Speedfreak - Fast Lane Livin' 

If no frills, high adrenaline, down and dirty rock and roll is your thing then look no further than Fast Lane Livin’, the latest from Chicago’s Speedfreak. Bringing to mind bands like Motorhead and Black Label Society, the eight tunes here explode with Kevin Kelly’s thick, crunchy riffs that shift from thrash aggression to a bit of a shred, often with a sludgy, down-tuned groove.  Add on Steve Serpe’s thumping bass, some outstanding drumming courtesy Dave Hornyak, a former member of Cathedral, and top it with Tom Kucharski’s vocals and you have the perfect soundtrack for the next time you jump behind the wheel and head out flying down the road. 

(Speedfreak - Facebook)

Skids - The Saints Are Coming - Live and Acoustic 2007 - 2021

From 1977 to 1982, Scottish band the Skids, originally comprised of Richard Jobson, the late Stuart Adamson, William Simpson and Tom Kellichan, released four great albums that kind of walked the border between punk, new wave and even pop.  While they had numerous hits in the UK they never really hit it big in the States (I’ll admit I was late to the game and only discovered them in the mid-eighties scouring through the used record bin, being a Big Country fan and seeing Adamson’s name in the liner notes).  In 2006, following Hurricane Katrina, Green Day and U2 covered their 1978 single “The Saints Are Coming” to raise money for The Edge’s Music Rising charity to help replace instruments lost in the hurricane.  Inspired by their cover, band founder Richard Jobson decided to get the band together to play a few shows to commemorate their 30th Anniversary.  Rounding out the band for these shows was original bassist Simpson, Mike Baillie who was their drummer in ‘79 and ’80, and Bruce Watson and his son Jamie on guitar.  Bruce had played guitar in Big Country with Adamson, so he was a fitting replacement.  On July 1, 2007 the reformed band made their broadcast debut for DJ Billy Sloan on Radio Clyde, which is now available for the first time on disc six.  The nine-song set shows the band in fine form as they tear through eight of their best-known songs and an interesting cover of The Sensation Alex Harvey Band track “Vambo”. Their performance is high energy with a bit of an edge, but also has that radio show intimacy.  If you didn’t know better you would never believe this was their first performance in 25 years and the first performance from this incarnation. 

Shifting back to the beginning of the box set, disc one and two contain two full-length live shows, which were recorded on March 6, 2010 at Alhambra in Dunfermline and June 16, 2017 at The Roundhouse in London.  Both shows sound great with the band at the top of their game and the crowds energetically cheering and singing along.  The sets are full of songs that Skids fans know and love and while all the songs they played in the Alhambra show were also in the setlist at The Roundhouse, they also included several additional songs in London, including new track “World On Fire”, which would appear on the following year’s Burning Cities album and has some great Big Country sounding ringing guitars. 

After Richard and Bruce played a few of their songs acoustically for a charity event in Dunfermline they decided to record some acoustic versions of some of their songs, which resulted in the 2019 album Peaceful Times, found here on disc three.  A few months after that album’s release, Jobson along with Bruce and Jamie Watson went out on a ten date acoustic tour called “An Evening With Richard Jobson… “Songs and Stories’”.  Disc four was recorded on that tour at The Sage 2 in Gateshead on September 10, 2019.  Stripping the songs down like this really breathes new life into them and does a great job of showcasing Jobson’s emotional vocal performance.   Several of the tracks on Peaceful Times have been reconstructed a bit from their original versions.  “Fields” is given a bit of a Celtic sound, “Hurry On Boy” takes on an Australian vibe with the use of didgeridoo and some interesting percussion and then there’s “Animation”, now completely revamped with gorgeous harmonies reminiscent of the sounds of the West Coast in the late sixties.  On the other hand the songs on the live album stick closer to the originals and are absolutely gorgeous pared down to nothing but vocals and guitars. Surprisingly each album contains several songs not on the other including a great live version of “Castles In Spain” from Jobson’s mid-eighties band The Armoury Show.

Like so many other bands during the pandemic, the band decided to live stream a couple acoustic shows, which led to them being asked to do an electric one, that was recorded live in Livingston on March 9, 2021 and is found here on disc five.  Listening to the ten song set that comprises Lockdown Live, the band’s performance is extremely tight and you would never believe they were performing in an empty room during a pandemic as they tear through some of their best known songs with the energy of a young, upstart band.  Jobson also provides great between song banter telling jokes and giving some insight to the songs as well as providing some band history.  It should also be noted that drums for this show were handled by Mark Brzezicki, best known as the drummer for Big Country.  This is an outstanding box set and even though many of the songs here appear multiple times (a few are on almost all six discs) the diversity of the performances keeps them fresh and the band sounds as vital as ever.   

(Cherry Red Records) 

Elephant - Big Thing

A little over a year ago I was going through some new releases and threw on the debut EP from Rotterdam’s Elephant.  Unlike most releases that take a few spins to really sink in, that EP hit me from the first listen.  I immediately went down the rabbit hole watching YouTube videos (some containing songs not on the EP) and after interviewing the band discovered that they had already recorded, but not yet released, a full-length album.  Now, after getting a sneak peak here and there as they released a few singles, that album is finally out, and I can assure you it was well worth the wait.  Like the EP, Big Thing was produced by Pablo van de Poel from the Dutch band DeWolff and draws you in with their textured instrumentation and lush, rich vocals, stellar harmonies and well crafted, hook-filled songs that give them a dreamy, laid-back sound reminiscent of a cross between Americana and the West Coast sounds of the seventies, but without really being either.  Another element that really helps to set them apart is the lead guitar, which enhances the songs and really gives them a lot of character.  Some of the better examples of this are “Calling”, which has that West Coast sound with great guitar work throughout and some distortion towards the end, “Hometown”, a tune very reminiscent of Cass McCombs, with some insane harmonies and a bit of fuzz and echo on the guitar, and “Only Love” and “Medicine”, both of which throw in a little twangy guitar, along with a touch of jazz in the latter.  Even though most of the songs have a really mellow vibe, they still manage to mix things up to keep it fresh with songs like “Saturday Night” and its strong George Harrison influence (especially in the guitar), “Sunlight”, with its light, lilting vibe that sounds like a late night hanging out on the beach and “Reptile Zoo”, which has a touch of jazz in the guitars and drums.  “Happiness” is more of a straightforward mood piece with some nice guitar work and an interesting drum groove, but no normal “verse chorus verse”, and closer “Bird’s Eye View (reprise)” is just that, a short reprise of one of their EP tracks complete with some tasty slide guitar.  Lastly is their psychedelic rock take on the traditional tune “Know You Rider”, full of fuzzed out, reverb drenched guitar, which is definitely a different direction from the rest of the album and shows they can rock out too.  Even though the year is currently just half over, I have no doubt that this will end up being one of my top releases of 2022 if not sitting at the top. I would highly recommend doing yourself a favor and checking out both Big Thing and last year’s EP. 

