L.A. Guns – ‘Checkered Past’ (Frontiers Music)

L.A. Guns – ‘Checkered Past’ (Frontiers Music)

Written and recorded while the world was still in the grips of the coronavirus pandemic, this new studio album sees the band just keep rolling and making music for the 21st Century as they did on “The Devil You Know” and “The Missing Peace” even if this has some softer lighter edges in the shape of the whistful ‘Get Along’.

Sure their classic rock influences are still in the mix. The heavier songs are present and correct but thats the beauty of an L.A. Guns album you kinda know what you’re going to get but there are subtle surprises within that keep the listener on their toes.

When fans absorb the album as a whole, they’ll see that the tracklisting is divided up into ‘sets’ or ‘suites’, where a sonic style is explored across multiple songs before moving on to the next, making for a longer-lasting listening experience that has certainly kept fans coming back for more (as well as the obvious talents within the line up).

I’ve always been a big fan of Lewis from when he was fronting Girl through Torme and as a solo artist he’s lost none of his talents over the years.

The album kicks off in style with the dirty rock of ‘Canonball’ that harks back to the real spirit of the band and when they first came to the fore. The attack of the two guitars and Lewis’ voice is excellent. then to follow it up with the groove-based boogie of ‘Bad Luck Charm’ then ‘Living Right Now’ that has attitude as well as grooving on a ‘Born To BE Wild’ opening riff its three songs in the intro and three styles that blend really well before the acoustic change of pace that is ‘Get Along’.

Going back to the ‘Sets’ where the album is divided into this laid-back, reflective acoustic section has the excellent ‘If It’s Over Now’ that has a great classic melody going on and Lewis vocals soar before gently getting back into the verse where its more softly spoken. The solo you know is coming and I got the impression of a Randy Rhodes style Ozzy feel and it hits the spot.

There is a solid more gang-like feel to this album and one the band seems altogether more comfortable with. There isn’t any need to just pummel the listener (even though they do at times) they seem more comfortable experimenting and taking different paths with the arrangments and that always makes for a better listen.

Halfway through the album, there’s plenty of grunt on ‘Better Than You’ before the boys get the feet up on the monitors for a DC like stomper in the shape of ‘Knock Me Down’. ‘Dog’ sees Tracii lead the way with a ballsy rocker.

As we head into the home straight the band shift through the gears with the slow-building ‘Let You Down’ that might just be the highlight of the whole album reminding me of the band’s darker classic ‘Hollywood Vampire’. Closing off proceedings with the sludgy, big, let’s get the fuck outta dodge grinding rhythm of ‘Physical Itch’ that closes off another long-player from a band that should rightfully get the respect of its peers for being not survivors but pioneers – a band who kept fighting against the odds and doing it on their own terms and a band that is maturing like a fine wine. Not going through the motions but a band that is going through the emotions – lifting you up and putting you down and if you turn up the speakers they’ll still throw you about. Long may this incarnation of L.A. Guns continue because they have the chops and are still very much capable of cutting the mustard and making really really good albums.

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L.A. Guns – Another X Mas In Hell (Frontiers Music)

L.A. Guns – Another X Mas In Hell (Frontiers Music)

Hooray for The L.A. Guns.  I was secretly hoping that someone would make a Christmas record and I wasn’t bothered if it was original or cover versions to be fair I just wanted it to be good and low and behold who steps up to the plate with an EP of Christmas themed bangers but my old muckers The L.A. Guns.  Now I raved about their new album (rightly so)  and I loved Cuts when they did that EP especially the Japanese version because it had more tracks and ones that should have been more widely available because they were so good.  Anyway I digress.  L.A. Guns whilst toured and seemed happy to be lumped in with a lot of absolute dross in the 80s and onwards and haven’t always made it easy to follow the band and what they were doing and to negotiate the often soap opera goings on with the bands personal but when they did settle down and let the music do the talking they were more than a step up from a lot of if not 99.9% of the hair metal tosh they were wrongly lumped in with. those early records were great and still sound great and when they went over the edge they twisted the melon and introduced a little Gothic flavour into the mix but they also always had taste outside america, maybe due to Phil and his previous workings but covering Generation X and the Damned always sounded fantastic to me and the versions they did showed they were people who got it and understood the task they were facing.  Lots of band fuck it up and miss the point so badly but not the Guns. So, Onto 2019 and this Christmas offering well, it might only be an EP of five tunes but one is a Ramones cover, a Slade cover and A Damned cover whilst for the opener they bring out William Shatner for a cover of the Billy Squire tune ‘The Bills/Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You’.

Now don’t snigger at the back this is serious. bloody brilliant having the Shats on the intro is classic.  All hail the L.A. Guns and Shats you guys nailed it. There are those who say you shouldn’t touch a classic especially one like Slades Merry Christmas Everybody’  but fuck it, they nailed it again and obviously Lewis is no Holder but they take on a beast of Christmas tunes and own it. ‘Dreidel’ lasts nine seconds what else can I say?  Now onto the highlight of the EP and the Damned  ‘(There Ain’t No) Sanity Clause’ and again they prove they just get it and a finer Christmas tune doesn’t exist so I’ll take this every day of the week.  Well done you lot. To finish it off the Ramones ‘Merry Christmas I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)’ is exactly what you’d expect of a Ramones cover of this nature.

 

That’s it in a nutshell an admirable effort that hits the spot and when anyone round my gaff asks for some Christmas tunes I know what I’ll be playing.  Same time next year boys?

Author: Dom Daley

Rainy Days & Mondays

Rainy Days & Mondays

This will let a little sunshine into your Monday morning blues.

Second up we have got this blast from the past.  Firstly to wish Bernie a speedy full recovery from his recent hospitalization and also because Mr. Philip Lewis released a brand new album last Friday with LA Guns on their 30th year as a band but we delve further back when he was singing about being a star!

Finally to finish off this fanciful three here’s one from Black Bombers whos new EP is reviewed later this week. happy Monday folks!