Just when I was thinking that Giuda ought to crack on with a new album, Mad Rollers have done it for them. Their debut album was recorded by longtime Giuda producer Danilo Silvestri at Green Mountain Audio, and, in places, you can’t see/hear the join. I’m divided; it’s a great set of mega-catchy songs, but it really does sound exactly like the first two Giuda albums.
Now, that is hardly a complaint. A lot of people are hoping Tenda and the boys return to their roots, after the slight experiment of ‘E.V.A’. But, it is weird hearing a fabulous Giuda album that Giuda didn’t make! I’d need to see Mad Rollers live to make a clearer distinction. That said, I will be buying this, postage notwithstanding because it is an absolute belter. You want 70s tinged, boot-boy-styled Glam anthems? (Glamthems?), step this way…
It’s all here. From opener ‘Black Days’, we have the backbeat, the driving bass lines, the perfectly crunchy guitar tone and the gang-vocal choruses. ‘Good Time’ is just that, you’ll be bopping along with thumbs in belt loops. ‘Keep Me Away’ has tastefully pilfered Slade. ‘I Trust Nobody’ is almost indistinguishable from Giuda. Is it the water supply in Rome? They certainly couldn’t be on the same bill, but I can’t fault the quality on show here.
‘Bish, Bash, Bosh’, and it’s like the 70s never ended, in the best way. One listen, and you’ll be convinced you’ve known it all your life. Silvestri has mastered the Chinn/Chapman hit factory sound. My heart goes out to any young bands in Rome; the benchmark , for this style, is immense. ‘Another Night’ adds some cheesy keyboards, but doesn’t stray into the 80s, so if Giuda’s brief flirtation with Duran Duran wasn’t your thing, you’ll be happy here.
‘Red Light’ and ‘Motherkilla’ have the joy of those early AC/DC riffs before they hired Eric Cartman and got too heavy (dodges bottles), and ‘Ukraine Girl’ doesn’t let up, so, no ballads here. What can I say? It’s a fantastic album, regardless of similarities. I hope they play some gigs soon, so we can experience it in it’s natural environment. You’d be mad not to.
Goth metal icon Jyrki 69 of The 69 Eyes prepares for international dominance on this brand new studio album, a follow-up to the widely praised solo effort, 2017’s ‘Helsinki Vampire!’. Jyrki has certainly been a busy boy releasing the 69 Cats album as well earlier this year and rather than sit back he’s gone right in deep with this ‘American Vampire’.
What can you expect from the dark gothic uberlord? Polished set of covers featuring some well-known names to accompany this batty project like Steve Stevens, yes he of The Billy Idol band, who turns up on a twisted take of ‘White Rabbit’. It’s hanging on by a thread compared to The mighty Damneds version of the psychedelic classic originally released by Jefferson Aeroplane. Sure it’s Gothic and polished to fuck by there’s something altogether more creepy about the original and the Damneds take will never be bettered besides they are the current owners of the best version of this. However, this isn’t bad at all in a weird mixed up headfuck sort of way. There’s pretty much no psycadelicness left in it as it’s been overhauled into some sort of metallic gothic industrial mindfuck never mind headfuck.
For this outing, Jyrki has teamed up with several named collaborators including fellow Fin Tim Skold, of the metal project Shotgun Messiah and industrial outfit Skold. I was intrigued as to how he was going to take on the mighty ‘Bite It You Scum’ from filth punk GG Allin. to be fair turning it into a techno goth anthem is really good and works well. I guess it could easily have played it straight up punk but giving it a twisted Mad Max feel is great – it sounds really fresh (doesn’t feel right using words like fresh when describing a GG Allin tune) and has plenty of punch and energy.
‘Don’t You Want Me’ featuring tiffany is bonkers, quite frankly. this Human League classic gets fucked up taken down the Soho bondage club and royally tied up and twisted. I’m not even sure if I like it or not but fair play to Jyrki for being brave and really thinking outside the box on this one and is that the innocent Tiffany? Really? Like I said bonkers.