(Excelsior Recordings)

Hemlock - Hemlock (expanded edition)

After some time in the mid to late sixties working with a pre-fame Ian Hunter, Miller Anderson joined the Keef Hartley Band on vocals and guitar in 1968, recording four studio albums and one live album.  Following that stint he signed with Deram and in 1971 recorded his debut solo album Bright City.  Since he had actually written so many songs for that album, he decided to head back into the studio to record a second solo album.  Once the recording for this album was completed, he decided that instead of releasing it under his name, he and the musicians he recorded with would form a band and thus Hemlock was formed.  While comparisons to the blues, roots and jazz sounds of the Keef Hartley Band are inevitable, Hemlock were definitely their own thing and had plenty more to offer. Tracks like the laid-back “Fool’s Gold”, which is basically Miller and an acoustic guitar, the bluesy gospel of “Broken Dreams” and the folk country of “Garden Of Life”, complete with pedal steel, are some perfect examples. Some of the other highlights include the opener “Just An Old Friend”, with its greasy soul groove and funk beat topped with blasting organ and horns, the upbeat bluesy roots rock of “Mister Horizontal”, a standout track that’s a little reminiscent of The Band, and the laid-back rootsy “Young Man’s Prayer”, a song that brings to mind Van Morrison and has a really powerful vocal from Anderson.  Then there’s “Ship To Nowhere”, a gorgeous slower tune with bit of a haunting sound.  All the pieces really come together on this track with standout musicianship and a very emotional vocal.  Also included here are four bonus tracks, three of which are previously unreleased.  First up is “Beggar Man”, the b-side to their only single “Mister Horizontal”.  In my opinion this is the strongest song here and really would have been a great addition to the album.  Starting with a Deep Purple-y organ, this bluesy rocker is an epic tune that’s almost like a suite with great dynamics and a tempo that speeds up and slows down as you make your way through it. Next up is a ragged, raucous bluesy cover of the old twelve bar blues song “Corrina, Corrina” driven by some great slide guitar and honky tonk piano.  The last two bonus tracks are early versions of album tracks.  While the take on “Ship To Nowhere” is fairly close to the version found on the album, “Garden of Life” is a completely different take on the song stripped down to just guitar, vocals and harmonica giving it a Dylan-like vibe.  Also included is a CD booklet with a well-written essay detailing the story behind the album along with Miller’s musical history.  Thanks to Esoteric for once again giving deserved recognition to a largely overlooked album. 

(Esoteric Recordings)

Babe Ruth - Darker Than Blue – The Harvest Years 1972-1975

After spending time in the mid to late sixties playing in bands with the likes of Mick Taylor, Chris Farlowe and John Glascock (Jethro Tull) guitarist Alan Shacklock formed the band Shacklock, who shortly after that became know as Babe Ruth.  In 1972 they signed a record deal with Harvest Records, who over the next four years released their first three releases.  The new box set Darker Than Blue – The Harvest Year 1972-1975 collects these three releases along with a handful of bonus tracks. 

Disc one kicks off with the band’s debut album First Base.  Over the course of these six songs the band shows an immense amount of experimentation and diversity showcasing their superb musicianship and vocalist Janita “Jenny” Haan’s strong vocals, which are often rightfully compared to Janis Joplin.  They kick things off with “Wells Fargo”, a solid rocker with a touch of a funk, a soul groove, great guitar work and horns and then turn things on their head with “The Runaways”, a cut that starts very subdued with some folk influences, showcasing Haan’s vocals over oboe, piano and strings, before leading into a classical sounding instrumental piece about halfway through.  The experimental side of the band then hits full force with a great cover of The Mothers Of Invention instrumental “King Kong” that explodes with elements of jazz, rock and blues.  They once again completely shift gears with a powerful cover of Jesse Winchester’s “Black Dog”.  Complemented throughout with some great piano work and tasty guitar work this track starts out as a slow burning bluesy rocker and then builds and builds to a hard rocking close.  “The Mexican”, which is one of the bands best known songs is an extremely catchy upbeat tune that has a nice Spanish guitar opening and then moves into a jaunty, bluesy rocker still maintaining that Spanish flavor before shifting to their interpretation of the Ennio Morricone song “Per Qualche Dollaro In Piu” from the movie For A Few Dollars More.  Interestingly, this song has been covered a few times including a disco version by the Bombers and a dance version from Jellybean Benitez that had Jenny Haan contributing on vocals.  Closing out the album is “Joker”, a straight-ahead rock tune with a touch of a bluesy, Southern Rock vibe with Shacklock and Haan trading off back and forth on vocals.  Disc one also contains three bonus tracks consisting of the single version of “Wells Fargo”, it's flipside, their cover of “Theme From A Few Dollars More” and the non-album single track “Ain’t That Livin’” a really catch high energy, foot stomping glam rocker.   

