Rose Tattoo - The Albums 1981 - 1984

Australia's Rose Tattoo formed in 1976 and were led by vocalist Angry Anderson along with the distinctive slide guitar work of Peter Wells.  Between 1978 and 1984 they released four albums (Wells left after album three) with a sound that notably drew from elements of pub rock, punk, metal and blues.  Now, thanks to Lemon Records, those first four albums, along with a handful of bonus tracks, have been compiled on the four-disc box set The Albums 1981-1984.

The band set the bar high with their eponymous debut (also titled Rock ‘N’ Roll Outlaw in some areas), an album that explodes with bluesy Australian pub rock delivered with a raw and ragged, hard rocking punk energy highlighted by Wells’ aforementioned slide guitar.  The album opens with the perfect introduction to the band - the ragged and full of swagger “Rock ‘N’ Roll Outlaw” followed by “Nice Boys,” which was made even more famous when Guns ‘N’ Roses covered it.  While GnR definitely did the song justice, just take a listen to this version, a raw, punk-paced rock and roll anthem that takes it to another level.  Shifting gears a little, “The Butcher And Fast Eddy” is a slower, gritty storytelling tune reminiscent of Thin Lizzy that tells the real-life story of a gang war that led to the death of one gang's leader, followed by “One of The Boys, a bluesy boogie woogie track not so unlike George Thorogood.  “Remedy” is up next and is a blue-tinged rocker with no-frills punk energy, similar in style to later tracks “T.V.” and “Tramp.”  With guitar riffs taken almost directly from AC/DC’s “She’s Got Balls” (the album was produced by the team of Vanda and Young, who notably also worked with AC/DC), “Bad Boy For Love” is more of a midtempo blues rock track with some great slide guitar.  The slide work is again very notable on “Stuck On You,” a captivating, soulful, semi-acoustic cut that is the only slow song.  At almost six minutes, the album closes in fine fashion with “Astra Wally” is a super fast rocker with some absolute killer guitar work and an extremely infectious groove.  Also included on disc one is the bonus track “Snow Queen” another solid hard rock tune.

For their sophomore release, Assault & Battery, the band stuck pretty close to what had made the debut successful, with songs like “Let It Go,” “Assault & Battery,” “Sidewalk Sally” and the radio-friendly “Rock & Roll Is King” sticking to the straight-ahead rock, while “All The Lessons,” “Magnum Maid,” “Manzil Madness” and the raw, crunching “Suicide City” having more of the in-your-face punk element.  The AC/DC influence also shows up from time to time, most notably on “Out Of Place” and album highlight “Chinese Dunkirk,” a slower bluesy track that sounds like a cross between AC/DC and ZZ Top.  Although not quite as good as the debut, this album is another outstanding release.  Six more bonus tracks can be found on disc two starting with the swagger filled straight-up punk of “I Had You First.”  Followed by a 7” version of “Rock ‘N’ Roll Is King” are four live cuts.  The sound quality is just so-so, but they definitely show the power of the band playing live.  

While album number three, Scarred For Life, ended up being their most successful album in Australia, it also found them largely bailing on their aggressive raw punk element and instead shifting towards a more mainstream, radio friendly sound.  Throughout the album there is an emphasis on rock anthems with songs like “It’s Gonna Work Itself Out,” “Sydney Girls,” “We Can’t Be Beaten,” a bluesy rocker with a big anthemic chorus, and “Branded,” an extremely catchy track that’s on the poppy side, but one where they really make that work.  They also throw in a little Southern Rock influence here on tracks like “Juice On The Loose” and “Who’s Got The Cash.”  They tap into Led Zeppelin on the barnstorming “Revenge” and show the AC/DC connection again on tunes like the title track and “Texas,” the latter of which also adds a little ZZ Top flavored boogie.  As for the punk, they haven’t completely abandoned that as can be heard on “Dead Set.”  Although not quite as good as their first two releases, there is plenty to like on album number three.  There are three more bonus tracks on this disc, including the single version of “Branded,” the honky tonk country rock of “Fightin’ Sons” (this one would have been a nice addition to the album) and the rocking anthem “All Hell Broke Loose.”  