‘Decision’ is like some twisted Iggy Pop fantasy played on some proto Gary Numan meets Soft Cell via Depeche Mode tip. It’s sparse and swirling but I like it. If that twisted your Mellon then ‘Deviant Carousel’ featuring Xiu Xiu is a headfuck again Jyrki goes dark and does his best Bla bla period Iggy and why the fuck not.
The album meanders through several genres and mixes it up from hard rock to synth-pop to techno punk it’s a swirling maelstrom of flavours to be fair and Jyrki can never be accused of playing it safe or taking the easy route because he doesn’t. I’m going to persevere with this album as I don’t dislike it at all but I can’t hand on dark heart say I love it either but I think it has potential to grow on you. Dark Goth fans will already love it regardless and thats fine but there is so much to take in here it might be a while.
To be fair none of the songs drag on and the length is kept fairly tight all around the three-minute mark give or take. The album closes with the dark brooding NiN like ‘Last Dance’ featuring Not My God and further down the spiral I descend. I’m gonna dim the lights and go back in for another twisted ride if I’m no tout in a day or two call the cops.
When he rocks it’s polished and huge sounding but that’s the safe 69 Eyes route and when he veers right off the route it’s more interesting and provocative and I’m sure Jyrki is comfortable with that not standing still and not compromising in what he creates. Good on him for that I say.
Peter Doherty, now resident in Normandy the land of Calvados and camembert, has teamed up with composer/producer Frédéric Lo, and created a wonderful nouvelle vague slice of pop entitled ‘The Fantasy Life of Poetry & Crime’, which will be released as asingle through the Strap Originals label on Friday 19th November and is available now from: https://lnk.fu.ga/peterdohertyfrdriclo_thefantasylifeofpoetrycrime ‘The Fantasy Life of Poetry & Crime’ is another piece de resistance from this constantly evolving and challenging artist, showcasing Peter’s proudly European poetry and comment on la bete humaine married to Frederick’s delicious francophone musical arrangements. Written during lockdown and produced by Frédéric Lo ‘The Fantasy Life of Poetry & Crime’ wasrecorded in Étretat (Normandy) and Paris, with all words by Peter Doherty and music by Frédéric Lo.
Doherty drew inspiration for the lyrics to ‘The Fantasy Life of Poetry & Crime’ from French lettrist Maurice Leblanc, best known as the creator of the fictional gentleman thief and detective Arsène Lupin (recently an international sensation on Netflix).
Frédéric Lo is a French musician, musical director, composer, arranger, music producer and singer-songwriter. Living in Paris, Lo is most notably known for his work in duet with Daniel Darc and for his work with Pony Pony Run Run , Stephan Eicher , Maxime Le Forestier , Christophe Honoré and Alex Beaupain.
Peter Doherty has released three album with The Libertines (‘Up The Bracket’ (2002), ‘The Libertines’(2004) & ‘Anthems For Doomed Youth’(2015) and With Babyshambles ‘Down In Albion’ (2005), ‘Shotters Nation’ (2007) & ’Sequel To The Prequel’(2013), two solo albums ‘Grace/Wastelands’ (2009) &’Hamburg Demonstrations’(2017) and Peter Doherty & The Puta Madres (2019).
If that was too slow and easy on the ear for you then you must be looking for Seven Days And Doesn’t Die –
Dragged up from the gutters and back alleys of London’s ripe underbelly, the four members of Seven Days and Doesn’t Die have long formed alliances in the capital’s dark basements and back rooms, concocting sleaze infested riffs atop guttural beats, fists of bass and hungry vocals. Seven Days spit naked, armed truths from their salty incendiary rock n ’roll backdrop. They blaze an effusive assault that keeps going and keeps giving. This is music to burn your bridges to.
Their debut self-titled album is set for release this coming November 19th via Seven Days Records and today sees the single release of album opener ‘Snatching Defeat’ – four minutes of stonkingly powerful, high-velocity metallic rock n’ roll that hits suitably hard.
Finally, because their self titled album was finally pressed onto vinyl and my copy was shipped through the mail last week how about some classic Toilet Boys and their Ramones-inspired video.
