Includes the highly sought-after debut 7” ‘Ghost On The Highway/Sex Beat’ All tracks remastered and issued with original artwork.
52-page booklet with rare photographs, reminisces from Thurston Moore, Mark Lanegan, Henry Rollins, X and extensive liner notes from noted author Clinton Heylin.
Includes exclusive ‘Fire Of Love’ Fanzine, ‘Gun’ Button and Promo Postcard Released by Flood Gallery on 21st January 2022
If ever there was a band seemingly determined to come from nowhere and go straight back there, it was The Gun Club. Jeffrey Lee Pierce’s search and destroy combo was spawned by the L.A. punk scene in 1979. Two years later their first LP, the incendiary Fire Of Love, was spewed out by Slash Records, a matter of months after the punk zine Pierce wrote for, and the label named itself after breathed its last. Fire Of Love was one of the 80s’ genuinely shape-shifting US debuts, igniting post-punk depth and minting genres including blues, psychobilly, and Americana. Yet before they could fire up the lathe to cut the album master, The Gun Club unleashed a debut 7” ‘Ghost On The Highway’ b/w ‘Sex Beat’, two purgatory-bound hellraisers from the pen of Pierce. Appearing in the UK on the Beggars Banquet label, this single is now entrenched in the collectors’ market commanding a three-figure sum for a mint original. Its inclusion here is worth the price of the Box Set alone. “Ghost on the Highway/Sex Beat’ was the first in a run of fire and brimstone singles The Gun Club released. Seven of their very best 45’s issued between 1981-1993 are brought together on this potent collection including three later day 7”s for the completists. Joining “Ghost On The Highway’ are ‘Fire Of Love’, the ‘Death Party EP’, ‘The Great Divide’, ‘Pastoral Hide & Seek’, ’Cry To Me’ and a ‘Miami Demos’ single, exclusively made for this box set.
Each double-sided single is remastered and reproduced with its original artwork. Inside the Box Set is a high quality 52-page page booklet complete with expert sleeve notes by author Clinton Heylin alongside various contributors, among them Mark Lanegan, Henry Rollins and Thurston Moore. Reproductions of gig posters, tickets, rare photographs and other Gun Club memorabilia are featured throughout. The Box Set is produced in association with the Jeffrey Lee Pierce Estate. Jeffrey Lee Pierce was an extraordinary character. Learning to play guitar at the age of 10, he quickly immersed himself firstly in reggae and later the Delta Blues, particularly works by Tommy Johnson & Robert Johnson. By 1976, he had become obsessed with Blondie, going on to become President of the West Coast Blondie Fan Club. It was Jeffrey Lee Pierce who suggested to the band they cover ‘Hanging On The Telephone’. The Blondie connection would later resurface in 1982 when Chris Stein signed and produced The Gun Club for his Animal Records label. In 1996, after releasing 7 studio albums, 37-year-old Jeffrey Lee Pierce sadly passed away following a stroke. What he left behind is a legacy of work that has had a prolific effect on some of the most distinguished rock acts of the past 20+ years, these include Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Sonic Youth, The White Stripes, Mark Lanegan, Primal Scream and The Black Keys.
The Gun Club story would not be complete without mentioning the following personnel who played an integral role in the musical output of the Gun Club: Kid Congo Powers, Terry Graham, Chris D, Rob Ritter, Patricia Robinson, Romi Mori, Ward Dotson, Jim Duckworth, Dee Pop and Nick Sanderson.
The Gun Club ‘Preaching The Blues’ Singles Box Set
Ghost On The Highway (1982) – Ghost On The Highway/Sex Beat
Fire Of Love 1982 – Fire Of Love/Walking With The Beast
Miami Demos (1982) – Carry Home/Brother And Sister
Death Party EP (1983) – The House On Highland Ave./ The Lie/Death Party
The Great Divide (1990) – The Great Divide/Crabdance
Pastoral Hide And Seek (1990) – Pastoral Hide And Seek/Black Hole/Emily’s Changed (Live in Paris, 91)
‘Slade In Flame’, the third release in the series, will be released on red and yellow splatter vinyl.
The first release in this beautifully presented re-issues collection ‘Slayed? debuted at #7 in the Official Vinyl Charts and the final release will be ‘Slade Alive!’.Slade’s first soundtrack album and fifth studio album ‘Slade In Flame’, includes the singles ‘Far Far Away’ and ‘How does it Feel’. Originally released on 29th November 1974, the album entered the UK album chart at #6 and it was certified gold by the BPI in February 1975. Slade’s seminal film was hailed as ‘the Citizen Kane of British pop movies” by Mark Kermode, BBC.
‘Slade In Flame’ follows the release of Slade’s third and fourth studio albums ‘Slayed?’, and ‘Old New Borrowed And Blue’. ‘Slayed?’ features ten songs including Number One single, ‘Mama Weer All Crazee Now’ and ‘Gudbuy T’Jane’ which reached Number two in the charts. While ‘Old New Borrowed And Blue’, features the singles ‘My Friend Stan’ and ‘Everyday’ and The Times to retrospectively state: “This is joyous, unshackled and unpretentious stuff that reminds you how they rattled off six No.1’s.”
