JET TAKES OFF WITH OLD-SCHOOL ROCK

By Barry Gilbert
Of the Post-Dispatch

January 1, 2004

Jet "Get Born" Elektra Records

Jet quotes everybody but the Airplane on its '60s-soaked debut.

This foursome of twentysomethings from Melbourne, Australia, were raised on their parents old LPs, and it shows. Grunge? They don't like it. Disco? Read their T-shirts.

These guys revel in the old school, from the band name (thank you, Paul McCartney), to the booklet art (thank you, Klaus Voormann, for the "Revolver" cover) to Jet's earlier "Dirty Sweet" EP (thank you for the title, T-Rex). Where AC/DC has the brothers Young and the Kinks have the battling brothers Davies, Jet, too, has brothers at its core: the Cesters, Nik on guitar and Chris on drums.

"Last Chance" howls like AC/DC and the Kinks, and "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" rocks like the Who, circa "My Generation." The ballads "Radio Song" and "Look What You've Done" tip the derby to (again) McCartney and his Apple-era mates Badfinger.

Over here, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones; over there, Small Faces, Oasis and Iggy Pop. And in the middle of "Rollover D.J.," the band b reaks into some Bachman-Turner Overdrive and takes care of their business, too.

Talent? Well, there's the question. These guys can flat-out play, there is no question about that.

But do they have anything original to say? Maybe later. For now, they j ust rock. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

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