‘Neverland say die’ is A strange headline but let me explain. As a teenager in South Wales in the 80’s, it was almost mandatory to be a rocker, mod, or punk. I chose the rock camp and was obsessed with Black Sabbath, but then my world collapsed as Ozzy and Sabbath parted company and Dio came in. Can you see where we’re going? (Bear with me). Both entities continued but I was fully on Ozzy boy and never gave Dio’s albums even a curious listen (however, during lockdown I finally discovered and now love them after listening without prejudice). Fast forward a year or two and I discovered prog and my headbanging days were over. The older brother of a school friend left me the script and I was trapped in the web, joined the fan club, and the first two albums soundtracked by later teen years, cue the monstrosity that was ‘Kayleigh’ and I and the band was finished. It barely even registered with me, when Fish departed, and I had hardly ever listened to Fish or Marillion until lockdown gave me the free time to rediscover albums I hadn’t heard nor been exposed to for decades.
I have worked on local radio for seventeen years and have reviewed thousands of acts over the years, even my hero Fish who I saw perform at the Point in Cardiff and though I enjoyed it the spark of those heady teenage years was absent. A week or so my colleague Dan James had an interview with Pete Trewavis, I snaffled the review tickets and would finally get to witness Marillion’s new singer in the flesh. I say new he has been in situ for 33 years and sixteen albums, in fact, I saw a T-shirt on a fan which said Mr. H Marillions new Singer for over 30 years.
My next obstacle was I checked the setlist from earlier in your and apart from the Fish era classic Garden Party and a couple of early H singles I drew a blank so I called in my own Marillion expert Dave Purkiss to assist me in recognising obscurer tracks. This was prime cheating by me as Dave has seen the guys well over a hundred times and even drummed onstage with Ian Mosley at fan conventions.
After a War and Peace prologue, you are probably thinking, enough about your musical past was the show any good. Finally, the lights go down the guys stroll on to rapturous applause from this most partisan of fan bases and kick straight into the title track of Sounds That Can’t Be Made and a double from Afraid of Sunlight (title track and King). So far pleasant enough but not really grabbing me then The Party from Holidays In Eden blew me away, lyrically as well as musically. The show continued with tracks from Marbles (You’re Gone) and the dark The Bridge (Brave). The new album is coming, and they played Be Hard On Yourself and the crowd loved it. Seasons End was revisited with Berlin and then Neverland (hang on, the explanation to headline is coming, you’d forgotten about it by now I suppose) from Marbles.
Now for the encore and this is where I thought the band really stepped up to the plate with the Leavers suite from F.E.A.R which left me speechless and open-mouthed by its brilliance then a nice lesson in British and Irish history from a very “relaxed” H and a beautiful rendition of Easter, and the last encore I was getting ready to bounce along to Garden Party like those lucky souls in Hull but then I noticed Pete strapping on an acoustic, Dave smiled and correctly predicted Made Again from Brave and the lights came and the game was over (over)
Thoughts and reflections, firstly if Steve Rothery was a skinny chap with flowing locks from California he would be lauded as a guitar great, as it is because he is a paunchy, balding Yorkshireman he never gets the credit his unique talent merits. Pete and Ian are a tremendous Rhythm section especially the bouncing effervescent Cornishman and Mark Kelly will always be the enigmatic keyboard wizard. The “new” chap is a hoot, playing up to the crowd at every opportunity, berating wags in the crowd cheekily shouting out for Grendel and Kayleigh with tuts and “kids today.” I went as a one-eyed Fish devotee but emerged converted to the church of H. I have only seen them this once and for me it was an 8 out of 10 (Garden Party would have made it a 10, but would I compare and markdown who knows) but what of Dave who likes mentioned earlier seen the guys over a hundred times, a solid 7 not bad considering everyone been not playing shows for nigh on 2 years.
So back to Neverland Say Die, when Hogarth came out in white fringed leather for the encores I thought of Ozzy in a similar jacket on never say die tour, I now realise you haven’t got to choose, Sabbath with Ozzy or Dio and Marillion with Fish or H are both very different but equally excellent bands. They got their hooks in me and I will definitely BE checking out the 16 albums I neglected.