Pictures By Barry Plummer
Slade are without doubt one of the most exciting bands to come out of Great Britain and were unstoppable throughout the Seventies becoming one of the biggest bands; releasing six smash hits albums, including three UK Number Ones, a run of 17 consecutive Top 20 singles and their hits provided a soundtrack to the Glam Generation. To pre-order ‘Slade In Flame’, go to: https://slade.lnk.to/sladeinflamePRTo order ‘Old New Borrowed And Blue’ go to: https://slade.lnk.to/onbabPR To order ‘Slayed?’ go to: https://slade.lnk.to/slayedPR
Denim and leather-clad Texas rockers Killer Hearts are still riding high from their debut LP release “Skintight Electric” are now hitting the road to spread the gospel of rock and roll. They’ve also released a video directed by Seyla Hossaini. The concept for the video, rock and roll women, a night on the town and getting up to no good, with Killer Hearts “Dynamite Tramp” playing the soundtrack! It’s a throwback to the early days of MTV when we had to stay up late to see the rock and roll videos.
Killer Hearts debut full-length “Skintight Electric” is out now on all streaming and download platforms. Vinyl can be purchased in the US from Spaghetty Town Records and in Europe from Dragstrip Riot Records.
Sweden’s boogie rock legends Diamond Dogs are back with the new single and music video ‘ALRIGHT BRUTUS I’M ON!’ The track is taken from the swedes upcoming double album ‘SLAP BANG BLUE RENDEZVOUS’, set for release on January 21.
Slap Bang Blue Rendezvous is a release for children of the 70’s. From the top it conjures up the spirits of the 70’s glam rock era. The warm atmosphere brings the air of the golden age, and the energy of the songs and performance give a promise of rock music for the new generation! Diamond Dogs leaves the listener feeling like they’ve been somewhere momma told them not to go, but knowing that they’ll soon be visiting again!
“This is my masterpiece, my White Album” as Tomas Skogsberg himself puts it. And we can only agree!
Hear Alright Brutus I’m On and pre-order the album: Here
Finally why not check out the new Jesse Malin video for ‘Dance With The System’ from Jesse Malin’s latest double album, ‘Sad and Beautiful World’, out now on Wicked Cool Records.
Dinosaur Jr. are “still making excellent records for new listeners and older ones who made the band part of their lives” (Wall Street Journal). Today, they release Emptiness at the Sinclair, an album that captures the essence of why the band has been such a staple in live music for decades. Recorded live at The Sinclair in Boston, Dinosaur Jr. play many tracks drawn from Sweep It Into Space, released earlier this year on Jagjaguwar, plus classics like ‘Just Like Heaven‘, ‘Start Choppin‘ and ‘Freak Scene‘.
Lou Barlow elaborates: “It was odd going back to Harvard Square for the Sinclair show, lots of closed shops, less car and foot traffic, my first time back in a big-city since it all went down. I had lived in Boston for about 10 years from the late 80’s-90’s and the bustling square was a common destination to look for records and meet with friends. The empty pandemic feel spooked me.
“Playing for a livestream is like pushing a rock up a hill trying to recreate the vibe of a real show. The isolation of the last year had made me nervous about performing again, especially in the context of Dinosaur Jr. where I typically rely on the energy of our crowd. Playing to an invisible audience and a real-time sparsely populated room of people doing their jobs (running lights, sound and staring at screens) was something different and, again, weird.
“Despite all my lockdown doubts once we started playing things clicked. My mind didn’t highjack me and it quickly began to feel like a real show. Having a few decent gigs on the Sinclair stage before, it began to feel familiar and, for lack of a better word, friendly. It will be much more of a relief to get back on tour but, this Sinclair show was a good band-aid, so to speak.“
Dinosaur Jr.’s European tour begins in Dublin on March 27th at Vicar Street and run through April 13th where it culminates at Berlin‘s Columbiahalle before a return in June for dates at Barcelona and Porto‘s Primavera Sound festivals respectively. Tickets are on sale now.
UK/EU Tour Dates:
Mar 27th | Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street Mar 28th | Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz Manchester Mar 30th | Hull, UK @ Asylum Mar 31st | Glasgow, UK @ QMU Apr 2nd | London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton Apr 3rd | Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg Apr 5th | Antwerp, BE @ Trix Apr 6th | Hamburg, DE @ Markthalle Hamburg Apr 7th | Cologne, DE @ Carlswerk Victoria Apr 9th | Lausanne, CH @ Les Docks Apr 10th | Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo Apr 12th | Munich, DE @ Muffathalle Apr 13th | Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle June 2nd | Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound June 11th | Porto, PT @ NOS Primavera Sound Festival
Try not to be too disappointed that this is only five tracks and not the new full-length new album but I’m sure that isn’t too far away so see it as a bonus that’ll tide you over nicely.
This offer is suitably snotty and it chews out a rhythm like fellow well-crafted power poppers from their neck of the woods The Exploding Hearts. Its guitars below the belt buckle, leather jacket on with the collars turned up, Some creepers or cons and turn those amps up a little bit louder than you think they should be and let’s go!
