Seems like every couple of years there is a reissue of this classic rock n roll record and you won’t hear any complaints from RPM. A Stone Cold classic and one that should have seen these bad boys go stratospheric easily, as good as ‘Electric’ by the cult and head and shoulders above anything else coming out at the time with that raw, no bullshit rock n roll. Produced by Rick Rubin, it had the hooks and swagger of classic DC. The band consisted of Swansea’s own (Stephen Harris), Haggis, formerly of the parish Zodiac Mindwarp and The Cult, who cut his teeth in punk band the Autonomes in the late 70s.

Haggis moved to the States and put together one hell of a line up that featured the immense vocals of Frank Starr who was the embodiment of the outlaw rock n rolla frontman who walked the walk and talked the talk Drummer Ken Montgomery passed away not long after the albums original release in 91 the band were aone and done with the classic line up mixing punk attitude with rock n roll barroom hard rock releasing a further album but without founder Haggis in the ranks and then they lost Starr on sunset strip to a drunk driver this album was Originally released in 1991 on Rubin’s Def American label, the album landed just as grunge was breaking and immediately faced an uphill battle for acceptance, despite widespread and justified critical acclaim. 

The band gained a reputation for being genuinely dangerous, resulting in drug charges and imprisonment, death and general debauchery. The Horsemen had the reputation that went hand in hand with the music, but most importantly, they had the chops and the tunes to back it up. If you’ve never heard this album, now is the chance to rectify that and join the smug and proud group who know exactly what time it is. From the iconic spoken intro where Haggis lays it on the line, it’s bad boy boogie. Clean, sharp, loud and infectious. A wonderful way to open any record, ‘Nobody Said IT Was Easy’ was to be the band’s opening salvo and something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. The crispness in the guitar tone, the vocal performance, it’s just about perfect for a hard-rockin’ record. The only way was up, and after such a strong opener to hit us with the epic ‘Rockin Is Ma Business’ it should have been enough already to catapult them into the top tier.

They weren’t a one-trick pony either because ‘Tired Wings’ had some sweet slide that those brothers Robinson would have killed for. Rip it up with some bad boy boogie on ‘Can’t Stop Rockin’ where Starr opened up his pipes. ‘Wanted Man’ reads like a confession as its sleazy, laid-back groove offers a late-night come-down midway through the record. Once you’ve caught your breath, we get back on it and ‘Let It Rock’ is riff-tastic.

Side two opened up with the band’s signature groove, ‘Hot Head’, whereas ‘Moonshine’ is a bit different, with a cool uptempo groove and the verse vocals sung from the bottom of a bottle of moonshine as the cop cars put on a chase before we get some of that boogie woogie on ‘Homesick Blues’. The album twists and turns towards the big finale of ‘I Need A Thrill/Something Good’, a magnificent way to close off a top-notch album spread out over eight minutes its an absolute classic full stop on a record that hasn’t aged at all and I still get a buzz when listening to it and if it was reissued every other year I’d still get behind it. Everything about it is a winner from the tone of those duelling guitars to the slap of that snare, all rounded off with killer melodies and stunning vocals, the Four Horsemen had all the credibility but none of the success. In a world that constantly looks over great talent and every now and again the starrs align, and a classic underground record gets released and keeps coming back and getting up off the canvas ready to take the plaudits for how damn good it is. Ladies and Gentlemen, The Four Fuckin Horsemen are back in the ring and still swinging, just go buy this fuckin record!

This release features extensive liner notes with a brand-new interview with guitarist Dave Lizmi. Both Lizmi and Haggis have endorsed this release and supplied personal archive material for the layout.

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Author: Dom Daley