For their second release Amar Caballero the band went through a bit of a lineup change with a new drummer and keyboardist, and really expanded on the directions of their sound.  The album was a bit hit and miss with some of their strongest and weakest songs both appearing here.  Opening cut “Lady” is an interesting track that’s not only jazzy and bluesy with some really nice jazz guitar, but also throws in a bit of funk and some horns.  “Broken Cloud” is a gorgeous ballad with horns and a string section, along with some Native American influenced percussion, that has a real cinematic quality, and makes it one of the aforementioned high points.  Depending on who you ask “Gimme Some Leg” is a really good song or it’s one of their worst.  It’s a slow bluesy track with a bit of a funk groove and a somewhat odd tempo that I personally feel goes on a little too long and just doesn’t really work. While they thankfully get back on track with “Baby Pride”, a ballad with a nice slow jazz groove, their cover of The Capitols’ “Cool Jerk” is completely out of place and doesn’t really work at all here.  The band once again hit a high point with “We Are Holding On”, a gorgeous Spanish tinged classical guitar instrumental with some violin and keyboard accompaniment.  “Doctor Love” finds them going all-out upbeat funk and while it’s not a bad track, again it seems a bit out of place.  The band closes the album out on a huge high note with the three-part suite that is also the title track.   It starts with “El Caballero de la Reina Isabella”, which has a British folk vibe with Haan giving a really pretty, more subdued vocal over Shacklock’s acoustic guitar.  The second section “Hombre de Guitarra” is a fast-paced Spanish guitar instrumental with bongos contributing to the percussion that is reminiscent of something you would hear from Santana.  That takes us to the quiet hypnotic acoustic guitar of part three “El Testament De ‘Amelia”.  Disc two closes out with another bonus track the non-album single track “If Heaven’s On Beauty’s Side”, a quirky rock tune that has some interesting tempo shifts and sounds effects.   

For the self-titled album number three the band largely came back around to where they started with their debut, sticking largely to the rock side of things as evidenced by the first two tracks.  “Dancer" is a straight-ahead rocker with a touch of prog, while “Somebody’s Nobody” is a hard rocker at it’s core (Haan’s vocals here remind me of early Heart Ann Wilson), but with a touch of funk, especially in the keys.  Next up are a couple of covers, “A Fistful Of Dollars”, a fun, high energy rock version of another Morricone track and a nice soulful version of Curtis Mayfield’s “We People Darker Than Blue” that has a really great bluesy guitar solo.  “Jack O-Lantern” is a raw, no frills rocker that at times shows a glimmer of early Meatloaf, while “Private Number”, which is the third cover here, is the album’s only real misstep, coming across too much like a generic seventies soft rock tune.   Driven by Shacklock’s acoustic Spanish guitar playing and Haan’s vocals along with some simple percussion “Turquoise” is absolutely gorgeous.  Closing the album out are the bluesy rock of “Sad But Rich” and the powerful epic ballad and album showcase “The Dutchess Of Orleans”.  The last bonus track, which is the single version of “Private Number”, can be found at the end of disc three.  Rounded out by a booklet with memorabilia and an essay on the band, this is another highly recommended box set from the folks at Esoteric Records.

As a final note, while the box set covers these first three albums it should noted that following the release of this third album Shacklock would leave the band to be replaced by Bernie Marsden for a fourth album and after that album Haan and bassist Dave Hewitt also left.  A fifth album was recorded in 1976, but with no original members.  The original band did get back together in late 2005/early 2006 and reunited to record another album titled Que Pasa.  

(Esoteric Recordings) 

Among Legends - Take Good Care

After releasing three EP’s since their formation in 2016, Ontario’s Among Legends are back with their debut full-lengther Take Good Care.  Along with producer Siegfried Meier, who has worked with the likes of Face to Face, Kittie and Chuck Ragan, the band has come up with thirteen great tracks that draw on elements of a more intelligent pop punk and earlier punk, reminiscent at times of bands like Bad Religion, Social Distortion, Bayside and the sadly underappreciated Valencia.  While quite a few of the songs here stick fairly close to a pop punk sound like “Magnolia” and “Greyhound”, they often tend to add something that sets them apart like the laid-back groove of “Days Like These” and the nostalgic feel of “On The Line”, a song that somehow sounds like a Summer day, or the faster pace of “Monochrome” and “Five Years”, the latter of which has some great double time drumming.  A lot of the other songs find them branching out and expanding their sound.  Tracks like “Come Up Swinging” and the minute long “Baywatch” are a little more aggressive and have more of a Bad Religion vibe, while closer “Highrise” is a tight more straight-ahead, gritty punk tune that really showcases the band’s musicianship and reminds me a lot of Bayside (Mitchell Buchanan’s vocals throughout the album often remind me of Bayside vocalist Anthony Raneri).  “Oceans” and “11318” stray a little from the punk, although not completely, with the former veering a little towards more of a rock tune and the latter slowing things down a tad, but picking up the intensity and heaviness.  Lastly we have “Manifesto”, a bit of an anthem, with great group vocals that should go over great live and then there’s “Rigged”, another slower song that’s very dynamic, full of shifting tempos and a spoken word section that’s quite different from the rest of the album.  It is a track that shows a lot of possibilities for where they can go with their music in the future.  I really enjoyed Take Good Care and look forward to seeing what’s next for this five-piece. 

(Little Rocket Records)

  

Chroma - Weithiau / Caru. Cyffuriau single

Having recently signed to Libertino Records, Welsh band Chroma have released this new single, their first for the label.  Recorded live, both songs are raw, ragged, high energy tunes bursting with fuzzed out guitars and a rock solid rhythm section.  Lyrically “Weithiau” deals with the end of a relationship that just isn’t working anymore and while it definitely has a punch there is a strong sense of melancholy and Katie Hall’s vocals have a real vulnerability. The band says that “Caru. Cyffuriau” is about teens experimenting with sex and drugs and is more of an all-out aggressive punk tune with some garage rock tendencies. This is a great start to their deal with their new label and I’m looking forward to hearing what’s next.  