‘See Her In Action’ the song kicks things off and with all the vital ingredients present and in situ it’s all systems go. There’s a dreamy vibe to the melody as the band just eases into the rhythm. They’re not reinventing the wheel here they’re just having a good time hanging out and kicking out the jams and it sounds like they have the best of times. ‘Only Lovers’ tweaks that Chuck Berry riff a little and the guitars just roll with it. It’s a timeless lick and it’s been used by many far and wide the good and the great and sometimes the not so great but The Cheap Cassettes know how to handle the string bending and put it to great use.
‘Lil’ Bit Everyday’ is the last of the three studio recordings and for me it’s they’ve saved the best till last and with a hint of mop-top mod melody in the chorus I like it a lot and the solo just hits the bullseye in the sweetest way. Now to get a good idea of where bands like The Cheap cassettes work best there are a couple of live recordings thrown into the mix and the first is the epic ‘Valentine’ originally by The Replacements (obviously) and The Cheaps do it justice and sail pretty close to the original and another of the bands they are clearly inspired by being nailed to the mast. Job done! then to sign this impressive EP off they power their way through ‘Red Line Blue’ and my appetite is suitably whetted for the next long-player. Bring it on.
Its been a while since RPM first made contact with Montreals The Dangereens who describe themselves as,
“The most elegant-decadent rock n’ roll unit of the 21st century”. which is quite some boast, However, when we heard their long player ‘Tough Luck’, it was obvious they actually have the tunes to back this up. When everything settles down maybe the world at large will finally have the chance to see for themselves if this just a case of idle promises or The Dangereens are indeed the real deal. What the world needs right now is some glamorous, decadent Rock and Roll so we reached out to lead singer Hugo to find out who the hell are The Dangereens and why should we check em out and for Hugo to introduce us to the world of The Dangereens. So, Read on and get excited for The Dangereens…
Firstly, ‘Tough Luck’ (the album) was recommended by one of the writers here at RPM Online, and when he said the magic words “there is a hint of Hanoi Rocks in here” I knew I had to order the record. I did and he was right. So with that in mind where would you say you sit musically on ‘Tough Luck’?
Quite frankly I don’t believe that Tough Luck should be examined as a whole (in terms of musical genres), but rather as a collection of songs that draw from various influences. There are touches of 70s glam rock, punk, power pop and southern rock, 60s garage rock, 50s R&B and rock’n’roll, 40s boogie-woogie… So, you know… I guess I’d describe it as a “glitter rhythm and punk” effort… Then again, I’m not too good with labeling my own shit. I’m sure you’d do a much better job at it 😉
How long have you been together as the Dangereens?
About 4 years
What about influences and what you wanted to achieve with the ‘Tough Luck’ long-player?
Our influences are as numerous as they are scattered… Some of the guys like 80s hard rock, heavy metal and other types of mustache music that I know nothing about. Personally, I like 3 chords, light-hearted love songs, tear-jerking outcries and obscure rock’n’roll moronities… Anything that moves and grooves, you know? One thing we all agree upon is that it’s gotta be soulful, it’s gotta have that swing, and it’s gotta sound like us. I guess my role as the leader of the gang is to take that harder edge from the other guys and make it snap, crackle and pop so that at the end of the day, every song’s a groover. I really focus on a song as a song, and not as a part of a concept or anything like that. How our album ended up sounding like an album (with a common thread and a continuation in the themes) really beats me! I still don’t know how we pulled it off…
What was the process for writing the record? Is there one main writer and how does it roll as far as jamming the songs in a rehearsal room or is there a set method?
There is a main writer: me. Now is probably a good time to introduce myself. I’m Hugo and I’m the singer. I also play rhythm guitar on the album. That being said, I’m not alone in this band, and I cannot overstate the importance of the role that the other guys have played in the writing process of this album. I like the idea of working really hard in the beginning of a project on elaborating an aesthetic and a sound that gathers (or at least tries to) a common side of every member’s personality. Once you’ve built that core, then you can start slacking and drinking, and still the songs will come pouring like it’s the monsoon.
About the writing process now… So I come up with the words, the chords and the vocal melody and I show it to the guys, and I guide them roughly towards a certain way of approaching the song. Once I see that everyone understands how the song should be approached, it’s really not mine anymore… As long as we all respect the song, I’m happy. Sometimes one of the guys will come up with something brilliant I haven’t even thought of. This is proof to me that the song lives and that it can speak, and that is always a good start. Oh, and this all has to happen in this crappy (but cheap) room we use as a jam space, and as quickly as possible. If too much effort or talking is required to get there you probably oughta let this one slide until the time is right.
As far as the process for recording the songs is concerned, we really focused on how that “core” should sound by jamming 3 times a week and by trying to build it with raw-live-off-the-floor energy. Even there, we still got to the studio unprepared and had to deal with a bunch of last minute freak-outs, but we pulled through gracefully (in my own opinion). How we managed to do that is beyond me as well. I believe in my heart that rock’n’roll is about sensibility, and that’s not something you can prepare or train. I guess that what I really mean is that rock’n’roll is about laziness (haha).