When album number four, Southern Stars, came along, the band had gone through a pretty big overhaul with Anderson and bassist Geordie Leach not only the remaining original members, but also the only members left from the Scarred For Life lineup.  That album also saw them shifting even further in more of a generic AOR direction. Unfortunately, a lot of these songs ended up being pretty lackluster with nothing to really set them apart.  They also venture into reggae on “The Pirate Song,” and “No Secrets” is an attempt at a rock ballad, but neither of these really work well.  Having said that, there are a few that are worth the listen.  These include the radio friendly “I Wish,” which has some really strong guitar, “Saturday’s Rage,” with its high-energy drive and “Death Or Glory”.  A couple of the songs, the gritty rocker “You’ve Been Told” and the hard driving, boogie woogie rocker “The Radio Said Rock ‘N’ Roll Is Dead,” take you back to the earlier “old school Rose Tattoo” days.  There are two more bonus tracks on disc four along with a single version of “Freedom’s Flame."  They are both a couple of solid straight-ahead rockers, “Never Too Loud” and “Wild One,” that are ironically stronger than most of the album cuts.  Rounded out with an informative CD booklet detailing the band’s history The Albums 1981-1984 is a nice box set that gives some much deserved attention to a band that although not overlooked, one that deserved more attention and accolades than they got.  

(Lemon Records)

Buzzcocks - Attitude Adjustment

When Pete Shelley passed away in 2018, Steve Diggle became the only remaining founding member of the legendary Buzzcocks.  Instead of replacing him, they continued as a three-piece, with the remaining members Chris Remington and Danny Farrant in the band since 2008 and 2006 respectively and released Sonics In The Soul in 2022.  They have now followed that up with the band’s twelfth release Attitude Adjustment, an excellent album from start to finish that does a great job of showing what made the Buzzcocks who they are but also branches out a bit as well.  That classic sound is evident out the gate with the straight-ahead punchy punk of “Queen of the Scene,” the slightly slower “Games,” which also has a hint of a rootsy undercurrent, and the mellower “Seeing Daylight.”  “Poetic Machine Gun” and “Tears of a Golden Girl” both find them shifting in more of a classic punk direction, the former with a couple of psychedelic breaks and the latter with more of a pop side.  Slower, heavier, noisier and darker, “Heavy Streets” is an interesting departure that at times comes across sounding like something that Bowie would’ve recorded in Tin Machine. Bookended by two fifty-five second musical interludes titled “One of the Universe (Part One)” and “One of the Universe (Part Two)”, “All Gone to War” is a nice, stripped down acoustic track that is a complete shifting of pace.  Not really what you think of when you think Buzzcocks, album standout “Jesus at the Wheel” is a gorgeous, very melancholy, largely acoustic cut that rolls along and digs deeper in your brain as you listen.  The extremely catchy “Just a Dream I Followed” is another super melodic, extremely catchy punk blast and “Feelin' Uptight” follows the same punk path but is a little repetitive and to me is the weakest cut here.  Ironically, it’s followed by another of the album’s high points in “Break That Ball and Chain,” an incredibly fun track driven by a Motown beat that gives it more of a mod Sound.  The album winds up with the perfect closer with the anthemic ballad “The Greatest of Them All.”  Attitude Adjustment is a welcome addition to the Buzzcocks discography.  

(Cherry Red Records)

   

Los Armadillos - Another Monday Morning single

The Armadillos initially got their start in Zurich in 1985 and over the years have gone through some changes including changing their name to Los Armadillos.  Two of the current members, vocalist / guitarist / organist Bernie Sprenger and drummer Dominique Muench, have been there since the beginning, now being joined by Michael Herzig on bass and vocals.  Following an EP in 2023, they are now back with the new single containing a couple of garage rockers that take inspiration from bands like The Fleshtones and mix in a little Tex-Mex and some great pop hooks.   “Another Monday Morning” has a lazy groove and stabbing organ fills that will have you singing long after the music is over.  The flipside “Do It” is again rather laid-back, but with more of a surf / garage rock sound.  

(Los Armadillos)

McAuley Schenker Group: Bad Boys - The McAuley Schenker Group Story 1987-1992

After getting his start in his brother Rudolf’s band The Scorpions in his mid-teens and then playing guitar on their debut album when he was just sixteeen, Michael Schenker joined UFO, playing with them for the next five years.  Following that with another short stint with The Scorpions, he then formed The Michael Schenker Group with vocalist Gary Barden.  From 1980 to 1984, they released four studio and two live albums (Barden was replaced by Graham Bonnet for their third studio album before Barden returned for number four).  When Barden left the band again, Schenker teamed up with former Grand Prix vocalist Robin McAuley and together they released three albums, an unplugged live album and an acoustic EP, which have all been collected here on Bad Boys- The McAuley Schenker Group Story 1987-1992.

