LOST CLASSICS FOUND?

The most ambitious local release in a while comes courtesy of one of the best Pop songwriters in Cincinnati, Roger Klug. Where Has The Music Gone?: The Lost Recordings of Clem Comstock is presented as a series of lost master tapes discovered by Klug when he purchased an antique analog recording system (with the tapes themselves still inside). The story goes that Comstock was a Cincinnati-based producer/composer in the vein of Phil Spector or Brian Wilson, who experienced minimal regional success in the ‘60s and who has since disappeared from the face of the earth.

With elaborate packaging, extensive liner notes and archival photos, this musically farcical cross between film concepts like Grace of My Heart, Spinal Tap and the upcoming Blair Witch Project is actually a wonderfully crafted re-creation by Klug. While Klug’s previous albums have always been rooted in classic Pop sounds and styles, Where Has The Music Gone? finds Klug mimicking everything from girl groups to white-bread Pop to catchy psychedelia to grandiose Wall-of-Sound quasi-epics, each credited to Comstock’s stable of entertainers.

In lesser hands, Where Has The Music Gone? could have been disastrous. But Klug is a smart enough writer with such a clear grasp of the music he’s emulating that it turns the project into a thoroughly enjoyable listen. The Stalagmites’ "Frat Rock" mixes Beach Boys harmonies with a "Louie, Louie"-like stomp while "Never Gonna Get Married," credited to The Schulte Sisters (featuring Bridgette Schulte) and Comstock’s biggest hit, is a charming girl group romp. The tracks’ sophistication varies from song to song, adding to the credibility of Klug’s "story": Songs like "Pamela" and "Baby Teeth" are bopping bubble-gum, while "I Want To Hold You" and especially "They Say They Can (I’d Like To See It)" are full of drama and soul.

Klug also captures the feel of the era with the production abilities, using analog home equipment to get a sound unattainable on modern equipment. Klug’s nod to the past isn’t just admirable in its ambition: The execution is flawless, a testament to the vision of one of Cincinnati’s great artists.