How have you dealt with the release with touring being off the agenda?
We had absolutely no idea things were gonna freeze like that… We figured we’d release the album a bit later than expected (May instead of April), but still in time for the summer. We thought we’d be out of this shitshow by then… we were wrong. I guess that’s why we’re musicians and not global medical analysists… analysisticians?… analysts? (haha)
Is there any music written for a follow-up?
Oh hell ya! If there’s anything good about this pandemic, it’s that it pushed me to write new material. We’ve got about 10 new songs now that we can’t wait to share with y’all!
You preceded the album with a pair of tracks ‘Lucky In Love and Holy Water, why were they left off the album? They are two totally different numbers and show a real maturity in the writing and I love a saxophone in my Rock and Roll and Jay plays a major part in the sound?
The label we’re affiliated with for distribution (ALIENSNATCH! Records) suggested to take them out. They were initially supposed to be on the album. I agree with you that they add a certain depth to the band’s repertoire as they are slower songs. We might reissue the album including the 2 singles one day…
Blue Jay is a wonderful guy. We love working with him. He comes from a jazz background and everything he added on the album came out naturally. We hope to work with him on future recordings.
The album has a classic feel to it but also sounds fresh and versatile. Do you have a particular track that you love? If I was to tell someone about this new band I’m playing called Dangereens what would you suggest I play them and how would you describe it?
Thank you! We love working with old-school material like tape machines and 60s transistor soundboards because they force you to commit to decisions. The entire album was recorded on analog devices and I guess it gives it this naturally compressed and warm sound which we now consider “classic”. I don’t want to get into the details of analog recording because it bores the daylights out of me, but I can say it also made the recording and mixing process a whole lot faster because we’d rarely go back to fix mistakes (mistakes are a crucial part of the Dangereens’ sound) and because we didn’t need to colour the sound with a bunch of VST’s or anything like that. During the mix, it was mostly a matter of making certain things shine a bit more and leave other things in the background and Ryan Battistuzzi made a phenomenal job at that.
About my preferred numbers, usually, my favorite song is the last one I wrote. Having let some time pass now, I’d say my favorite ones are Microwave Boogie for the story-telling type of lyrics and the general delivery of the band, Love Jive for the pedal steel arrangements and guitar works, and Hearse Driving Blonde for the simple, uplifting vibe. Tomorrow I might say something else though.
The band is quite different from the one that released that first EP back in 2018 even if those songs are excellent again showing the versatility within the band both being able to just Rock and Roll on ‘Reign Of your mind’ and then the acoustic side as on ‘Libertine’ and the two tacks you released on Bandcamp that covered show you delved deep into the back catalogue of rock and roll. Why those two tracks in particular?
Yes, the EP marks a different era. As a matter of fact, we were another band back then, literally. We were 4, Yan, who plays piano on the record, was our drummer, and we had another bass player, Miles. After Yan and Miles left, they were replaced with Olivier (actual drummer) and Jordan (actual bass player). As I was saying before I like to write/compose for the band I have. These new cats have different artistic orientations and tastes, and I feel it is my duty to represent that in the songs, you know?
About the cover songs, it’s very simple… We initially booked 2 days of studio to record the 14 rhythm tracks (the 12 Tough Luck songs + Lucky In Love and Holy Water). Thing is, we were so hot on the 1st day, we ended up canning 12 of them, leaving only 2 for the second day. I then decided we’d use the remaining time to record live-off-the-floor performances, 50s style. Break Up was already part of our live set and High Blood Pressure is just a song I love so I showed it to the guys on the day of the recording and off we went!
As for live shows, how long has it been since you last played and what are the plans? Is Europe a possibility when it’s safe to do so?
When the pandemic hit us, we had just come back from a 3 days mini-tour in the US. We played Brooklyn, Manhattan and Boston. All three shows went incredibly well and we made awesome friends (shouts to Muck and The Mires who rocked our socks off)! Man, were we riding high… Also, we were planning a Europe end of summer tour so you can bet your bottom dollar we’ll come around as soon as borders open!
What about promo videos any more planned?
We made the one for Streets of Doom (it’s on our Youtube channel, Dangereens Official) and another one that should be out anytime soon! I can’t tell you for which song though 😉
Going back to the album. I love songs like ‘Thieves’ and ‘Worried Mind’ and would love to hear them played live. When I’ve been playing the record I hear bits of inspiration from bands like thin Lizzy and some traditional boogie-woogie mixed with the likes of Hanoi or a bit of Bolan boogie the whole thing just rocks, and a whole bunch of others that jump out to me, in a sound or maybe a chorus or melody. the way you mix up the influences on ‘1003’ with the sax and some fine piano playing whilst keeping it fresh is something not a whole bunch of bands are doing right now it would be great if success on a big scale was around the corner. They do say it comes in waves and we’re just about ready for Rock and Roll to dominate the charts again. How was the album recorded? songs like ‘Little Uptown Girl’ sound like they were one live take would that be a fair assumption?