BOB VYLAN announces their brand new album ‘Bob Vylan Presents The Price Of Life’, set for release April 22nd through their own Ghost Theatre label – Pre-order the record – HERE
Live wise, the band have just completed a UK tour as main support to Biffy Clyro and start a tour supporting The Offspring this week
London two-piece BOB VYLAN can today announce details of their hugely anticipated forthcoming new album ‘Bob Vylan Presents The Price Of Life’, which is set for release through their own Ghost Theatre record label on April 22nd, 2022.
The record is now available to pre-order, which fans can do – HERE With these pre-orders, with each copy of the Gold or Silver vinyl (limited to 500 each), fans will be entered into a raffle to win either:
– A one-off Bob Vylan action figure made by Mr Cooke Customz + a signed test pressing – 5 separate, signed test pressings & unique signed instax – 10 separate signed instax
Talking a bit about the new single ‘GDP’, vocalist Bobby Vylan explains “This single explores a lot of the topics we’re known for, racism, class, social struggles in a way that may not be so obvious on first listen but when you hear lines about friends being stabbed because they come from a place and live a lifestyle that encourages violence to get what you want, you can’t help but ask yourself “well how did that environment begin?”. The chorus tells you outright, “what good is talking about the GDP if I’m struggling to get by?”
Having been a band for around 4 years, the BOB VYLAN sound is ever evolving and crosses genres and sonic dimensions. They incorporate these multiple styles in their music in an attempt to bridge genres and subcultures together. Bob explains a bit more about the album, it’s themes and ideas for this next phase for BOB VYLAN, “This project is allowing us the space to showcase different sides of our personalities. We don’t want to give the same thing over and over again, so we’re tackling topics in a different way this time. It’s serious and funny, it’s communal and obnoxious, it’s many things at any given time, and it’s a concept project. It explores the idea of paying your way through life and the expense of living in a society that places money above all else. It explores the places we’ve come from and the extremes we’ve seen people go to in order to survive. It also looks at the nuances around money in our society, the less obvious connections, like the world of advertising and art having to align with advertisers values in order to be given a platform, as well as the price of healthy eating, the cost of technology not necessarily on our pockets but on our lives.”
This band are all about community, and for them, their live show is a place where they can really express that. At each show, they start off with mediation and end with a group hug, but what’s between the meditative start and embracing end is a message delivered in a way that both Bobby and Bobbie feel has been missing. Live show wise, they have already been on a sold out UK headline tour (with support from Witch Fever and ZAND) in the summer, played at Reading and Leeds and ALT LDN festivals, been main support to Biffy Cylro through October/November and will be heading off to support The Offspring in arenas across the UK from later this week.
‘Silent’ Mike McKinnon has been anything but “quiet” since the singer/guitarist parted ways with Notts garage punks The Hip Priests a few years back. Initially putting together a well-received set of acoustic tunes as a self-released/self-titled debut back in 2019, before joining hard rockers Wraith as their lead singer and then subsequently re-joining NOOSE, the band he initially left to join the Priests for. Phew! In between all of this Mike somehow also found time to continue releasing solo songs and covers EPs throughout lockdown, oh and let’s not forget a live acoustic album too.
But, as that wise old punk rock sage Jimmy Cricket (eh?) once used to say…”there’s more”.
Yes siree, as coming out via Bandcamp on 21st November 2021, Mike is about to reveal the follow up to his self-titled acoustic record, in the shape of ‘All Sides Disaster’ PLUS an all-new hardcore punk album, going by the name of ‘Silent Like A Bomb’.
Building on the rock-solid foundations of Mikes’s self-titled debut acoustic record and containing a dozen all new tracks, the immediate thing that hits me about this follow up is just how much McKinnon has grown into the role of vocalist with (the curiously titled) ‘There’s One I In Win’ in particular being a superb example of a musician totally at ease with his weapon of choice. Plus, with ‘Inner Revolution’ ‘Not Giving Up’ and ‘Gotta Change’ having already crept out via Bandcamp during lockdown it’s exciting to discover that the final versions that make ‘All Sides Disaster’ are all much more developed those earlier pseudo demo versions.