(Libertino Records)

Girls At Our Best! - Pleasure (Deluxe Edition)

Even though they only released one album and four singles in their short, three year career, Leeds band Girls At Our Best! were one of the more influential bands coming out of the post-punk era in the late seventies and early eighties. On this outstanding new three CD reissue of that sole album, Pleasure, Cherry Red has included a plethora of bonus material including the A and B sides of their singles, two 1981 concerts, BBC sessions for Richard Skinner and John Peel (Peel was a huge supporter of the band), a previously unreleased 1977 demo from the pre GAOB band The Butterflies and demo from their final recording session.

The box set kicks off with the eleven track Pleasure, which is largely a collection of raw, quirky, upbeat, anything goes pop with an adventurous and experimental side, but almost always overflowing with hooks and topped with Judy Evans infectious high-pitched vocals.  The album opens with a one, two, three punch of pop glory with “Pleasure”, “Too Big For Your Boots”, which actually almost sounds like a fast-paced kids tune, and “I’m Beautiful Now”, with its quirky lo-fi blasts of bass guitar.  “Waterbed Babies” has them moving into a bit of a more rock direction with some great angular guitars, while “Fun-City Teenagers” is a very bouncy pop track that sounds like it could have been an inspiration for The Housemartins’ “Happy Hour” and is enhanced gloriously with clarinet.  The experimentation kicks into high gear on “£600,000”, which has a bit of a punk edge and some tribal drumming and continues with “Heaven”, a bouncy, upbeat tune that opens with a combination of angular guitars and keys and as you listen has a bit of a disco vibe buried in it. “China Blue”, “Fast Boyfriends” and “She Flipped” find them shifting back to super catchy pop, always with a little twist, be it a military beat or some short keyboard blasts, before closing things out with more angular guitars and a punkier drive with “Goodbye To That Jazz”.  Disc one also contains thirteen bonus songs starting with their four singles.  First up is their debut single comprised of “Getting Nowhere Fast”, a pure blast of punk energy full of razor sharp guitars (this was covered by Wedding Present a few years later) and “Warm Girls”, a punkier track once again, but with a darker, early Siouxsie and the Banshees vibe.  Single number two found them moving closer to the direction of the album.  “Politics!” starts off like a bubbly pop tune, but then about halfway through jabbing guitar licks come into play followed by some aggressive lyrics and vocals, while “It’s Fashion” is more of their distorted take on synth pop.  Their third and fourth singles were “Go For Gold”, a song that interestingly added a funkier groove to the mix and a fantastic cover of the traditional American gospel tune “This Train” (these were backed by album tracks “I’m Beautiful Now” and “Fast Boyfriends”). The final seven bonus tracks on disc one are their BBC sessions with Skinner and Peel, both recorded in February of 1981.  Although not too far removed from the album versions these make a nice addition to the collection, especially “Getting Beautiful Warm Gold Fast From Nowhere” from the Peel Session, which is an interesting medley of their singles. 

Disc two opens with the first of the two previously unreleased concerts.  Recorded at Edinburgh University on November 2, 1981 the sound here is really good quality and may be a soundboard recording.  It’s definitely interesting to hear them in a live setting and they often come across a little punkier and the bass is a little more prominent than on the studio recordings, but the vocals are at times a bit off-key and the instruments sometimes sound a little out of tune.  Also included here are two bonus tracks, the previously unreleased “Atribute” from The Butterflies, who evolved into Girls At Our Best!, and “Boys At Their Best!”, which came from their last studio session before they broke up.  The recording from The Butterflies is a little rough but doesn’t really sound too far removed from their work as GAOB!, while the other is an instrumental track that is a little chaotic and has a lot going on.  It’s a shame that the vocals were never included, because it sounds like the potential is there for another great track, but definitely sounds incomplete without them.  

The second live show, which is on disc three, was recorded at New York City’s The Peppermint Lounge on November 6, 1981, just six days after the other one.  Except for one less song, the set list here is exactly the same, but since this is a bootleg audience recording the sound quality isn’t very good.  This is really quite unfortunate, because the actual performance and vocals are much better this time around.  Closing out the disc is an entertaining radio interview the band did in New York on same day the played The Peppermint Lounge that gives a great background on the band.  The box set also contains an outstanding booklet loaded with tons of sleeve cover reproductions and pictures along with an essay on the band. Another highly recommended release from the folks at Cherry Red.

(Cherry Red Records)

Godley & Creme - Frabjous Days | The Secret World Of Godley & Creme 1967-1969

In 1969, long before Godley & Creme, 10CC and even before Hotlegs, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme recorded a previously unreleased album for Marmalade Records under the name Frabjoy And Runcible Spoon.  Now, fifty-three years later, and without a couple of still missing songs, a reconstructed version of Frabjous Days has finally seen the light.  In addition to the seven songs from the “Marmalade Sessions” that comprise that album, this outstanding new release from Grapefruit Records contains six more tracks from those sessions and six more that were recorded between 1967 and 1969.  Before we get to the music here’s a quick rundown on why the album was never released before now.  In mid-1969 Giorgio Gomelsky, manager for The Rolling Stones and Yardbirds, signed the duo to his new label Marmalade, but after they released a single and a track on a label sampler (Godley also contributed backing vocals on a sampler track from future 10CC bandmate Graham Gouldman), Gomelsky took the money and ran and therefore the album was never released. 

When Gomelsky signed the duo he wanted them to be the British version of Simon and Garfunkel, and while there are some definite hints of that as you make your way through the album, there is a lot more to their sound as well as definite signs of where they would be headed.  The duo didn’t waste any time showing what they were capable of with their single.  While “I’m Beside Myself” is a really strong, largely acoustic, country/folk track that even has some banjo and pedal steel, “Animal Song” on the flipside is a gorgeous, laid-back tune that really showcases Godley’s vocals and has an almost orchestrated sound full of great harmonies.  The last song released by the duo before Gomelsky spent all the money and disappeared was the compilation track “To Fly Away”, a gorgeous tune with stunning vocals accompanied by acoustic guitar, organ and flute (the compilation also included Gouldman’s “The Late Mr. Late”, a catchy pop tune with some flute laden psychedelic vibes that featured Godley on backing vocals). 