Aww, now you’re gonna make me blush (haha)! I don’t know about rock’n’roll dominating the charts, but it doesn’t really matter to us anyway… The way I see it, this band is all about good times, and good times never go out of style (although we all may feel that way these days). All those bands you’ve mentioned are definitely up there in our spiritual altar, but we also listen to more recent stuff. To me, a good song is a good song. It doesn’t matter if it’s rock’n’roll or new age, you know? When I write a song, I think of the melody and rhythm first, then I lay words on it. The fact that they end up sounding the way they do is because of the way we naturally approach music as a band. Rockin’ and rollin’ is part of our daily routine.
About the recording process, we start by recording the rhythm (drums, bass and guitars) tracks altogether, then we do overdubs for vocals and other instruments (saxophone, trumpet, piano, organ, strings, etc.). In my opinion, the more elements you record simultaneously, the better it sounds. Giving that we were working with a 16 tracks tape machine and in a small basement room, it would’ve been impossible to achieve recording everything all at once, but at least we got to work off of our live rhythm tracks, without using a click. Saying that our songs sound like they’re live takes is possibly the best compliment you could’ve given me! A song is like a picture, you know? It’s about capturing that unique moment in time. You can always take a snap of some willow tree by a lake, then photoshop Kate Moss kissing you on the cheek underneath it later, but eventually someone will figure out that shit’s not sitting right…
Ok enough of me waffling, what plans have Dangereens for the future? the next record? Singles?, Tours? and where is the best place people reading this can get the album in physical format from obviously digital copies its Bandcamp right?
It sucks because I can’t tell you much about the future since we are in the midst of negotiations and I don’t want to jinx it, but we’ve got BIG plans… All I can say is you’re gonna see a lot more of us in 2021 going forward! To get a physical copy of our album, you can go through ALIENSNATCH! Records‘ Bandcamp page. They’re also available through Green Noise Records for North America. Otherwise, if you’re in Montreal, hit us on Facebook and we’ll come and deliver it to you. We have black and clear red vinyl. They look and sound amazing! As for digital, you can find us on all platforms (Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, Amazon Music, etc.) or buy a digital copy via Bandcamp.
So there you have it, The Dangereens ladies and Gentlemen now hit up some of the links and check out the music. Thanks to Hugo for being so generous with his time.
It’s been over a decade since I first discovered that even when Mommy Sez No you can still get your musical kicks from a trashy, crypt-cool beat combo souring airwaves with its self-soiled brand of “Spook ‘n’ Roll.”
From debut splatter platter, ‘Hotwaterburnbaby’, via the putrid poetry of follow-up, ‘Eeeeeeeeep!!!’, to the 2-4-5 Trioxin-addled new album, ‘The Dwellers Below’, the Saint Paul, Minnesota ghouls Mommy Sez No have traversed the gutters and gateways of the punk rock underground for so long that you’d probably be excused for thinking that this was a band destined to be stumbled across when lovingly fingering your wholly unfashionable physical media collection; the cobwebs blown from a disc or two decaying in the creepy corner labelled ‘Where Are They Now?’ But, no – this six-legged monstrosity (Jeff Arndt on guitar and vocals; Alex Smith on drums; Thomas White on bass) is back in the hunt; better, stronger, faster than it was before.
Okay, the enhancement might not be bionic, but it’s by some other ungodly advancement that finds the horror punk veterans kicking lumps out of the opposition with a thirteen-track (what else?!) long player that, actually, doesn’t play for that long given its frenetic pace, but oozes with a gooey, unexpected slap of, dare I say it, maturity.
Looking cooler-than-thou wearing its wraparound artwork skin courtesy of fellow Minnesota mayhem maker, artist Bill Hauser (creator of many a striking punk rock album cover), ‘The Dwellers Below’ takes the lowbrow splatter punk of Mommy Sez No out of the garage and into, well, at least the garage forecourt. With better production, better artwork, better just about everything to be honest, this is the band’s most accomplished work to date… but fear not horror punk purists, this record is still a wretched hive of scum and villainy.
From opening cut, ‘Take Me To The Hospital’, to the power ballad, ‘Maggots In Yer Guts’, via the chaos of ‘Hahahahahahaha’, Mommy Sez No is still as subtle as a killing spree and as manic as a final girl chase scene. The big difference is that the band doesn’t stumble at all throughout the entirety of this album.
Even when introducing more straight-ahead rock ‘n’ roll strut to the tracklisting with the likes of ‘Lil Bit Of Voodoo’, ‘Rock And Roll Death Patrol’ and the alternate reality KISS riff-led ‘Uh Oh… I Think…’ the band still has that unnerving way of making the listener feel like they need a good wash after partaking in an auditory exercise; the songs to die for (possibly literally) rather than a diversion.
The aforementioned artwork may give off a sense of the post-apocalyptic (doesn’t everything these days?!) but the album still has a hoof or two in the band’s tried, tested, and tortured peculiar amalgam of straight-to-video horror and no-budget punk rock… except there is a budget these days, but that shouldn’t put you off; think the upgrade from The Evil Dead to Dead By Dawn – better everything, but with that same, fierce independent spirit. ‘The Dwellers Below’ is a crazed, ass-kicker of an album that will easily force its way into my Top Ten albums list of a crazy, asshole of a year. Recommended.
