Atlanta so much to answer for… Nah, ok, so it was Manchester besides what has Atlanta got to answer for?  Well, it could answer for this rockin’ bastard of a compilation.  championing fourteen of its favourite (adopted) sons celebrating Atlanta’s annual Down South Showdown Festival.  This bad boy plays out in just about half an hours worth of top tunage.  this compilation is a fuckin’ stunner simple as that.  What’s more thirteen of these tracks are unreleased or have never been put on physical media before, including a new track from Dirty Fences!

shit from the off RMBLR with ‘Next Time’ get this party started.  Sure you know the history of this band (if not then off you go there’s your homework) what a barnstormer of a tune makes you want to get that feather cut and rush off out to get that throat tat you promised yourself and start flippin’ off cop cars because all you care about is the Rock and Roll and this is Rock and Fuckin’ Roll! superb.

Dirty Fences is a breath of power pop fresh air with ‘M.O.N.E.Y’ Whilst BBQT has got their foot on the monitor wedge as they blast through ‘Savage’ woohoo! like Blondie fronting the runaways on 45rpm.  Then things get punky with Sick Bags and the early ’70s Dolls influenced ‘If You Can’t Join Em (Beat Em Up)’  with some mighty fine lyrics that had me smiling and that Riff- the undertones want it back when you’ve finished beating it to death. Pine & Tolliver get a little freaky with the keys on “Somethin’ More” sounding like they Od’d on Lou Read.

Fixed Faces ‘The Call’ is a slow burner then when they get going and the Riff kicks in sounds like a late night getting kicked out of Max’s and hitting CBGB’s on the wrong night mixing Toilet Boys with a lethal dose of Jayne County is some serious Rock and Roll for anyone and luckily it fits right in on this compilation. MAMA rock out with a slice of Thin Lizzy in a pair of creepers with a feather boa draped over the mic stand as they go for the ‘Sugar Burn’ another great tune it would be remiss of me to gloss over any of the bands on here.

Flip it and Austins Trouble Boys barge in with ‘Ricky’ in tow and if things hadn’t turned ugly before then once these punks rock up it might just be the match that lit the fire. If Donos Boys are asking if we’re ready or not then obviously we’re ready willing and able as they do their best Ramones whilst pogoing. RPM always has time for Ravagers and their muscular punk rock n roll. ‘#They Live’ has the gang bv’s we love and turn in a bruiser.

We loved the Criminal Kids when we had their album to review and ‘Run For The Police’ proves they have more to offer and that rollicking barroom piano is working a treat as they kick up a shit storm and turn in the highlight of the album along with RMBLR.  Only leaving The Uppers to rock out with ‘Bulldozer’ and a new band on the RPM radar is a welcome addition as I’m sure it won’t be their last coverage if they have more to offer that’s half as good as this rocker and I love the breakdown.

Bad Sons won us over when we had one of their singles hit the 45 RPM round up so we were excited to hear what ‘Hammers’ was going to sound like and it didn’t disappoint at all with their aggressive slice of punk n roll.  Which only left Cheap Tissue to sign off this absolute belter of a compilation.  ‘Up My Sleeve’ isn’t a quiet goodnight but lights flashing and horn honkin’ rev of the engine and like the getaway car in a robbery this is the wheels spinning swift exit middle finger out the window you would expect.  Do not tell me you love rock and fuckin’ roll and pass this by.  I can only apologise for not getting to this sooner it will be to my eternal shame that I wasn’t on the button with this review but it’s better late than never besides like all good things come to those who wait or he who rocks last rocks longest or something like that.  Just flippin’ buy it!

Buy Here

RMBLR (Atlanta, GA / Baltimore, MD)
Dirty Fences (New York City)
BBQT
Sick Bags (Richmond, VA)
Pine & Tolliver (Atlanta, GA)
Fixed Faces (Greenville, SC)
MAMA (Chicago, IL)
Trouble Boys (Austin, TX)
Dino’s Boys (Atlanta, GA)
Ravagers (Baltimore, MD)
Criminal Kids (Chicago, IL)
The Uppers (St. Louis, MO)
Bad Sons (Chicago, IL)
Cheap Tissue (Los Angeles, CA)