Kicking off the tracks that would have comprised the ill-fated album is the album version of “I’m Beside Myself”, which is pretty close to the single, but a little less raw and more polished (a slightly different version of “To Fly Away”, titled “Fly Away”, also appears as an album version and was also released by their next band Hotlegs, who evolved into 10CC).  Next up is “Chaplin House”, a gorgeous, acoustic based psychedelic track with very captivating lyrics (a version by Dave Berry and backed by Kevin and Lol was released the following year).  They pick up the pace on the next song, “Cowboys and Indians”, a rocker with a bit of a late Sixties West Coast vibe (especially in the harmonies).  “It’s The Best Seaside In The World”, a bouncy pop tune with a bit of a psychedelic Beatles influence, was originally written and recorded in 1967, but sadly that version, along with the recording of a song “Bull In A China Shop” have disappeared.   The final two tracks that were to be on the album also ended up being re-recorded by Hotlegs.  “Take Me Back” is an epic track, starting as a hypnotic folk rocker highlighted by their vocal harmonies and acoustic guitar, then about halfway in it evolves into a bluesy rock tune before winding back down at the end, and “Today” is a psychedelic tinged ballad that to me has some faint hints of early Pink Floyd. 

Rounding out the release are a variety of bonus tracks recorded between 1967 and 1969.   First up are a couple of previously unreleased songs taken from an unreleased acetate that were written by Graham Gouldman and performed by Godley and Creme for possible inclusion on the album.  “Hot Sun” is a harder edged psychedelic rocker that is a bit different from their other songs (this song ended up being reworkded by 10CC as an instrumental called “Hot Sun Rock”), while “Virgin Soldiers” is a bit of a syrupy Sixties pop tune that is one of the weaker cuts here.  In early 1968 the duo released a single on CBS that was credited to a five piece known as Yellow Bellow Boom Room.  The story is that due to the fact they were still away at art college their manager created a fake band and had a fake press photo taken.   The single didn’t sell well, but the songs (both included here), “Seeing Things Green” and “Easy Life” are a couple of psychedelic pop gems.   The next tracks are also previously unreleased songs taken from an unreleased acetate, this one recorded in mid 1968.  While they sound like they were cheaply recorded, they are two very strong cuts that find them branching out a bit.  “One and One Make Love” is a really catchy pop tune, but with some nice horn arrangements, and “Over and Above My Head” is more of a soul song.  Closing out the release are two songs taken from a single that were recorded to promote a Manchester club called Blinkers.  “Hello Blinkers” is a catchy, upbeat dancy tune perfect for getting the night started, while “Goodnight Blinkers” is a more laid-back pop tune for winding down and heading home.  Rounded out with a twenty-eight page booklet full of photos, memorabilia and a very imformative essay, this is not only an absolute must have for 10CC / Godley & Creme fans, but for anyone who just appreciates good music.   

(Grapefruit)

Interview with Durcel Haze

Comprised of two Austrians, a German and a Hungarian, Durcel Haze formed not too long before the pandemic and have now hit the shelves with their great debut release Down The Rabbit Hole.  I recently talked to the band about the new album, recording during the pandemic and more.  

Can you give me a little history on how the band got together?

Edi and Woif knew each other from the local music scene for a long time, Edi and Klaus play ice hockey together. When Woif's former band dissolved in 2019, they founded the new project, but at first without a singer and bass player. Edi has a very extraordinary monthly event in Kufstein, an open stage jam session called LIVEheit, where Janos started to join the stage from time to time, so Edi asked him out for a beer. It was a love at first sight, so the band looked for a rehearsal room and started to work together. One of the first common investments was a fridge for the beer, that operates and supports the band since 2019. (https://youtu.be/YHYJReM56p8)

What kind of impact did covid have on the band?  Also, were you able to record the album together or did you have to do that remotely due to the pandemic?

There was a major impact. From one day to another we were not allowed to meet anymore. This triggered the band to go for a level up. Woif came up with the idea to found a company from the band, as according to the measures, work was an excuse to meet. This way with regular testing we could meet.

The preproduction of our first Album went offline. We recorded our demos at home, sent it to Reini, our producer. The main production was possible to record together, however, we paid attention to keep the least number of the people in the studio, so that the risk of getting sick stays low. The post production went also remote, as it was tricky to cross the border at that time.

However it was one of the most productive times of the band and we are very proud of the result.

Two of you are from countries that speak German and the other two are from Hungary where it’s Hungarian, but then the lyrics are in English.  Was it difficult working that out when you were writing the songs?

So Edi and Wolf are from Tyrol, Klausi is Bavarian, so they have a kind of a common language. Janos moved to Tyrol on carrier reasons and his German is very basic, therefore the communication turned to mainly English. There were no challenges on the communication, as everybody speaks the international language of music and beer. It was more challenging to find the common style we would like to present Durcel Haze, which ended up in a quite diverse debut album. At the end we believe the diversity holds the speciality of the record.

How does your songwriting process tend to work?

Well, there are many ways. It can happen, that one person comes with an idea which is almost complete. This could be a full instrumental demo, or even including vocals and additional harmonies.

We also have the luxury of 2 rehearsal rooms, one is for demo recording, the cellar, the other is where we prepare for the stage. When we get together in the cellar, it also can happen that one arrives and he had an amazing idea at lunch break.  We start to directly record it and capture all the additional ideas which comes up in the meantime. Then the lego adventure is starting to try different combinations of the recorded parts.