With a brand new box set ready for release we thought we’d catch up with Boys legend Matt Dangerfield and ask him about his time on Safari Records as we look back on the time the Boys went down to a four-piece and all things Safari. I also ask what’s next for one of the finest bands ever to come out of the United Kingdom.
How was it revisiting the Safari catalogue of releases? Did it bring back fond memories?
Yes it did. Best of all was listening to the “Hell” tracks because this is the first time that it’s sounded good on CD. CDs didn’t exist when the album was released, and later when the first CD version came out it sounded like over-compressed shit. All subsequent CD releases of “Hell” were copied from that CD so I feel sorry for anyone who bought any CD copies of “Hell” prior to this release.
Were there any songs from the ‘To Hell’ record that you have since revisited during remastering changed how you feel about them? I’ll admit I’ve not played the records for a while and when the news came through about the box set I have since given them a good listening to and there are parts of songs that jumped out at me that I feel I previously missed or had forgotten. Was this the same for you?
Very much so. For the reason I just mentioned, I couldn’t bring myself to listen to “Hell” on CD since the last century! So listening to it now for me is almost like hearing it for the first time and it all sounds fantastic from start to finish! We still usually include four of the songs in our live set: “Can’t Hurt a Memory”, “Terminal Love”, “See Ya Later” – and we use “Sabre Dance” as our intro music.
I loved reading your notes along with the specific song playing and was surprised to see you wrote lyrics on the way to the studio, and I chuckled at the thought of it happening due to studio time and schedules, etc did you not ever get worried you wouldn’t come up with anything? Out of this process what would you say were your best lyrics?
Well, that was mainly in the early days when we weren’t given much studio time and I was working on two or three songs at a time. But generally speaking, I’ve always responded well to deadlines and would often leave things until they really need to be done and then work like Hell. There’s nothing like a deadline to focus the mind.
Your notes for ‘Waiting For The Lady’ and the Beatles reference I hadn’t really put it together previously but ‘Independent Girl’ has a real Lennon feel to it. Some of the harmonies throughout ‘To Hell’ have a certain Lennon and McCartney feel is that fair? They were obviously an influence but more so that album (Not that The Beatles would have sounded like you guys they weren’t that good) 😉
Flattery will get you nowhere, but thanks anyway! The backing vocals on “Waiting for The Lady” in particular, were Beatles inspired. But we were inspired by lots of bands and all the music that we grew up within the 60s which was a great era for musical creativity and innovation.
Who Owns The ‘Junk’ tapes now? How complete was the ‘Junk’ album? How does the process go with masters? If you didn’t own them the label did but they didn’t own the songs did they? If they weren’t finished, Could you have gone away – changed a lyric here or a title there and released it anyway? How involved were you with the day to day business of the band and management and label?
The ‘Junk’ tapes are just the rough monitor mixes on cassette from Rockfield Studios that I took away with me to work on ideas, lyrics etc. with the intention that we would come back and complete the album there. But after NEMS didn’t pay the studio and Rockfield wouldn’t release the two-inch tapes, we finally lost our patience with NEMS and went on strike for a few months until they eventually let us go. Our manager, Ken Mewis, generally dealt with the label, promotion and tour bookings, but we took care of the creative and recording side of things.
How do you look back on the time spent On Safari!?
We had a great relationship with Safari, which was basically John Craig and Tony Edwards. Two great guys who did all the right things for us in terms of albums, tours etc and generally looked after us and gave us the freedom to be creative. What more can you ask for as a band?
I always loved the cover of ‘Boys Only’ whose idea was that?
The designer was John Gordon (I fished out the original vinyl copy to get that detail) who was responsible for the concept. All I remember that it was our longest and most tiring photo session ever and took a whole day to get all the necessary pics.
Going out as a four-piece was it ever not going to happen? Did you think around that time that the band was done? What about the recording process, how different was it?
It was different without Cas but we took it in our stride, I knew that the band wasn’t finished and it didn’t feel that much different playing live. Recording was as easy going as ever and John and myself were writing enough songs but we did have to work harder on the backing vocals and harmonies without Cas being there.
Would you say that John recording with Pete Stride made him a more confident writer and bandmember? He brings quite a bit to the table for Boys only and sings on quite a few. How did you decide who sang what? are there versions recorded say of ‘Monotony’ with you delivering a vocal and Duncan or was that never done? because you say he (Duncan) sang it live.
Yes, John had become more confident and also had become a better singer. As regards who sang what, I usually only sang the songs that I’d written or written with Cas, and Duncan usually sang John’s and a few Steel/Dangerfield songs that we thought would suit his voice. I think “Monotony” was only ever likely to be sung by John on record.
You got to record in some iconic studios such as Rockfield, Pye and Olympic were you aware of your surroundings at the time? Was there a favourite? or a particular song you look back on that you really nailed because of where you were. Rockfield had the toilet at the end of the hallway with a mic in the hall did you ever apply such techniques?
