{"id":28417,"date":"2026-04-29T16:27:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T15:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=28417"},"modified":"2026-04-29T16:27:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T15:27:45","slug":"god-bless-thirsty-quireboys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=28417","title":{"rendered":"God Bless Thirsty Quireboys"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

GOD BLESS AMERICA –<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BEST OF THIRSTY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

FEATURING THE QUIREBOYS – SPIKE, GUY BAILEY, CHRIS JOHNSTONE <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

RELEASED JUNE 5th 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Pre-Order Here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

London-based rock project Thirsty Quireboys<\/strong> return with God Bless America<\/em><\/strong>, a striking release that celebrates the life, work and unmistakable creative spirit of the late Guy Bailey<\/strong> – founder of The Quireboys, songwriter, guitarist, and the architect of Thirsty\u2019s distinctive sound. The album will be released June 5th 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The title song God Bless America<\/em><\/strong> recounts the devastating real story of Rosemary Kennedy, sister of JFK: presented as a debutante to the Royal Family, later forcibly lobotomised on the insistence of her father, Joe Kennedy. During the operation, fully conscious, she was asked to sing God Bless America. When she stopped, so did they. Set to Irina D\u2019s vivid, tightly focused lyrics and Guy\u2019s haunting guitar motif, the track moves from romance to horror with stark elegance. Spike delivers one of the most emotionally charged vocal performances of his career, rising from tenderness to raw intensity as the narrative unfolds. Musically, Bailey\u2019s use of discordant, looping E-minor phrases functions as an allegorical unravelling of the American Dream, echoing the spirit of Hendrix\u2019s Star-Spangled Banner and the subversive grit of Springsteen\u2019s Born in the USA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guy Bailey and Spike co\u2011founded The Quireboys<\/strong>, writing the songs that took the band from Monday-night pub gigs to being managed by Sharon Osborne and global tours with The Rolling Stones, Guns N\u2019 Roses <\/strong>and Aerosmith<\/strong>, earning gold and platinum records along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guy Bailey\u2019s solo project \u201cThirsty\u201d began early in 2014 when he began working with Russian poet and lyricist Irina D. Their collaboration fused Bailey\u2019s song-writing genius with Irina\u2019s passion for storytelling and literature. Favourite novels, poems and real-life histories were framed and retold in three-minute songs, each lovingly produced by Chris Kimsey. Irina D: \u201cI loved working with Guy on these songs. He was very well-read and his home was always full of books \u2013 Master and Margarita, Last Exit To Brooklyn and Moby Dick. The first song we ever did was Donnie to Sonny. I showed him a poem I had written and, whenever the story resonated, Guy went away and set my words to music. It was beautiful.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thirsty absolutely embraced the discipline of the classic song format. Within that tight frame, Bailey and Irina D crafted miniature cinematic worlds: each track a distilled portrait of a life, a myth, or a moment of human truth. Between 2015 and 2018, they released three critically acclaimed albums: Thirsty<\/em>, Albatross<\/em> and Nomad<\/em>, featuring contributions from top-tier musicians including Simon Hanson<\/strong> (Squeeze, Death in Vegas), Chris Johnstone<\/strong> (The Quireboys), Lynne Jackaman<\/strong> (Saint Jude), and Kristi Kimsey<\/strong>. Drummer Simon Hansen \u201cI\u2019ve known Guy for longer than I have been in Squeeze! He was a great friend – a fabulously talented musician and songwriter even though he always did his best to downplay this fact. The Thirsty thing really was unusual. Irina D would bring poems to Guy based on books and stories she had read \u2013 and Guy went away set them to music. It was a bit like Elton John and Bernie Taupin in that respect.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally, the new album was the brainchild of Irina D and was conceived as a simple tribute: Spike would sing just one track, \u201810 7 and Possibly 6\u2019<\/em>. But his first take stunned everyone in the studio, Guy\u2019s guitar and Spike\u2019s voice locked together with the force of old chemistry reignited. What began as one song quickly became a full, emotionally charged album. Spike himself says \u201c\u2026to get the chance to make a record again with Guy was really special.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than a compilation, God Bless America<\/em><\/strong> is a rare and unexpected reunion: a posthumous collaboration between Guy Bailey and his longtime friend and musical partner Spike<\/strong> (The Quireboys), reimagining Bailey\u2019s songs through new vocals and powerful duets. Remixed and shaped under the ear of legendary Rolling Stones producer Chris Kimsey<\/strong>, the album brings new clarity, weight and emotional depth to the music Bailey created with co-writer Irina D<\/strong>. As Chris says,\u201cSpike\u2019s voice has always complemented Guy\u2019s guitar playing perfectly. And the addition of one of the world\u2019s best vocalists really complements and illuminates these songs. It was a really happy accident and I was delighted to be a part of it\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the title track, the album revisits some of Thirsty\u2019s most beloved and most ambitious storytelling pieces: \u201cDonnie to Sonny\u201d<\/strong>– the true-life bond between mobster Sonny Black and undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone (Donnie Brasco). \u201cFlawless\u201d<\/strong> – a jewel thief\u2019s escape, inspired by To Catch a Thief<\/em> and the 2013 Cannes jewellery heist. \u201cAlbatross\u201d<\/strong> – a vivid reimagining of Coleridge\u2019s Rime of the Ancient Mariner<\/em>. \u201cChaos\u201d<\/strong> – Guy Bailey reciting Bunyan\u2019s Pilgrim\u2019s Progress<\/em> to introduce a modern allegorical wanderer. \u201cOrlando\u201d<\/strong> – a musical transformation of Virginia Woolf\u2019s gender-shifting hero\/ine. Each track has been re\u2011voiced, remixed and revitalised under Chris Kimsey\u2019s direction, creating incredible versions of Thirsty\u2019s strongest work. Chris Johnstone (bass) agrees \u201c\u2026This was an important record for all of us – and he (Spike) made sure that his voice was sounding as good as it has ever done. The results speak for themselves. \u201c<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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