Lord knows Pete Best had it hard enough living up to expectations as fifth Beatle (alongside a baker’s half dozen other fifth Beatles) so inevitably, Money Mark’s mantel as fourth-Beastie Boy prepares a similar difficult path to follow. What did he do for the Beastie Boys? Well in addition to a spot of carpentry and repair for the boys on G-Son Studio and Grand Royal’s main office, Money Mark – long time friend of other fifth Beastie Boy, Mario Caldato, Jr – Mark is credited with several of the compositions on the Beastie’s Check Your Head release and during the following tours to promote the album he was on stage right along side of the band. His first major solo release, ‘Keyboard Repair’ on MoWax saw him opening up for the band on some of the major venues and by the time that ‘Push The Button’ was released he was very much established as an artist in his own right, working alongside the likes of Sean Lennon and Russell Simins from Jon Spencer Blues Explosion along the way.
Demo or Demolition sees Money Mark versatility blow off at another tangent and although fans of his work with the Beastie Boys may be a tad disappointed with the broadly analogue and straight rock interface of the release, most of us will be delighted.
‘Livid In A Mad Man’s Hell’ recalls the funky, slacker space-ride of Beck’s Midnite Vultures with a glam bent, ‘Burn Away’ flickers as gently and as sweetly as anything by the Teenage Fanclub or the Cosmic Rough Riders, and whilst ‘Three O’Clock’ shows signs of coasting along a slow-soul groove for no other reason than the fact he can, acoustic-grunge centre-piece ‘Nice 2 Me’ delivers a considerable pretty booty indeed.
Expectations are rarely realised as sweetly or a tantalisingly as this.