Tyla – ‘The Life And Times Of A Ballad Monger’ (Bang! Records)

Tyla – ‘The Life And Times Of A Ballad Monger’ (Bang! Records)

The first solo album by Tyla after the demise of one of the 80’s finest UK bands The Dogs D’Amour. Finally after so many reissues and remakes for vinyl this champion finally gets released on vinyl without any make overs or rerecordings. Now that might just please many Dogs fans who hanker back to a time when the classic Dynamite lineup ruled the airwaves.

You have to hark back to its original release date in ’94, (Remember dial up folks? When there used to be a chat room on a sunday of hardcore Dogs) when it only came out on CD and in the UK. It was right after the split of The Dogs D’Amour.

The album contains tracks featuring The Dogs D’Amour members, as well as a list of Tyla solo acoustic tracks. Well, this one comes pressed on vinyl with a gatefold sleeve and it’s been remastered for vinyl. Spread out over two delicious records it kicks off with the ragged glory of ‘Ballad Of Noone In Particular’ which is a slice of classic Dogs – barely hanging on by a thread its a reminder of how magical these guys were together when they entered a studio or a concert venue. Matched only by some of the best songs they wrote and recorded together since the early day’s songs like ‘All You Had’ are blooming marvelous. The Soulful wheeze of ‘Bloody Mary’ bares the band’s soul for sure with the backing vocals and keys adding touches of gold dust across a record that takes me back in time had the Stones written and recorded this the music press would have been all over it like a rash heralding a return to the glory days.

The guitar lick on the whistful meander through the rainy streets of old London town that signal the intro of ‘Where Were You’ is heartbreaking with Tyla hitting a high in his songwriting and lyrics – simply majestic. The organ wheeze of the Faces like ‘Little Things’ signals a howlingly good melancholic time that the band never quite reached when the band split and solo music appeared. Nobody did the blues quite like the Dogs.

Then ‘The Adultra’ comes in on a lick and a promise as Tylas vocals are full of heartbreak and soul as the acoustic balladmonger takes center stage for what turned out to be his finest collection of material post-original Dogs in my eyes. What follows is a master class in songwriting and solo balladeering no question. ‘Throw It All Away’ would have blown up had it been on the acoustic ‘Graveyard’ EP the band had delivered some years earlier. Truly haunting and epic in every sense the arrangement is immaculate as is the delivery. Simply spine-tingling.

I loved the simplicity and the storytelling of ‘The Town’ Tylas vocals never sounded so good and it has clearly stood the test of time. the piano and harmonica hit every note of your heart as they vibrate through your body. Tyla has had his moments throughout his career but not as consistently as this. this has no low point throughout be it the Dogs song or the piano bombast of ‘Spirit Of The Jag’ or the Blues of ‘The Whisper’ and ending with the spoken words of ‘King Of The Street’ and then silence before a certain duet gives you two black eyes and a broken nose.

As the near-perfect solo album has only been enhanced as it gets immortalised on wax with the artwork getting the sizing it deserves and the expansion of the Dog’s tracks adding that cherry on the icing on the sweetest cake ever.

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Author: Dom Daley

Fuzztones- ‘Preaching to the Perverted’ (Bang! Records)

Fuzztones- ‘Preaching to the Perverted’ (Bang! Records)

As I load up the virtual player, I can’t help being drawn back to a time when oil lamps were/ are the thing, pulsing light shows that emphasized the psychedelic sounds coming straight out of the physical media. Those days of 60s Psychedelia where bands like The Chocolate Watch Band. The Strawberry Alarm clock, The 13th Floor Elevators, The Seeds, and even the Fledgling Stooges formed a real soundtrack to the times, songs for the Counter Culture, the coolest of Generations so to Speak.

Why am I waffling away about 60’s underground Psychedelia, lesser-known Garage rock on such a Hip website? Somewhere the cool cats browse? Somewhere bang up to date? The answers in the Title and the fault lies fully with the Fuzztones and this updated remixed and expanded version of Preaching to the Perverted. No this didn’t come out in the 60’s it was first released in 2011!!! And really should have formed part of everyone’s collection back then. But you now have the chance to reinvigorate your taste buds and enter the weird and wonderful world of the Fuzztones.