Yes, I was definitely chuffed to be using the same studios where some of my favourite tracks had been made. Rockfield/Dave Edmonds/Sabre Dance; Pye/The Kinks etc; Olympic/lots of Stones stuff etc. Rockfield was probably my favourite for its vibe because you also lived there and could totally concentrate on the recording. “Brickfield Nights” was definitely ‘nailed’ there.
When the band gets back to playing live is there a chance some of the more obscure tracks might creep into the set? You mention songs like ‘Little White Lifeline’ and its solo would sound great live.
We sometimes slip in a lesser known track. We do “Lifeline” at acoustic gigs sometimes but without the solo, because even straight after recording that solo, I was never able to play it again.
When you have writing credits say like on ‘Schoolgirls’ Cas yourself and John how do you decide who gets on the credits?
It’s usually decided on the spot – if anyone added anything of substance to the song they’d get credit.
Changing up songs like ‘Kamakaze’ in the style of VU for ‘Jap Junk’ whose idea was that and was this done on any other songs because it’s quite a departure the saxophone is great on the single mix
The minimalist drums were my idea of a tribute to the Velvets, who first opened my eyed to punk, and I think we’d always had it in mind to get a sax on the song.
How many more tapes might there be with the likes of ‘Cry Tomorrow’ on them? Fantastic stuff, maybe another acoustic album is on the cards with some of the rare tunes mixed with the more popular ones you did on the acoustic album. a live acoustic album recorded at Rebellion because a couple of acoustic sets were fantastic from the pubs almost acoustic stage and then the opera house were real highlights?
Well those tapes turned up out of the blue, so who knows what else might turn up. We may consider another acoustic album – it’s a lot easier to make than a full studio album, as is a live album.
The band always did great covers are there any you think would have really suited you guys? Any you worked on that never got recorded? The other side of it is other people covering The Boys. Who have you particularly admired any jump out as doing a great job or really getting what the song was about? Michael Monroe did jimmy Brown and it must always be great when Die Toten Hosen release a covers album and include a Boys Song.
I love Michael’s version of “Jimmy Brown”. I also like the Hosen’s versions of “First Time” and “Brickfield Nights”, and Nicky Sudden’s cover of “Independent Girl”.
The live album sounds fantastic, I’ve always liked the BBC sessions, from some of my favourite bands possibly, because the BBC always had great engineers and their sound recording was top notch and the live ones always sounded so good what are your thoughts on the live album?
Yes, it’s true those Beeb producers and sound engineers were very good and worked very quickly, which really suited us as we generally record fast. I remember that the BBC sound people always seemed to have beards, maybe it was a job requirement.
You illude to it not being your usual audience. The applause sounds great even after the ‘worm song’ their faces must have been a picture.
They were very polite.
I’ve mentioned it to Steve but it would be great to have these ‘Safari’ recordings as a vinyl set I wouldn’t need my glasses then for the booklet which is great to read your memories of each song. Did you ever keep diaries or is it just a sharp knack for remembering. What next for the Boys? Is there anything left in the archive or what about new material. ‘Punk Rock Menopause’ was such a great album is there going to be a follow-up?
We’d love to get them out on vinyl and a lot of our fans would love it so who knows?
“Anyone buying the Box Set directly from The Boys this month (September 2020) will be given a PDF document of Matt Dangerfield’s full Safari notes along with an unreleased 1979 demo of “New Guitar In Town”. For more information email The Boys at info@theboys.co.uk“
Special thanks to Steve Metcalfe for always having The Boys corner and doing a sterling job keeping their flame alive and making running features on them such a pleasure.
Governess are a sleazy bunch of sexy sailors playing a glunky blend of all action rock n’ roll that would bring a tear of pride to the guy lined eyes of Johnny Thunders and Happy Tom. Hailing from Buffalo, NY in the late great USA, Governess share the balls of their mid-west neighbours and the guts of their NYC cousins. We had a word with guitar player Handsome Erik, an all American guy with an unhealthy love for UK 90’s indie bands.
Compete the following sentence “Governess sound like a cross between………..”
A cross between deathpunk, glam, and Scandi/action rock. Big riffs, flamboyant swagger, sick guitars, and one hand gripping your crotch. Our influences include Hanoi Rocks, NY Dolls, Turbonegro, The Hellacopters, and the Dead Boys, to name a few, and I think that comes out in our musical style.
It’s been 4 years single the debut album “Let Me Be Your Governess”. What have you guys been up to????
Writing songs, and hitting the road, mostly. Getting out there, grinding, playing shows has always been at the forefront of our minds. We didn’t really want four years to pass before putting out another record; it just kind of worked out that way. The luxury of taking that time gave us a lot of material to choose from – the best we have from the last four years!
You’ve just unleashed new tune “Grime Time” what’s the response been like?
Oh man, the response has been great! Choosing the first single is a tricky thing. We wanted to put a song out that gives the audience an idea of what the record sounds like, but we didn’t want to blow our load early and use the strongest tune(s). I think we made the right decision; the song rips, and there’s still plenty of gems on the record. Every lyric in that song is true, by the way. It’s about our best bud, and 6th Governess – “Grime Time,” Matt. Without blowing his head up too much, he’s become some sort of quasi-fabled legend. He travels with us, partying his ass off the whole time. Once he learned that we wrote a song about him, shit really popped off!
