THE LIVING END
‘I ONLY TRUST ROCK N ROLL’
(BMG)
Full Power Pissed Off Aussie Rock n Roll
There’s a generation of Australians that have grown up with The Living End, the swarms of kids that screamed ‘We don’t need no one to tell us what to do’ back at Chris Cheney from the front rows of Big Day Out in 1998 are now getting that back from their own offspring. The Melbourne trio have been around since 1994 hitting the big time in 1998 with the smash hit ‘Prisoner Of Society’ followed by the chart-topping eponymous album. Since then, they have ridden the crest of a rock n roll wave, scoring hit album after hit album over the last couple of decades. The secret of their longevity has been that their fans have stuck by them over the years as they and the band matured in parallel, which brings us to this album. The build up to its release debuted ‘Alfie’ a rumbustious bouncing hark back to their roots, followed by the double bass thumping ‘Strange Place’, the title track dropped next, a harder stomping rock and roll pounder with searing guitar powered by angst, the whole album is a vent for Chris Cheney seething on the state of a pretty fucked up world. Those lyrics are relentlessly propelled by the band’s traditional stampede through the last 70 years of rock n roll, a world where their anglophile stinger ‘Private Hell’ mosh pits with the barely contained antipodean fury of ‘Public Holiday’, there are 11 killers here, each one testament to why this band are still top of their game.
Simon Nott
MIKE BERRY
‘IT’S JUST A MATTER OF TIME’
(Trophy)
More Treasure from Joe Meek’s T Chest Tapes
A 12 track 10” vinyl release from Trophy records featuring more music salvaged from Joe Meek’s T Chest Tapes. This album features the work of Mike Berry one of the artists that spanned the 1960-63 gap between the waning in popularity of original rock n roll and the imminent Beat boom. Berry’s influences are evident throughout this album, not least the banned by the BBC ‘Tribute to Buddy Holly’ considered in bad taste though Buddy Holly’s parents loved it and Norman Petty called it the ‘best memorial tribute to Buddy.’ That hit and others are here but there are previously unreleased gems to get the juices flowing ‘Upside Down’ which was found just once in the T Chests is a skipping almost rockabilly in feel, while stomper ‘My Little Baby’ featuring backing vocals from Joe Meek and ‘You’ll Do It, You’ll Fall In Love’ are presented in stereo for the first time.
Simon Nott
GO-GO KILLERS
‘BEELZEBUBBLE BATH’
(Pigme)
5” of Alabama Trash Lunacy
Lovers of off the wall trashy rock n roll which is plunging into the abys of insanity this is for you. What the fuck is going on here? You might well ask, well to be honest with you I don’t really know but I like it. I was intrigued that there is a song by a band hailing from the deep south about ‘Pasties’ track three, but it’s not the Cornish delicacy but from what I can gather some sort of underwear. Musically this is recorded in a bucket fuzz rock n roll interspersed with adverts and inros that may or may not accentuate your listening pleasure. The comedy value appears to be high on the band’s agenda, ‘Salty Dog’ sounds like Elmer Fudd is on vocals though the distorted guitar is something to behold. Musically this is enjoyable, but I’d like to hear them without all the distractions.
Simon Nott
GO-GO KILLERS
‘BADDEST ASSEST’
(Unreleased Sampler)
Raw Bites of Alabama Trash
These guys from Alabama are shakin’ the shack with this ‘Wreck-n-Roll’ listed as a sampler though the pink type on the rear of the CD makes it impossible to read most of the tracks. This is exactly what anyone listening to and enjoying their ‘Beelzebubble Bath’ would have been longing for, the humorous adverts that wear thin like schoolboy jokes are gone. They still like an into on this but it’s all about the music, primal, voodoo drums, bass to rattle fillings, guitar distortion to put the fear of God into any Marshall amp and lyrics conjured from the ramblings of the Devil himself. ‘Caught A Demon Last Night’ is one of the finest slabs of trash rock n roll you are ever likely to hear, not just the track but the whole album rattles, rock n roll with the shit kicked out of it, Lux, Hazil, are you spinning? Find it.
Simon Nott
LOS INDIOS (RI)
‘LOS INDIOS’
(MUNSTER)
Get Hip To Bolivian Garage Punk
It’s amazing how far and wide popular and even underground music spread in the 1960’s OK I might be showing my ignorance but Bolivia isn’t the first place you’d think of when listening to some excellent garage punk and pop. These guys had a relatively short existence with a legacy of one LP and a ‘handful’ of EPs which I assume are included here. They had a range ‘Bailarin A Go Go’ with its railroad rhythm plucked guitar and swooping organ has a real feel to it, these guys heavily borrowed musically as you’d expect, but they belt out their music with abandon, distorting and clattering as they go, equally they can slip into poppy choruses too. It’s not hard to see how they became so big back home, a lot of this is at least equal to a lot of tracks on the numerous 60’s garage punk compilations out there.
Simon Nott
THE COAL DUST COWBOYS
‘BENEATH THE OLD SLAG HEAP’
(Western Star)
A Psychobilly Supergroup Let Rip at the Seams
The Coal Dust Cowboys are three quarters of the now sadly defunct Stage Frite, Alan Wilson and Patt Winn with a guest appearance. The opening Wilson contribution ‘The Jolly Collier’ sets the scene with a spooky intro then we cascade into a cavalcade of lyrically dark fun. As has been the tradition since the big bang of psychobilly, and make no mistake that’s what this is, psychobilly the songwriters sing their compositions. Alan Wilson’s vocals and guitar backed up with some superb slapping bass had me hurtling back to the early 1990’s Sharks. Stage Frite’s Clive’s vocal contributions are rougher and tougher as the band dig into heavier mode ‘Nuns With Guns’ would pulverise a pit contrasting Pat Winn’s subtler contribution ‘Porn In The Woods’. Given the credentials of The Coal Dust Cowboys you’d be expecting good things, they just stepped it up a couple of notches on a cracking album.
Simon Nott
If you like a flutter, are 18 or over and are a responsible bettor there's an offer at the end of this casino banner posted down below.