Their debut was Perfect Timing, which ended up as their most melodic album and kicks off with “Gimme Your Love,” which epitomizes that, with big choruses and hooks, and great guitar work including a strong solo.  “Here Today - Gone Tomorrow” and “Don’t Stop Me” are more great examples of their mastery of that sound.  “No Time For Losers” and “Get Out” are a couple of shredders that give the album a bit of a punch, while “Follow The Night” and “Time,” a really gorgeous tune enhanced perfectly with Steve Mann’s keys, are really strong ballads, but with a bite.  “Love Is Not A Game” walks the line between ballad and rocker and “I Don’t Wanna Lose,” in my opinion the album’s best song, mixes acoustic guitar with electric and has a slight bluesy groove (don’t miss the guitar solo on this one).  Disc one closes out with a couple of bonus tracks in the form of edited versions of albums cuts.

Their sophomore album opens with the title track “Save Yourself,” which starts off with an excellent guitar solo leading into a hard-driving rocker that explodes with Schenker’s guitar work.  “Bad Boys” is up next and is more straight-ahead rock with a touch of bluesy swagger, while “Anytime” is a great power ballad with more strong guitar and McAuley’s emotional vocals (this was the biggest single of their career).  While there are a couple of other really solid tracks like the darker “Shadow of the Night” and “This Is My Heart,” another strong ballad, a lot of the remaining songs are just a little too generic (“I Am Your Radio” is the epitome of this), making this a less consistent release.  Disc two has seven more bonus tracks that include “There Has To Be Another Way,” a strong instrumental that really showcases Schenker’s guitar work, and the straight-ahead hard rocker “Vicious,” which was released as a b-side.  Both of these tracks are actually better than some of the songs that ended up on the album.  The remaining tracks include several single and radio edits of album tracks along with a nice acoustic version of "Bad Boys."

When they got around to album number three, simply titled MSG, melodic rock and hair metal was being pushed aside by grunge and as a result the album at times had a heavier, more guitar-driven sound than its predecessors.  Songs like “Eve,” which still has that melodic rock sound but with an edge, the straight-ahead hard rock of “Invincible,” and “This Broken Heart” are good examples of this.  Having said that there are several power ballads here where they really shine and show that not many bands did them as well as them  These include “When I’m Gone” (written by McAuley and Jesse Harms, who at that time was Sammy Hagar’s keyboardist), “What Happens To Me” and “This Night Is Gonna Last Forever” with its big sweeping choruses, and the hauntingly gorgeous closing track “Never Ending Nightmare.”  Some of the other high points are “Lonely Nights” (check out Schenker’s soloing on this one) and the catchy midtempo rocker “We Believe In Love.”  Five more bonus tracks can be found on disc three consisting primarily of edits and alternative versions of album cuts, most notably a great acoustic version of “When I’m Gone.”

With grunge taking over the rock charts at this point, MSG didn't make much of a dent in America and there wasn't a full electric tour to support MSG.  The band did though see the success that bands were having with MTV's Unplugged, so after releasing Nightmare: The Acoustic EP in Japan, a mini-album of acoustic tracks (the acoustic studio versions included here appear to come from this release), they did a nine-month acoustic tour resulting in the Unplugged Live album, found here on the box set's final disc.  Stripped down to just McAuley’s vocals and Schenker's guitars, along with Shark Island’s Spencer Serombe on rhythm guitar and 12-string, the songs are given a completely different life here and honestly this is the disc that I go back to the most.  Along with songs from all three of their albums, they performed three UFO songs, “Lights Out,” “Doctor Doctor” and “Natural Light.”  The disc closes out with five more bonus tracks, including a live acoustic version of UFO’s “Only You Can Rock Me” and acoustic versions of four more songs.  This highly recommended box set is rounded out nicely with a very informative booklet detailing the band’s career with stories behind each release.  