There’s nowhere to hide when its just you and a guitar fronting up to an audience so the songs you play certainly have to be good to carry things off and keep people’s attention and on ‘All Sides Disaster’ Mike has written a diverse array of tunes that range from the Americana tinged ‘Run For It Marty’ to the now electro pop influenced ‘Not Giving Up’, and via the RATM style rap breakdown during the excellent ‘Broken From The Inside’ he has more than enough musical curveballs to keep the biggest gig loudmouth quiet..
Then again Mike could always just strap on his electric guitar and play the ten songs that make up his ‘Silent Like A Bomb’ record, as this is one hell of a joyous punk rock racket that would be impossible for anyone to talk though. Simply because you’d be too fucking busy in the pit to do any chinwagging.
Recorded with the help of a couple of da Priests (Des on drums and Ben on guest lead for the deathpunk beast ‘Fuelling The Tanks’) with Bitch Queen’s Harry Darling providing the final mix ‘Silent Like a Bomb’ is a record that immediately “goes off”, from the opening riff of the 52 second awesomeness of ‘Misdirection’ it doesn’t let you go until the album’s title track and closer has left you totally drained. This is the record that the young Mike that’s grinning out at you from the cover of his ‘All Sides Disaster’ would have been kickflipping all around his local skate park to back in the day, but before you think it’s just a homage to ‘80s hardcore/crossover take a listen to the likes of ‘We May Never Know’ with its fantastic pop/punk vocal undertones or the almost Priests-like ‘Set Up To Fail’ both of which lend ‘Silent Like a Bomb’ a very modern edge indeed.
It would be great to see Mike doing these ‘Silent Like A Bomb’ songs live with a full band, simply because they are some of the most exhilarating UK hardcore tunes I’ve heard in quite some time and they really do deserve to be heard all around the world. The mission to do just that kicking off at Mike’s album release/birthday party on November 21st at Foremans Bar in Nottingham, and if you cannot make that night then both albums are available to pre-order right now via the links below.
Pennywise frontman Jim Lindberg has been making inspiring, skate punk anthems since the 1990s. Musically, he’s drawn his influences from a few genres to create his melodic hardcore to the PMA influenced sounds of Minor Threat, 7 Seconds, and Dag Nasty mostly the usual suspects who often get mentioned from American punk rock culture.
Lyrically, Jim has taken inspiration from philosophers and used his lyrics to rally against political hypocrisy and corruption. Pennywise are often described as heartfelt songs about self-reliance with a tonne of upbeat messages and individual betterment.
On his new solo acoustic debut, however, ‘Songs From The Elkhorn Trail’, Lindberg looks inwards, producing an album that is a personal reflection of life, a testament to family and friends, and a look at himself and where his life has taken him. Encompassing everything from family, friends to loneliness and alianation.
I wouldn’t say its taken a while to get to this point but Lindburg recons the songs have been over 25 years in the making, the album is hislifes story. His father who passed away in 2018 of Alzheimer’s Disease is a huge inspiration for the record, having encouraged him in many aspects of his lifeand was fully supportive of him chasing his dreams in a punk rock band which is as cool aas it gets to be fair.
The album features David Hidalgo Jr. of Social Distortion on the drums, Joe Gittleman from The Mighty, Mighty BossToneS on bass, and Marc Orrell The Dropkick Murphy’s on guitar.
Having already released the first inspiring anthem “The Palm Of Your Hands” from the album, You get the feeling of an uplifting yet understated anthem. The downstrokes of the acoustic and the gang vocals are like taking a deep deep breath before a huge exhale. With PMA lyrics.
The album artwork is produced by Los Angeles local and musician, Bob Dob. The imagery in the artwork reflects the fact that many of the songs on the album were written at his father’s Palm Desert house near the Elkhorn Trail. Bob’s painting feature punk rock and pop culture icons, video game characters, beach culture stereotypes, historical references, and Disney characters. Jim has said, “It’s a supreme honor that Bob agreed to do the artwork for the album and collaborate with me on it. He’s one of my favorite artists of all time.” It just adds to the back story and the warm fuzzy feeling of satisfaction when listening to the record.
