I’m sure you’ve heard of Twisted Sister but do you know about Twisted FUCKIN Sister? Twisted Sister is the band you saw on MTV and heard on the radio starting in 1984 but loooong before that Twisted Fuckin Sister were blasting fast n loud in the bars and clubs of the tri-state NYC area. In the late 70’s/early 80’s heyday they were one of the heaviest bands out there. They battled against demon disco forces and helped make heavy metal a huge phenomenon on the east coast. They played 4 or 5 nights a week in any dump that could contain them and their ever growing fan base of rowdy sick motherfuckin friends (S.M.F.’s).
I’d heard the name and legend from older burnouts in high school but was first indecently exposed to them when they appeared on the short lived Flo & Eddie TV show. I was already a huge Alice Cooper fan and when I saw Twisted Sister on TV I knew these freaks would be right up my alley. They were introduced and then exploded into the song “Under The Blade.” It made my little 9th grade mind explode and I went berserk in front of the TV. Luckily it was late at night and no one could see me headbanging and jumping off the couch in my pj’s. Not long after that I tracked down this album, the band’s 1982 full length debut album Under The Blade. Twisted Sister had been releasing singles on their own labels for years but was unable to get a record deal. Finally, a punk label from England called Secret Records (home of The Exploited) took a chance on them. Long out of print, Under The Blade is back and better than ever.
Under The Blade has always suffered from a thin, low budget sound but the songs are so full of aggression and belligerence it’s never been a problem. The album was produced by Pete Way of UFO but who knows how sober he was during the recording. Twisted Sister had been playing these songs live for years so he probably stayed out of the way and made sure they were fired up enough to deliver good takes. “What You Don’t Know (Sure Can Hurt You)” was their set opener at the time and issues a challenge to rock out or get the fuck out. When I finally got to see Twisted Sister for the first time at Lamour in Brooklyn Dee got right in my face and screamed the line “HOW DO YOU LIKE IT SO FAR?” I like it just fine and still do!
Catchy tunes like the AC/DC influenced “Bad Boys (Of Rock N Roll)” and “Shoot ‘Em Down” point towards the commercial direction that would eventually make them huge stars a few years later. Great songs, but hardcore S.M.F.’s like me always went ballistic for the Judas Priest inspired “Sin After Sin” and the always intense title track. “Destroyer” is probably the heaviest song they ever wrote. Slow and powerful with creepy heavy breathing during the intro, it’s obviously Black Sabbath influenced but sounds more like the Cro-Mags. This was always a major crowd pleaser with a sea of fists pumping the air. “Run For Your Life” starts out slow and heavy before shifting into major high gear. But my favorite Twisted Sister song has always been “Tear It Loose.” It’s a major headbanging boogier. Just imagine if Motorhead was drinking some of Jim Dandy’s moonshine while imbibing some pure crystal meth. You don’t even really have to imagine it since Fast Eddie Clarke plays dueling leads with Jay Jay French on it. “The Day Of The Rocker” is the last song and thuds along like AC/DC or Rose Tattoo at their blusiest.
Even better than having the album back in print is the bonus DVD of Twisted Sister’s notorious set at the Reading Festival in the summer of 1982. I had seen the photos in Kerrang magazine and heard that they blew away the crowd. The footage is everything I had hoped for and more. They come out blazing and basically destroy the audience with full on MC5/Ted Nugent energy and attitude. English festivals are notorious for the crowd throwing shit at bands. Within seconds rolls of toilet paper and eggs are flying up on to the stage. The band never flinches and Dee even challenges the entire crowd to fight after the show. They blaze through 7 songs from Under The Blade with supreme gusto and confidence. To jack up the energy level even more they end the set with their raucous cover of “It’s Only Rock N Roll.” During the breakdown who strolls out on to the stage but Pete Way, Fast Eddie Clarke and Lemmy. Not only do you have a triple axe attack but three bass players, too. Fast Eddie had quit Motorhead not too long before this show and this was the first time Lemmy and Eddie appeared in public together. Not a bad show, eh? The rest of the DVD contains interviews with the band about the Reading Festival and the making of Under The Blade. Great stuff, but the live footage is nothing short of totally mint deluxe.
Fans of Twisted Sister and Twisted FUCKIN Sister are ordered to pick this muther up at once. You won’t be sorry. Other good news for S.M.F.’s is that Rhino is FINALLY releasing an album from the landmark shows recorded at London’s Marquee club in March, 1983. Some of the recordings turned up as B-sides but never a complete show. Until that comes out, keep blasting this one and your worn out tapes of the killer 1982 WBAB radio broadcast from Hammerheads on Long Island. If you need a copy, lemmy know. I’d be glad to hook you up.