What can the world expect from the new album “Never Coming Home”?
Never Coming Home sounds HUGE. Don’t expect some weak-ass, lo-fi, art-punk crap that was recorded on an old mixtape, or something. There’s a lot of guitars, a lot of sing-a-longs, cool lyrics, and upbeat songs. No snoozers. It’s dark, it’s fast, and it’s loud. In a lot of ways, we feel like Let Me Be Your Governess was kind of like our Ass Cobra, and this new one is our Apocalypse Dudes moment. The band has evolved so much in four years.
Have you got a label lined up or will you set up your own label to get it out there?
We are currently doing everything ourselves, but we are definitely looking to shop this around and get label support.
What’s your plan, post-pandemic battle plan?
Staying in lock-down has everyone really dying to get out play shows. Once we’re able to do that again, we’ll be pounding the pavement hard. This pent up energy is going to make for some wild times ahead! We’re trying to get this record released, in physical form, by the end of the year/early 2021. We haven’t discussed an early digital release, but that’s a possibility as well.
Are there still any great undiscovered bands out there? Give your mates’ bands a push.
Absolutely! Punk’s not dead, it’s just down on the floor… Through the years, we’ve met some great bands, and have made some great friends. Without a doubt, the best band in our scene is Hot Blood, from Asbury Park, New Jersey. If you’re into hardcore punk, there’s no one doing it better. They have two guitar players that shred, their lyrics are on point, and their hooks are strong as fuck. In early 2019 they put out Fear of a Unified Public, and we’re still all talking about it! Another great Asbury band (now in Los Angeles) is The Battery Electric. These beautiful babies are the hardest working band in the business. 100% rock n roll, sweet hooks, and another Jersey guitar shredder! I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Rotten UK (Rochester, NY) and the Cheats (Pittsburgh, PA). Both bands are incredible and should be way bigger than they are. I hear the Hot Blood guys a Rotten boys don’t get along, though….
What five albums should no home be without?
I find it curious that you’re asking for five records, and it just so happens that those first five Oasis releases are pure fire! Coincidence??? For real though, my favorite bands/records change on a daily basis, depending on my mood, or what Kinks record I’m listening to at the moment, so this is a tough question. How about I tell you the five records that are getting the most spins in the Handsome household?
Greater Than Ever, by Baseball Furies – Buffalo punk legends. I discovered this record about two years ago, and its been in regular rotation since. I’m mad at myself for not discovering it sooner.
Off the Rails, by Gino and the Goons – I just discovered these guys too! Their entire catalog is great. I thought I was a huge Heartbreakers fan; these guys really love them, L U V!
Funhouse, by The Stooges – This record blows me away. It’s so loud, raw, and loose. Plus Ron Asheton is fucking MENTAL!!
Crystal Gazing Luck Amazing, by Compulsive Gamblers – I love that 60s vibe. The singer has a sweet voice, and that song Two Thieves always makes me want to cry. I DON’T THOUGH!!!!!
Algorithm & Blues, by The Good, the Bad, and the Zugly – Jesus Christ! What can I say? Its not only the best record of 2019, but it’s going in the Deathpunk Hall of Fame.
Governess are –
Robot Rob: Vocals & Bass
Handsome Erik: Lead Guitar
Fast Teddy Clarke: Lead Guitar
Jon Swayze: Rhythm Guitar
Matty Wild: Drums
Australian garage punk rockers MOOT have released their new EP ‘Cultural Treason’ via Riot Records. Cultural Treason is the first proper release from the band.
A collection of songs poking fun and inspecting what’s going on in the world today. It’s fast, chaotic and good fun would be the best way to describe this record as it blitzes round the genres of Punk and Garage Rock.
Cultural Treason is trashy garage punk rock and roll. Australia is easily caning the rest of the rock and roll world over the last couple of years and are churning out potential breakthrough acts left right and centre. A lot of the better ones are hedging their amps down the Garage sloppy punk n roll street. Moot are on of the contenders or they bloody-well should be
I Hate Hippies is MOOT’s summary of the modern phenomena of hipsters. The one that puts on the “I’m in touch with the earth and wellness” schtick, but really, it’s just mummy and daddy financing a self-absorbed arrogant hypocrite. ITs spat out as you’d expect.
‘1000 Words’ is old school punk and if you close your eyes you could imagine this was recorded in a rehearsal down the Roxy. There isn’t much finery going on in the control room and the band seem more intent on capturing the spirit of the music rather than keeping up with modern studio dynamics. ‘Sick Dog’ sounds like they just found an early pistols jam as they try to harness that Jonesy guitar riff.
Six tracks sounds like a great idea for a first release and knocking it on the head with the single ‘I Want TO Be Clint Eastwood’ has the feel of Dead Kennedys but not as rapid, unlike the record’s opener.
In the bands six years existence, they’ve played every dive bar in Australia and lived to tell the tale with a smile on their faces lyrics that tackle serious subjects as well as with a cheeky wink and who doesn’t want to be Clint Eastwood its about time someone wrote a tune worth playing twice about the Actor.
Recent Comments