I love the electric bass rumble on a predominantly acoustic driven record and add the stabs of brass like on the punchy ‘I Feel Like The Sun’. ‘Hello Again’ reminds me of The Hold Steady its pretty much wholesome pop songs written from the heart with that alternative twist. I guess its all about where the songs come from and whos driving the writing which dictates how they sound. Hell its not Ed Sheeran but nor is it Neil Young but it is acoustic pop music. Lindburg keeps it simple and reminises about his dad as the song develops to the piano solo which sounds like it was found in some smokey barroom.
As the album meanders through the melancholy of ‘Don’t Lay Me Down’ and its sad cello and stringed ensemble underpinning the acoustic strumming makes for a lovely song in a dark way. In Contras is the full blooded ‘Not One Of Them’ with its full band vibe. In a countrified moment the Dylan inspired harmonica wheeze of ‘Blood On Your Hands’ shows the variety on offer and the talent of Lindberg in his songwriting.
‘Good Enough’ is as close as you get to a bit of punk rock acoustic style. Sure its got that Bad Religion, Green Day SoCal attitude running through it and you keep waiting for the drums to kick in but – Spoiler Allert, they don’t.
One of the strongest tracks is the string laden ‘It’s Only’. Lindberg turns in a really good vocal – his emotions shine through to be fair as your hanging off his every word. In contrast then we get the Soft Cell drum machine beamed in from the 80s for ‘The Basement’ which has a demo feel to it as it races off at pace before some more frantic riffing on ‘On Fire’ that is relatable for many punk rockers everywhere.
The album eases itself out with ‘Long Way To Go’ with its fiddle solo and all in all a great place to sign the record off. It never outstays its welcome and there is enough variety to not get bored with the sparse nature of the tunes. A throughly enjoyable trip is ‘Songs From The Elkhorn Trail’ it will instantly connect with a lot of people who will relate to where Jim is coming from with his lyrics. Besides, Sometimes its cool to dance to a different beat so to speak, at least every now and then and this record is full of suprises and really good tunes. Top effort.
It’s out digitally on Epitaph from Nov 19th and then on CD and vinyl next May, 2022.
Renowned Bauhaus archivist and mastermind level expert Andrew Brooksbank has dug deep into his mind and diaries to dredge up the humble beginnings and misadventures of Goth Pioneers the one and only Bauhaus.
Daniel Ash, David J and Kevin Haskins, are the primary characters in this impressive Tome that has been obsessively and meticulously researched. Chances are you’re reading this because you’re a Bauhaus nerd or possibly just a music geek who loves to shine a light into the dark recesses of bands histories to see what made them work and get to a pitch where someone will write a book about them and to be fair there are none more unique and mysterious than the dark lords of gothic imagery and post-punk genre leaders Bauhaus.
This book gives a sense of perspective and what makes a band tick and reaches out further than their local pub or town center to play all over the world and sell many many records over decades. The primary characters all shared a love of Bowie, glam and what was happening quite quickly around them in such unchartered times that were the 70s. A time like no other for what was happening in music.
Brooksbank sure knows his subject matter in impressive detail. Includes interviews with Northampton’s new wavers doling out their memories of important times, places and people, as well as Ash and the Haskins brothers themselves, If like me you have an interest in the band but not an in-depth knowledge then this really adds meat to the bone in an easy on the eye way and a book that doesn’t dismiss the casual fan and only appeal to an illite few. The flow is great in bite sized passages all dated for easy reference.
If you’re wondering where the band’s vocalist is in all of this, well, Peter Murphy’s journey to Bauhaus is also referenced throughout, as the band’s story is told up to and including the recording and initial triumph of ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’ at the final knockings of the seventies. I did chuckle that ‘Bela Legose’ lyrics were written whilst David J hoped on and off his bike when the ideas came to him. It’s great to read about early shows being played in the Rock and Roll maelstrom of Wellingborough at 3pm for kids. Brilliant stuff.
