lyrics were progressively getting worse. To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, observe:
Then, I got to track 11 and I understood why the songs sounded so familiar. New Classic Rock my ass! This was old classic rock replayed with new lyrics! Track 11 sounds like a rip-off of an old Jimi Hendrix tune – one that I enjoyed very much – called “Purple Haze”
The whole CD wasn’t horrible. However, I did like Skidmarks on Tremont and there were a few good points in Moving Fast, such as the lyrics Stand up now and be counted. They say losers, but I know better…, which I found were uplifting.
But on a whole, this CD was disappointing. I truly liked the music, but that’s because I liked it the first time I heard it years ago. As for the lyrics, I can’t believe this is the same guy that used to write songs for The Raw Poets. I suggest Fish Altieri stick with New Classic Rock – his voice is well suited for it. However, find some original tunes and a different lyricist. Anthology of an Unknown is a bargain bin find if I ever heard one.
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