The final steps are happening in the live rehearsal room, when we arrange the songs in a way that we can imagine them on stage too. Then for the album we sent it to Reini, in other cases, we try to play it on stage and check out the reaction of the audience. When it works the song will stay in the repertoire.

I really like “Unleashed Confusion” a lot.  It’s a little more aggressive than most of the other songs and to me at times has an almost Bad Religion punk vibe. Can you tell me about that track?

Thank you very much, we are happy to hear that. The main riff came from a lunch break idea, most probably after a stressful meeting... First we arranged the instrumental parts, and then the song was resting, until we got to the situation that due to the main production timelines we had to finalize many songs in a very fast, and the measures did not let us meet. We have distributed the work in between us.

The lyrics came from the situations when loneliness leads to the point of self reflection and digging down in your mind and in your memories. This is the source of the confusion. You cannot always justify whymyou make certain decisions, but re-thinking those will help you to learn and improve yourself. This way you can reach a more conscious status. We also love it.

“Stand Together” really stands out from the rest of the songs.  It has a hint of a Flogging Molly or Dropkick Murphys vibe at the beginning.  Can you tell me about that song?

You are completely right with the vibe of the song. Actually the name Durcel Haze was chosen on a trip we had visiting Dublin to a Foo Fighters show, and I also think it is not a secret that all the band members are a fan of the Irish culture including all the food and beverages. This way it made sense to add a song to the album which shows a different side of the band and talks about belonging and unity. The song just brings up very sweet memories every times we have the chance to play it.

The bass on quite a few of the songs is more prominent than is the norm for most bands.  Was that something you consciously tried to do?

Shaping the main sound of the record was influenced by the passion on bass and distortion. Also on the guitar recordings we used additional octavers and fuzz effects. The interference of these frequencies ended up in an even bassier sound, which has been controlled in the post production. Anyways, it was an intention to give a strong garage taste to the record as we wanted to provide something special to our listeners.

The lyrics to “Nighthawk” are dark, but unfortunately a reality for some in the world we live in.  Can you tell me a little about that?

It is a bit embarrassing, as when the song has been written there was no news about the Ukranian-Russian conflict and the song was meant to be an anti-war song recalling an imaginary scene of an airbattle. In this battle the main focus was to be on the pilot who turns into a soulless killer due to the fear. However we are just simply very sorry about the current situation, it is still unbelievable that it is happening.

Are the lyrics to “Deadbeat” biographical or did the inspiration come from somewhere else?

The inspiration for the "Deadbeat" lyrics came from a rough meeting with a client during a Workday.

In the evening Edi was having dinner with a bunch of friends in our hometown Kufstein. There was lots of good food, beer and just having a good time. Then – Two tables away – Edi spotted his client which was really rude to him that day – sitting there and having dinner all alone. Thats the Story.

The lyrics to “Agnus Die” tell more of a story and are a bit different than the other songs.  What was the inspiration there?

The lyrics are a kind of a remake of the story from the bible. The main character is a young girl, who incarnates as the lamb of god. She faces all the sins, sacrifices herself and summons the four horsemen to clean-up the mess. For us it made sense to group it with the other songs, as to be honest most of our lyrics are rather pessimistic, but still transferring a message which can be motivating.

There’s a live show on Youtube that was recorded last April, and amongst the songs you played were three, “Fukusumi Tittnipple High”, “Raise Your Fist” and “Come Get Ready”, that aren’t on the album.  Do you think we may be seeing those released sometime in the future?

We really hope that we will have the chance to record them, but currently it is not on the schedule. You have to join the concerts to hear such songs as we have more than just the songs on the album. We are also in a song writing period currently and those songs are more in the focus.

You have a Donnie Darko looking rabbit that has been on all your single covers and now is on your album cover.  What can you tell me about that?

We wanted to bring our “Durcel Haze” to life. If you like you can it imagine like “Captain Planet”. When all four of us are coming together to play music something arises which is bigger than us and it can do things no one of us can. So everytime we team up – Durcel Haze rises.

I know most of you, if not all, were in other bands prior to Durcel Haze.  Are any of you currently in other bands or is it strictly this band?

We have only Durcel Haze on everybody's desk at the moment. The other bands are not active unfortunately.

I usually don’t ask this, but is there a story behind the band name?

“Durcel Haze” is a Modification of the German “Duracell Hase” which means the Duracell Rabbit you may know from the Battery commercials. As Klaus and Edi play a lot of ice hockey in their free time, one day it happened in a locker room that there was a Hockey Magazine lying around. One of the Team started reading it and there was written something like “player XY is running like a young Durcel Haze”. So the Teammate got a bit confused because he didn't knew a famous hockey player with the name “Durcel Haze”.  After a while another player took over the magazine and it turned out that it just was a mistake.

The original text was “player XY is running like a young Duracell Hase”. But we liked the sound of Durcel Haze and put it on the list of potential Band Names. The Rest is History. Also the connection to our rabbit on the artworks comes from there.

Have you been able to get back out there and do live shows again and if so how has that been going?

Happily we have had many shows. We could play in Innsbruck, Wörgl, Salzburg and Vienna too. We are planning shows in Rosenheim and also in our hometown Kufstein too. We are also looking for further opportunities. Currently it is quite challenging to get shows as all the bands which were incubated during the pandemic are back again, the scene is very competitive.

What kind of plans do you have for promoting the album?

The most important way for us is also the classic one: gigs, gigs and gigs.

As mentioned earlier, it's difficult at the moment, because the scene has to consolidate again first, and many bands are pushing onto the stages.

Therefore, we are working on social media to get more exposure, but all bands do the same.

However, advertising is part of the music business, because everyone does that, too. It is not the best part of playing music, but you do not have a good chance without proper promotion.

Anyways, we always try to stay natural, honest and true and do not use artificial tricks (e.g. bots) to create a fake image.

Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

By now, we have a strong presence on the internet, so visit us on Youtube, Spotify, Instagram or on any other platform of your choice. We also released three music videos, which we managed with limited budget and ended up with a decent quality. You will find some entertaining content, so it is worth following. We are also actively answering on the social media channels, so when you are interested in which beer is our favorite from the region, or how was the screaming guitar solo of ‘Dream Dark’ created, or just want to get a CD or T-shirt send us a message!

(Hicktown Records / Durcel Haze)

  

Peter Bardens - Long Ago, Far Away

Throughout the Sixties keyboardist Peter Bardens participated in what’s become known as the “British Blues Boom”.  During that time he found himself working with the likes of Ray Davies, Mick Fleetwood, Van Morrison, Peter Green and Rod Stewart along with many others.  In 1969 Bardens headed into the studio and the following year released the first of two solo albums that were released prior to him joining Camel.  Long Ago, Far Away contains both of these albums, originally released on Transatlantic Records, along with five bonus tracks.   

With a band that included bassist Bruce Thomas, later of The Attractions, drummer Reg Isidore, who went on to play with Robin Trower, and guitarist Andy Gee, The Answer is often rooted in the bluesier sounds of his prior work, but expands in a variety of directions.  The disc starts off with the title track, a catchy tune with a bit of a mystical vibe, merging a laid-back, soulful blues jam with prog elements and some hints of psychedelia.  “Don’t Goof With A Spook” finds them slowing things down a little, and is a bluesy, psychedelic rocker that really showcases his keyboard work and has some Hendrix-like guitar playing.  The ten plus minute “I Can’t Remember” has a laid-back, soulful psychedelic groove that at times has a bit of a Sly and the Family Stone vibe and then evolves into a bluesy, psych jam with Bardens’ organ really taking charge.   The pace picks up a bit on the next two tunes, “I Don’t Want To Go Home”, a bouncy cut complemented by flute, playful percussion, guitar and some really nice backing vocals from Linda Lewis, and “Let’s Get It On”.  Interestingly, both of these songs featured an uncredited Peter Green on lead guitar (he also contributed some guitar to the title track).  Closing the album out is the thirteen plus minute psychedelic prog rock tour de force “Homage To The God Of Light”.  Driven by a propulsive beat and extended jams on guitar and keyboards, this tune had already been a staple in the live shows of his pre-solo band Village and was also a highlight of his solo shows as well as early Camel shows.  Speaking of Village, the first two of three bonus tracks here are the A and B side of the sole single released by that band.  “Man In The Moon” is an organ drenched psychedelic rocker with a bit of an early Pink Floyd vibe at times, while the flip “Long Time Coming” is another organ driven tune, this time a prog instrumental partially based on Mars from Holst’s The Planet Suite.  Closing out disc one is “Long Ago, Far Away” a nine minute instrumental recorded during the sessions for The Answer that has a nice laid-back jazz groove and really allows everyone in the band to show their stuff.  

With what for the most part was a new band, the self-titled follow-up, found here on disc two, is a solid release and contains what is possibly the best song of his solo career in “Write My Name In The Dust”.  Right out the gate things move in a bit of a different direction with “North End Road”, a jaunty instrumental with a ragtime vibe.  The aforementioned “Write My Name In Dust” is next and is a gorgeous, laid-back bluesy tune that is complemented by Bardens’ organ and is often reminiscent of the Small Faces.  “Down So Long” and “Simple Song” are a couple of tracks that find the band branching out a little.  The former is an unusually heavy track meshing doomy guitars and organ that at times brings to mind early Alice Cooper and even has a little “Schools Out” like riff at one point.  The latter strips things down to vocals and whistling with a little acoustic guitar, some bare bones percussion and keys and reminds me of some of the quirky, more novelty Beatles’ songs.  Amongst the other highlights are “My House”, a laid-back easygoing blues instrumental with some prog elements and “Feeling High”, a mellower, soulful psychedelic tune.  Closing out disc two are a couple of bonus tracks - "Homage To The God of Light" Part One and Two, which is basically an edited version of that song split in two for a French single.  Just a few months after the album's release, Bardens answered an ad in Melody Maker to join what became Camel, and as a member of that band recorded six albums over the next six years before leaving to play on one album with Van Morrison, his former Them bandmate, and then further pursue a solo career before passing away in 2002. Another highly recommended release from Esoteric once again giving a largely lesser known artist some deserved recognition.  

(Esoteric Recordings)

Billy Mackenzie - Satellite Life Recordings 1995-1996

Although he is best known as the co-founder and frontman of the Associates, Billy Mackenzie also had a short solo career with several outstanding releases, but unfortunately most were released after his death in 1997.  Now, coinciding with the twenty-fifth anniversary of his death, Cherry Red Records has released the excellent three disc box set Satellite Life, which was curated by Steve Augle from sessions he and Billy recorded, and is comprised of thirty-nine tracks, sixteen of which are previously unreleased.  Augle says he was never happy with the way the songs were originally presented, so he has resequenced them more cohesively with each disc having it’s own theme.  

The first disc is titled Winter Academy and contains the ballads.   Most of the tunes here are stripped down with him accompanied by some combination of piano or keys and violin with guitar or a string section on a few.  Opening things are "Sing That Song Again", a gorgeous torch song, and "Winter Academy", which has an insanely emotional and expressive vocal performance.  Next up is "Wild Is The Wind", the first of three covers on disc one and a song that has been covered by many other artists, most notably Bowie, Nina Simone and Johnny Mathis.  In Mackenzie's hands it sounds like it written for him.  The other covers are the Sparks tune "Mother Earth", which is more stripped down than the original, but has a similar vibe, and Randy Newman’s "Baltimore", a haunting version with vocals that border on spoken word, except in the chorus, with Dennis Wheatley’s keys swirling around them.  "The Soul That Sighs" is a subdued atmospheric ballad with subtle electronic elements, while "And This She Knows" contains another haunting vocal performance and also includes a little guitar accompaniment.  "When The World Was Young" is slightly more upbeat than the rest of the songs on disc one and contains some gorgeous harmonies with his voice layered over itself.  On the slow, dreamy sounding "Beyond The Sun", he shows just how incredible his vocals are with a delivery that sounds like he is using his last breath, while “Return To Love” is a slower, hypnotic track with a hint of electronica.  Quite possibly the high point on disc one, and one that is definitely unlike anything else here, is the previously unreleased “Tallahachie Pass”.  With new music added by Aungle, Tom Doyle and Anth Brown, the gorgeous acoustic guitar, subtle drumming and keys come together to create a country flavored tune reminiscent of Glenn Campbell or Jimmy Webb. 