Brooksbank has been referred to by David J as the “invaluable ‘tenacious truffle pig’ adept in the unearthing of minutia and obscure facts”, a quote that must be manna from Heaven for a fan of any band to be referred to with such affection. The book also contains dozen and dozens of grainy transferred pictures as well as flyers, demo mixtapes, ticket stubs live shots and so much more.
After reading it front to back I’ve also enjoyed dipping in and skimming the pictures where you also get a sense of how a band evolved in such an inspiring time in music. It’s written with humour and the cast of friends who contribute with their anecdotes really make the book such an engaging read. It’s a no-brainer for a Bauhaus fan but for anyone who likes reading about music, this is great and coming from such a creative time when innocence was something to nurture and wasn’t seen as a weakness or disadvantage. Seeing how a band rose from a time in music that was simply beautiful and rewarding it’s 40+ years ago yet a lot of us remember it like it was yesterday. ‘From arthaus’ is a Great trip – you should check it out its a pageturner for sure.
Desert grooves? Doomy Stoner vibes? Hypnotic Sabbath riffs? You name it and Sardinians Loose Sutures have it by the boatload! This sophomoric record certainly lives up to it’s Grindhouse B-movie title, especially now as the nights draw in….
I had trepidation at first, spying the song title ‘superfast shit kebab’ and the long noodley intro track but when the songs kick in, the band show their wares and that they know how to rock out with barn burners such as ‘stupid boy’ and low end throbber ‘sunny cola’.
‘Last cry’ has equal amounts of classic Sabbath and MKII era Deep Purple deliciously blended, whereas next track ‘mephisto rising’ channels the former with all the necessary demonic Wah every listener needs.
The record continues in this vein, constant delivery of pure evil riffs held together with excellent rhythms and grooves on tracks ‘black lips’ and ‘animal house’. Would you believe that the aforementioned ‘superfast shit kebab’ ends up being the euphoric standout track of the record! An anthem to say the least.
The album finishes off nicely with ‘death valley I’ and the follow up ‘death valley II’, delivered immediately and up front, quick progress indeed if you compare it to George Lucas standards. Part one being the heavier of the pair but don’t discount the sequel, it’s packed with day-glo Psych vibes. Both very hypnotic and encapsulating, though in different ways.
The band describes this work as a journey of toxic tastes, endless nightmares, tempting mistresses born out of a sickly strip club……. Yeah, I couldn’t say it better myself. Ingratiate yourself with this record, hit the Med, get Loose and go get Gashed!
Echo & The Bunnymen have released the vinyl reissues of their first four albums (‘Crocodiles’, ‘Heaven Up Here’, ‘Porcupine’ and ‘Ocean Rain’) on heavyweight black vinyl and limited-edition coloured vinyl. This is the first time the albums have been available on vinyl since their initial release in 1980, 1981, 1983 and 1984 respectively.
ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN were formed in Liverpool in ’78 with Ian McCulloch on vocals and rhythm guitar, Will Sergeant on lead guitar and Les Pattinson on bass. They were soon joined by Pete De Freitas on drums and the rest, as they say, is history.
After releasing their 7” single ‘Pictures on My Wall’ on Zoo Records in ’79. ‘Pictures on My Wall’ would appear on their debut album ‘Crocodiles’ in 1980. The Release saw the band quickly gain a reputation amongst the post-punk bands, ‘Crocodiles’ also got great press which was an oddity at the time. The album has a great energy and Sergent’s guitar clash still sounds fantastic from opener ‘Going Up’ right through to jolting ‘Happy Death Men’ that closed the album’s ten tracks. There is a spark as the band thumped out tracks like ‘All That Jazz’ with its distorted guitar and ratatat military drum beat. the high points of the album were probably ‘Rescue’ which still sounds fresh to this day Forty years on! it has stood the test of time.
I checked through my collection and the albums got the special CD treatment for their 25th Birthday but never a vinyl reproduction until now that is. ‘Crocodiles’ had the classic Bunnymen style and swagger that’s still the band’s heartbeat today. Youthful enthusiasm.