(HNE Recordings)

Bagdad - They Don't Know EP

Formed in 2023 by a couple of high school friends, guitarist/vocalist Franciszek Drobiński (guitar, vocals) and bassist Wojciech Stach, and later rounded out by drummer Jakub Gadamski, Polish three-piece Bagdad have recently released their debut EP They Don't Know.  While it does have a few short bursts of energy, the Cobain like vocal delivery and droning guitars of opening track "Valley Of Dry Bones" are quite reminiscent of Nirvana's slower moments.  With it's infectious beat, the fuzz rock of "Somewhere, Nowhere" is the most upbeat and "pop" (using that term loosely) track here and really highlights their diversity.  The midtempo "Knight Errant Block" starts off somewhat restrained and then becomes even more introspective about halfway through before letting oose at the end.  The dreamy "Ash Pan Nocturne" is a gorgeous cut of swirling slowcore with a taut undercurrent rearing its head at times.  The seven plus minute "Heartland" closes out the EP and is a very introspective track at first, building to a slow, but much noisier instrumental ending about halfway through.  With elements that include slowcore, grunge, pop, fuzz rock, and post-punk They Don't Know is quite an impressive debut.

(Rite Field Records)

Howard Jones - Live At The Marquee

On September 20, 1983, a few months after he released his debut album, just as his first single “New Song” was about to break into the UK Top 40 and a couple of days before he would make his Top Of The Pops debut (both of which he mentions during the show), Howard Jones played his first show at London’s Marquee Club.  About twenty-five years later a previously unreleased recording of that performance was found in some tapes that were being transferred for possible bonus tracks on the 2018 reissue of Human’s Lib.  Now, thanks to Cherry Red Records, that full show has been released on CD and double LP, and sound great.  Among the thirteen tracks in the set are eight of the ten that are on Human’s Lib, with the bulk of the remaining songs ending up as b-sides or future album cuts.  Jones performance is animated and full of energy, and the crowd is very enthusiastic, as evidenced by the singalong on “New Song.”  While at this point the album had been out for about six months, it’s definitely not a paint by numbers performance, with Jones expanding and extended many of the songs.  Several of the tracks like “Hunt The Self,” “Pearl In The Shell,” and “Equality” also find him kicking up the tempo a little, and the synths sometimes have a harder edge than the softer sounds on the album.  A couple of other notable moments are the fun, upbeat honky tonk piano that closes “New Song” and the extended “Ruth, David and Dennis” story that he tells at the beginning of “Human’s Lib.”  Live At The Marquee is an extremely fun listen and a great listen back to Jones’ early days.  

(Cherry Red Records)

King - Soul On My Boots - The Collection

Following the demise of the Coventry rock-ska band Reluctant Stereotypes, singer Paul King formed the Raw Screens, who then in 1983 became King.  Over the next couple of years, the band released two albums and had several hit singles in the UK, including two that hit the top ten (unfortunately their only US hit was "Love & Pride" at 55 on the singles chart).  Now those two albums, along with King's 1987 solo album and numerous bonus tracks (35 previously unreleased), including remixes, B-sides, demos and live recordings have been compiled on the five-disc box set Soul In My Boots - The Collection.

Their debut Steps In Time gets things started here and is highlighted by their most successful single, the incredibly infectious “Love And Pride” and its pure eighties dance beat driven, new wave pop (I”m really not sure why this wasn’t more successful in the States).  While a lot of the songs have a similar sound like “Won’t You Hold My Hand Now”  and “Kiss The Pikey Fridge” with its heavier beat, others show they did have some diversity like opener “Fish,” with more of a rock edge, the moodier, more subdued “And As For Myself” and the soulful “Soul In My Boots.”  Closing out disc one are six bonus tracks consisting of a variety of remixes of albums tracks (the extended mix of "Love and Pride" is great), along with an interesting, somewhat darker and slower alternative version of "Won't You Hold My Hand."

The band’s sophomore album Bitter Sweet is on disc two and opens with its first and biggest single “Alone Without You,” another catchy new wave pop track, here with some slight hints of Duran Duran in the keys.  Also like the debut, quite a few of the tracks here continue down that path with “I Cringed I Died I Felt Hot,” which has a more midtempo groove, “(KFAD) Wair For No One,” the driving, classic eighties new wave of “Torture” and “Sugar Candy Mountain Buddhas.”They also continue to branch out even more here with tracks like “Platform One,” with its laid-back soulful reggae beat, the excellent “2 M.B.,” a throwback to the ska of Reluctant Stereotypes, the gorgeous, should have been a hits “The Taste Of Your Tears” and “Mind Yer Toes, with is strings and horns.  Five more bonus tracks can be found at the end of disc two, which are again remixes of album cuts.  