Disc two, titled Consenting Holograms, collects his electronic and more dance oriented songs.  After kicking off with some nightclub ready dance tunes including “3 Gypsies In A Restaurant”, with it’s techno beat and middle eastern flourishes and “Falling Out With The Future”, things move in a more experimental direction.  High points here include “Hornophobic”, an aggressive drum ‘n’ bass tune with some melodic, almost industrial elements, that comes off a little Bowie-ish, “14th Century Nightlife”, a hard driving industrial soundscape that is definitely unlike anything else here, and the high energy electronica instrumental “Consenting Holograms Have More Fun”.  Next is the upbeat “Fear Is My Bride”, which has a really strong vocal performance and is closer to a more traditional Mackenzie sounding track, a solid electronic dance cover of Eurythmics’ “Here Comes The Rain Again”, and “Mysterious Lover”, an upbeat track with a driving beat that takes you back to the clubs.  Other highlights here are the beautiful, dreamlike version of “Return To Love” that has a bit more of an electronica sound than the version on disc one, and a subdued, nine minute remix of “Give Me Time”. 

The final disc is titled Liberty Lounge and is primarily band oriented songs, many of which had the potential to be hits if given the chance. The disc opens really strong with “Tomorrow People”, an extremely catchy pop tune.  Next up is the gorgeous sixties sounding ballad “The Mountains That You Climb”, a tune that would fit perfectly on disc one, with a vocal performance that is one of the best in the box, and superb musical accompaniment including organ, which is a brilliant touch.  “MacArthur’s Son” has a nice soul pop vibe with another of his strongest vocal performances.  The next two tracks move in more of a rock direction with “Liberty Lounge” being a slower tune complete with electric guitar and an everpresent organ, while “Sour Jewel” has a bit of a glam Roxy Music feel.  Things are a bit more pop again with the laid-back “14 Mirrors”, a tune that shows up again a few songs later, with a previously unreleased version that is stripped down to just piano and vocals.  The pace slows down on the next couple of tracks with the original version of “Give Me Time”, which draws you in with it’s synth blasts and slow burning beat, and “At The Edge Of The World”, a moody trip hop tune that was produced by Simon Raymonde of Cocteau Twins fame and sounds like a lost James Bond theme song.  “Satellite Love” is a very captivating tune, again stripped down to vocals and keys, that has an air of mystery about it.  For “Your Own Fire” Mackenzie collaborated with Stiv Lester to create a strange tune that is raw and edgy with a bit of a garage rock feel complete with a ragged honky tonk piano rattling in the background, and is quite unlike anything else here.  Closing out the box is “Van Hamburg”, a nice little piano and violin instrumental.  Rounded out with a twenty four page booklet containing notes from Augle and a couple other collaborators this is an outstanding, highly recommended collection that shows just what a talent Mackenzie was.  

(Cherry Red Records)

Graham Bonnet Band - Day Out In Nowhere

Over a fifty-five plus year career starting with The Blue Sect in 1965 and then having a hit single with the song “Only One Woman” (interestingly written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb) in 1968 as part of the duo The Marbles, Graham Bonnet has had an incredible career that has included fronting Rainbow, Alcatrazz, MSG, Impellitteri and many other bands.  His latest release is Day Out In Nowhere, the third album from the Graham Bonnet Band, which is rounded out by Beth-Ami Heavenstone (bass), Conrado Pesinato (guitar), Alessandro Bertoni (keyboards) and Shane Gaalaas (drums).  Also featured throughout the album are guest appearances from guitarists Jeff Loomis, Mike Tempesta, Roy Z and Takanori Ozaki, drummers John Tempesta and Levi Dokus and legendary keyboardist and Bonnet’s former bandmate Don Airey.  In describing the album he said, “Similar to the first two albums, it will reflect different eras of my career, but with a contemporary twist”, which is a very good description of what you can expect to hear.  While most of the album is rooted in classic hard rock, there is a lot of diversity here that touches on various parts of his career.  Right out the gate with the upbeat, high energy rocker “Imposter” there is no denying that Bonnet’s voice is still in great shape, the band is at the top of their game and that this has the makings of a great release.  Things move in more of a progressive metal direction next with “Twelve Steps To Heaven”, a song that takes a blunt look at the struggles of trying to maintain sobriety, while “Brave New World” features some great guitar work from Roy Z and has a “classic” Bonnet vocal.  “Uncle John”, a dark song dealing with pedophilia and based on a real person from Bonnet’s youth, and “When We’re Asleep”, featuring the Tempesta brothers, are a couple of really strong classic rockers that have a bit of a modern edge to them.  The title track takes things down for a moment and is a nice, leisurely paced tune that then leads into the faster “The Sky Is Alive”, a cut that takes you back to his days fronting Alcatrazz.  With “David’s Mom” and “It’s Just a Frickin’ Song”, a track featuring Airey that musically is reminiscent of their time in Rainbow, they lighten the mood a bit with lyrics that are sillier and more tongue in cheek, before they tear into “Jester”, a cut featuring Jeff Loomis on guitar that is a fast paced rocker and the heaviest song here.  Closing things out is “Suzy”, an over the top ballad that features an orchestra and while a great showcase for his voice, seems a bit out of place here.  Day Out In Nowhere is definitely a release that Bonnet should be adding to the high points of his amazing career. 

(Frontiers Records)