The band followed the album with the release of the ‘Shine So Hard’ EP in 1981, recorded live at the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton, before releasing their second studio album ‘Heaven Up Here’ in the same year. It went Top 10, winning the 1981 NME Best Album award in the process. The growing confidence and probably the band technical proficiency meant they could be more adventurous with the sound of the songs and from the off, ‘Show Of Strength’ was more complex rhythmically. Take nothing away from the band’s debut but this was certainly a step forward. The band also managed to pull off having the record produced by Hugh Jones. ‘Over The Wall’ was an altogether much darker song with the deep synth sounds leading the way. I always thought of the band as a very rhythmical band and often the drums and bass would lead the track none more so than the title track where Phil De Freitas was on fire driving the rest of the band to weave some musical magic.
The band really went overground in 1983 with the release of their third album ‘Porcupine’, produced by Ian Broudie. ‘Porcupine’ provided their best chart performances, with ‘The Cutter’ reaching #8 in the singles charts and Porcupine finishing #2 in the album charts before being certified Gold. Tracks like ‘The Cutter’, ‘Back Of Love’ truly defined the band’s style and became signature tunes and remain staples of their live set to this day. It’s the hits from ‘Porcupine’ mixing the band’s post-punk and love of Bowie the band was stretching themselves to the max making song arrangments their peers weren’t. It was melancholic pop at its best. There were bleak arrangements created with synths and samples that were so exciting. I love the rush I had from listening to ‘Clay’ back in the mid-80s and I still got that same feeling today with McCullochs unique and instantly recognisable vocals these rereleases on vinyl are like a breath of fresh air and still sound fantastic. I’ll admit I’d not played these albums in their entirety for a few years.
1984 brought the fourth studio album ‘Ocean Rain’, regarded by many as the band’s classic-sounding record (with the strings). Recorded in Liverpool and Paris, the band used a 35-piece orchestra with award-winning composer Adam Peters scoring the strings. Something the band did better than any of their contemporaries. The cover art is the stunning Carnglaze Caverns in Cornwall that were taken by photographer Brian Griffin, (who also shot their three previous album covers). ‘Ocean Rain’ was considered by many to be the record the band was building up to from their debut only a few years earlier, (to be fair four really strong albums in four years, not something that happens often if at all these days) this was where they wanted to be and had finally arrived at the top table with an album to challenge any other band making music in the mid-80s.
The use of strings made the band stand out and do it better than any of their contemporaries the main difference between The Bunnymen was they had the songs to go with the style and from the off ‘Silver’ was a great lead single to showcase what they were all about. It still sounds big with the strings punching in. Two more big singles were released from the album after ‘Silver’. ‘Seven Seas’ and the anthemic ‘The Killing Moon’, (which reached #9 in the UK singles chart) and gives you goosebumps, even to this day it’s a song I can never tire of hearing.
It’s hard to believe it’s forty years give or take that these albums came out. They’re sonically timeless albums and it’s the supporting cast of musicians that helped make the Bunnymen the band they were, from the strings to the talents of the likes of Ian Brodie and Johns bringing something different to their respective albums. The videos were creative as well from ‘The Killing moon’ to the striking ‘Seven Seas’ a time when MTV was everything and these videos burnt their mark onto a young impressionable kid’s brain. Hearing these records again in their entirety without bells and whistles added but keeping it as originally intended with just a classic polish and rerelease on 180gm is perfect.
Anyone who remembers the 80s alternative pop/rock scene of Icicle Works, Bunnymen, Teardrop Explodes, Early U2, Spear Of Destiny, and Waterboys to name a few; will look back fondly at these four albums and nod quietly to themselves and remember how bloody good they were/are. Indulge yourself in the creative, early period of one of England’s finest bands from the 80s. When bands were left to grow and develop – something that’s very clear on these four LPs which goes to show how rich our musical heritage is and how damn good Echo And The Bunnymen are. Replace your old copies or catch up on some classic albums.
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