Recorded between albums in 1985, disc three contains their previously unreleased live performance at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland.  In addition to performing eight of the ten tracks from their debut (including playing both "Won't You Hold My Hand Now" and "Love & Pride" for a second time for the encore), they gave the crowd a preview of four songs that would later appear on their sophomore album as well as “Don’t Stop,” the b-side to “Love & Pride,” and future b-side “Crazy Party.”  Although the recording is a little thin, the band sounds great, and the crowd is energetic, making this live recording a great addition to the box set.   

In preparation for their next album, CBS booked the band studio time to record their next single.  Produced by Julian Mendelsohn, who had already had production success with Pet Shop Boys, "Baby Raven Mane" was to be that single, but the band felt it didn’t really represent their new sound and asked the label to delay its release.  They ended up recording numerous more songs in several different sessions, but there were conflicts among the members and after King worked on some songs with producer Dan Hartman he decided to leave the band.  Now for the first time, 21 previously unreleased bonus tracks, including demos plus that abandoned single, can be found on disc four of this box set.  That unreleased "Baby Raven Mane" single gets things started and is an extremely catchy track that would have had great potential to give them another hit.   The b-side was set to be “Something To Believe,” another excellent track that’s moodier with a bit of a rock edge that was a bit of a different direction for the band.  Songs like "Man For All Seasons," "Can't Help Myself," "Let's Find A Home," "Rock Trash Go" and "Some Risks Are Worth Taking" are reminiscent of what they were doing on their earlier albums, but with more experimentation and maturity.  There are also several songs where funk elements come more into play, like "Love Has Let You Down," "Ten" and "Building."  Some of the other highlights include “Glory’s Goal,” a laid-back, dreamy track with a soulful groove, and the ballads "Play That Song Again" and "Someday."  A couple of the other tracks of interest are "At The End Of the Day," a totally different sounding song for them, relying more on synths and giving it a colder, more electronic sound, and an interesting cover of David Bowie's "In The Heat Of The Morning."  This disc is an absolute goldmine for fans and shows a band that was really moving forward.  

As mentioned above, after being motivated by the James Brown song "Living In America" Paul King met Dan Hartman, the song's writer and producer, to discuss how he thought he was the perfect person to bring his vision for King to fruition.  He wanted them to have a more modern, soulful sound and was further encouraged by Hartman's suggestion to use horns and backing singers.  Hartman also said he thought the best results would come from using the session musicians that played on "Living In America" and then have the actual band members fill in when appropriate, which ultimately resulted in King leaving the band and releasing his solo album Joy.  Included here on disc five, Joy shifted somewhat away from the sound of the band towards a more polished, and quite often more horn-fueled, soulful sound.  That at times comes across a little sterile, causing the album to lose some of the charm of his work with the band, but it's still quite a good album. The two singles that were released from the album, the laid-back "Follow My Heart" and the catchy, upbeat pop of “I Know,” punctuated with horns from The Uptown Horns, are among some of the better tracks here.  A couple of the album’s other highlights are “Glory’s Goal,” a more soulful, laid-back tune that is reminiscent of Spandau Ballet or ABC, “One Too Many Heartaches,” a bouncy pop tune that has a little more of an edge to it, and ”So Brutal,” a soulful tune at first before kicking up the pace with some super funky bass.  A few others worth mentioning are “Pass On By,” which brings to mind his earlier work with the band, the poppy dance cut “It’s Up To You” and “Slow Motion,” an upbeat dance tune with a slow, slinky funk groove and backing vocals from Nona Hendryx.  Disc five also includes five more bonus tracks, again mixes and remixes of album tracks including “Love - Pride and Brutality,” an interesting “mashup” of sorts of "So Brutal" and "Love and Pride."  Also included is a CD booklet with an essay written by Paul King, giving details on each disc.  While I was only slightly familiar with King back in the day, I was quite pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable a listen Soul In My Boots - The Collection is. 

(Cherry Pop)