This LP as you listen now is really a teeny bit special and only with I think the passing of the 12 years almost since its release do you realise how important it’s impact has been on the underground now and how many bands have been influenced by The Fuzztones.

 It takes you through a history of Psychedelia, from the lighter opening tracks such as My Black Lines and Between the lines to the almost Garage Punk intro to Set me straight (It could really be Stiv Bators singing the opening), before we move into the Psychedelic Blues of Don’t speak ill of the Dead. That R&B and Psychedelia vibe further combines with a Harmonica straight out of Hell within Old. But when you slip into next up Leave your Mind Behind your fully in the Freak scene, before Bluegrass???? Takes the lead and the whole trip takes a really weird turn, this could have come straight out of The Legendary Shack Shakers songbook!!!!

Before you realise that time has stood still, the trips almost over and we’re dropping/sinking backward into Lust Pavilion. As the Music slows the pulsing images start to subside and we drift back into our own reality our time in the ether almost complete, we head to a finish with almost a gospel-led vibe within Bound to Please underpinned with some straight-up Garage Rock Soloing, before we flashback via a bastardised Jazz intro/outro via Come to Me.

Get on the Fuzztones trip baby, and become one of the converted but remember with every trip there’s an up and down time, this Bastard Pulses. Rises and falls and takes you to some really strange places, Enjoy the ride.

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Author: Nev Brooks

ANTiSEEN – ‘Eat More Possum’ (Bang! Records)

ANTiSEEN – ‘Eat More Possum’ (Bang! Records)

This band has a catalogue of over 100 LPs, EPs, CDs, and DVDs recorded with various line-ups and have performed all over the world.  Eat More Possum is Antiseen’s most acclaimed album, originally released in 1993 and now remastered (honestly) for this vinyl reissue. 

Antiseen was formed in Charlotte, North Carolina by Jeff Clayton and Joe Young in 1983. These punks wanted to be outsiders from the start and I guess they managed to become so underground it was difficult to know what the hell they were up to even when the internet became a real thing we all had access to.

It’s fair to say Antiseen are influenced by the Ramones and Stooges, employing short, heavily distorted power chord-driven songs largely free of guitar solos or advanced musicianship, punk as fuck I guess.  

From a time when it was still possible to offend people and shock with your music and image Antiseen managed that alright even without the pull of GG Allin. ‘Eat More Possum’ (From the artwork) to the musical content was always going to offend people. described as “gun totin’, meat eatin’, society rejectin’ punk rock” isn’t far of the mark. 

Young’s guitar tone is nasty and primitive. Perfectly played on the Ramones cover of ‘Today Your Love’ Antiseen are relentless. On the verge of chaos somewhere between Motorhead and the Ramones ‘, ‘I Am Stormtrooper’ is a buzzsaw flying through your speakers with no pause for breath or any concept of compromise. It fighting music – drunk, nasty and dangerous.

Flip that with the cowpunk of ‘I’ve aged twenty years In Five’ then revert to the ultra-metallic punk of ‘Cactus Jack’

The extreme edges of punk rock have always been prolific, just ask Blag and the Dwarves but there’s something altogether uneasy like a dueling banjo about ‘Warning’ but the gargling razorblades vocals of the big Rock of ‘Animals Eat Em’ isn’t going to be used in any veganism campaign any day soon.

eighteen tracks not all musical but value for money that’s for sure. If some shock punk is your bag then you might already have a battered copy of this from your youth – Well, here’s your chance to get a clean-mint copy from those purveyors of garage punk rock n roll at Bang! Records. Christ, they even get funky and slap some bass on ‘Shittin In High Cotton’ but what they do best is the buzzsaw punk of ‘Star Whore’ and the super fuzz Garage Stooges style of ‘Break It Off’ or the chaos of ‘Trapped In Dixie’ and the albums final real offering of ‘Fuck all Y All’ that is the perfect sound of a Southern Motorhead fan channelling ole Lemmy, Yeah Haw! Motherfuckers! go get some antisocial Antiseen right now!

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Author: Dom Daley