London trio Belleruche delivers another stellar song “3 Amp Fuse.” It’s a beautiful throwback track that balances traditional techniques and electric beats. Lead singer Kathrin deBoer’s soothing voice echoes classic jazz and blues over a catchy beat making it hard to define.
Reminiscent of a classic 1970s music video, “3 Amp Fuse” is everything you want in a good music video- an awesome song with killer visuals that don’t detract from the song. The simple structure is compelling, creative and most of all, charming. Belleruche delivers another magnificent music video that captures your eyes and ears effectively without doing too much. In the age of nano-second attention spans, take notice because this is one helluva video.
--Mr Brownstone
Nostalgia 77 - Simmerdown b/w Skin and Bones
It's fitting that on my iTunes library, Nostalgia 77 is alphabetized right next to Nouvelle Vague. Both bands mine a way-cool, retro lounge-ready vibe. Where Nouvelle Vague specializes in jazz samba versions of classic 80's songs, Nostalgia 77 explores their own muse of downtempo, reggae-jazz inflected goodness. "Simmerdown" is the first single from Nostalgia 77's 4th studio album and it's one to cherish. Featuring the sexy, downright smoky vocals of German singer, Josa Peit, "Simmerdown" is what Bob Marley may have sounded like if he'd gotten into martinis, not herb.
Best as I can tell, Nostalgia 77 is the work of one producer/musician extraordinare, Benedic Lamdin, and together with vocalist Josa he's hit paydirt here. "Simmerdown" is a lush yet ethereal must-play song for the end of the working day. A song to lead in the nights romantic activities after the hectic pace has melted away. Backside "Skin and Bones," brings a faint reggae pulse to the jazzy beat and plunks us down firmly in underground cool jazz lounge territory. Again, Josa's voice is hypnotic and I'm falling deeply into her trance.
Trent Fox & The Tenants - Mess Around EP
Really an E.P., not a single but still, it made it's way to my player tonight, so there you have it. Trent Fox and the Tenants crank the party up a couple of notches with some home-brewed, surf-laden, garage pop of the highest order. "Mess Around" is pure garage-rock retro heaven with shrieks, "yeah, yeahs" and a damn singable chorus. "Outta My Mind" is a time warp of amp-sliced fuzz and surf kicks with a stuttering beat and harmony vocal line straight outta 1964. "Jokes!" ups the ante a bit with a The Beat-esque punk attitude and some killer surf guitar. "Old Lady" and "Sounds Fine to Me" round out the set with the whole shebang clocking in at about 11 minutes playing time.
A brief burst of garage glory, like a flashing meteor. Always cool when you when you catch one of those.
Fatal Figures - Blue Zed b/w Alright
Released earlier this year on Big Neck Records, the Fatal Figures are made up of Aaron, Tracy, and Scott from the Blowtops. After a decade of plowing one gushy vein of garage rock horror show after another with the Blowtops, the remaining members decided to move on and explore new territory. While that sounds like something dramatic, in reality the Fatal Figures are doing what they've always done best. This is pure garage punk-death rock n roll. We got amped up, creeped-out Cramps here, some serious Pussy Galore and a whole lotta fun.
"Blue Zed" is the highlight here with Aaron Adduci being a hypnotizing front man. I don't know what this cat takes before a show, but lock it up, you don't want that getting loose in public. His vocals are a sputtered death moan of Boris Karloff meets The Sonics hysteria. The bottom end of this song is purely subsonic. An intense, mesmerizing listen. "Alright" is a Pussy Galore cover and really holds place until these cats dawn the creepshow punk and blast out their next original. Released on blood red vinyl, of course.
Motorhead - Louie Louie b/w Tear Ya Down
Yeah, yeah, I know it's gonna cost you $10 to track one of these down on ebay, but damn if it isn't worth every freaking penny. Find the one on Bronze records with the picture sleeve. Just seeing Lemmy, Fast Eddie and Philthy Animal caged behind that fence is worth the ten bucks alone. Damn, it looks like Philthy Animal is gonna eat his way outta that cage! Priceless.
Oh, yeah, the music. What can I say, it's Motorhead. It's "Louie Louie". It's rough and heavy and the meanest "Louie Louie" you've ever heard. Yet it still grooves. If you ever wanted to know if Motorhead could groove here's your answer. A fricking fantastic cover with heavy riffage, killer solo and Lemmy in fine form.
Backside "Tear ya Down" is simply one of my favorite Motorhead songs ever. Fast as anything from prime Motorhead time period, this is a pre-Ace of Spades explosion of Lemmy fury, Fast Eddie adrenaline and Philthy Animal Taylor rampage. A killer chorus and tight songwriting. This is kinda like the Ramones of the Motorhead catalog, meaning if it wasn't so powerful, heavy and frightening, somebody else could almost make this a pop song. Love it.
