Abrasive Wheels - Abrasive Wheels (1981-1984)

After forming in 1978, kicking around for a few years and going through quite a few personnel changes, May 1981 saw Leeds’ Abrasive Wheels self-release their three-song debut single, a short blast of fast, energetic punk with raw chainsaw guitars.  Over the next three years they would release several more singles and two albums and hit the UK Independent charts numerous times.  Abrasive Wheels (1981-1984) has compiled all these tracks from that first era of the band.  They followed with two more singles before their full-length debut was released in late 1982, and while those singles definitely fell in line with the first one, there is a somewhat noticeable improvement in the production as well as the songwriting, most notably on “Vicious Circle” and “Voice of Youth,” the latter of which would also show up on the album.  With the release of their debut album When The Punks Go Marching In, which hit number three on the UK Independent charts, they upped the ante once again in the production department and while they definitely didn’t lose any of what made them who they were, there was a little more diversity.  Songs like “Burn ‘em Down” “First Rule (No Rule)” are extremely catchy with really strong hooks, and you can hear The Clash coming through on a few cuts like “BBC” and “Just Another Punk Band.”  In 1983 the band released two singles and it was apparent from both their clothes and the music that there was a shift coming.  First up was a cover of “Jailhouse Rock,” which added a little punk aggression to the original, but really not much more.  On the other hand, the flipside, “Sonic Omen” was a gritty tune with plenty of hooks that reminds me a little of Social Distortion.  The next single was “Banner Of Hope”, which at times sounds a lot like The Skids, while the b-side “Law Of The Jungle” (also a track on the second album) was more or less a rockabilly track.  Early 1984 found the band releasing their sophomore album, Black Leather Girl, and while it still managed to reach number eight on the UK Independent charts it was quite different from their debut.  Looking back today a lot of their fans now say they really like it, but at the time it was not what they were looking for.  The high energy was there, but the faster pace was largely replaced by a more muscular sound that was melodic and bordered on rock instead of punk.  The production was vastly improved as well (it was recorded at 10cc’s home studio Strawberry Studios) and there were a lot more vocal harmonies.  There really isn’t a bad track to be found with songs like “Maybe Tomorrow”, “The Prisoner” and “Black Leather Girl” among the highlights.  A couple of other strong cuts that really set themselves apart are the title track, which has a saxophone throughout, and “Devil On My Shoulder”, driven by some excellent percussion.  Both have a really cool rockabilly thread running through them and are somewhat reminiscent of The Cramps.  Following the album’s release and some extensive touring, the band came home and started work on album number three, but by that time the scene had changed and according to guitarist Dave Ryan - "it just wasn't spontaneous, we were having to think about it too much,” and the band broke up (a new version of the band did reform in 2003 and appears to still be playing today).  Rounded out with a booklet full of pictures of the band, their singles and albums, plus a great interview with guitarist Dave Ryan this is an outstanding collection.

(Captain Oi!)