In the end, this single has special meaning around the Ripple office. Not only was it the first Motorhead single I ever bought (brand new, off the shelf), but when Pope and I first met this was one of our first musical bonding moments. At one point I even gave him my copy as a gift. Regrettably, it melted in the sun, so I went out a got another. Got one for you too, Pope.
Ever since people stopped buying rock records in decent quantities, there’s been an increase in quality documentaries on classic artists like The Ramones and Rush as well as rescuing a band like Anvil from obscurity. Given the subject matter, it seemed like Lemmy: 49% Motherf**ker, 51% Son of a Bitch would be the ultimate portrait of rocks favorite ugly son but unfortunately this one falls pretty short of expectation. While definitely worth watching, the overwhelming feeling I’m left with is “what happened? How did they not get the job done?”
Granted, I’m a bigger Motorhead fan than most Motorhead fans. Motorhead’s music changed my life the first time I shoplifted Iron Fist from Caldors back in 1982, and when I saw them for the first time in 1983 my ears rang for 8 days afterwards. To this day, all live performances are measured against that high energy volume overkilldose. It’s obvious the filmmakers are fans but not stone deaf forever Motorheadbangers. They have stated many times that the movie is about Lemmy and not a history of Motorhead but we all know that those two things are one and the same.
Some of the better parts of the film are about Lemmy’s days before Motorhead, including a great segment about the Rockin’ Vicars, the band he played guitar for in the mid-1960’s. They managed to track down some of his band mates and even legendary producer Shel Talmy (The Who, The Kinks) who make it clear that Lemmy was pretty much the same guy back then that he is now. The section on Hawkwind is also good. Lemmy repeats his often told tale of how he got fired from the legendary space rock band, but you also get to hear Dave Brock and Nik Turner’s side of the story, too. Even the Amazonian dancer Stacia gets some screen time. Unfortunately, there isn’t that much discussion of Hawkwind’s groundbreaking music. No one mentions that everyone should own a copy of Space Ritual and there’s no information about the classic albums Lemmy made with them.
The formation of Motorhead takes up about 120 seconds of screen time. Guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke is on and off the screen way too quickly. Philthy Animal Taylor apparently did not want to be interviewed for the movie and he’s barely mentioned. Again, there’s hardly a word on the incredible run of albums that line up made. Wurzel, Pete Gill and Brian Robertson are written out of the script. Mikkey Dee and Phil Campbell wind up looking like mere sidemen of a band that they’re equal partners in.
Way too much screen time is spent on pointless interviews with Billy Bob Thorton, Jarvis Cocker and the bass player from New Order. Who fucking cares what these clowns have to say about Lemmy? The usual VH1 talking heads like Scott Ian, Dee Snider, Dave Navarro and Henry Rollins have some good stories and there are interviews with all the members of Metallica except, surprisingly, Lars Ulrich. Dee has one of the funniest lines in the movie where he talks about not having seen Lemmy for a long time and goes backstage and it’s all the same roadies that he knew from ten years before. Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible of The Damned share some great tales from the insanity they participated in with Lemmy in the late 70’s.
One thing that the filmmakers get right is showing just how dedicated Lemmy is to his music. This is someone that has literally sacrificed everything for rock n roll. He’s had some moderate success but lives in a rent controlled 2 bedroom apartment with his enormous World War II collection when he’s not on tour or at the Rainbow Bar & Grill in LA. He has one son that he has a good relationship with and another one he’s never met. When he’s not playing music, he’s reading or gambling but always drinking.
Luckily the DVD helps correct some of the problems with the feature film. It’s worth picking up just for the full interview with Fast Eddie Clarke. It’s up to him to tell the real story of how the band started and he’s the only one to mention original guitarist Larry Wallis by name. Eddie also gives insight into how Motorhead got their signature sound – speedy music played by guys on speed. He claims that speed is a great drug to take when you’re playing music since you don’t have to leave the stage every 20 minutes to re-up. His story on how they wrote their signature song “Overkill” is hilarious and inspiring.
Other cool extras include extended interviews with Lemmy and individual features on Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee. The movie could have used more of this and less ass kissing testimonials. Any movie about Lemmy is worth watching, and this one definitely is, but it should have been so much better.
In the beginning there was Link Wray. The noise that he started has been used, abused and loved by many over the years since he started the Rumble heard round the world, but few have been willing to take it to maximum like Motorhead have. 36 years into it Motorhead deliver their 20th studio album and it’s much better than it has any right to be.
Since 2004’s Inferno, Motorhead has been on a roll of putting out strong albums to support their always killer live show. Are they the equal of all time stone get-off classics like Overkill and Ace Of Spades? No, but hardly anything does by any band ever will. The World Is Yours and 2008’s Motorizer are kick ass rock n roll albums from start to finish. What more could you ask for?
Producer Cameron Webb seems to be able to get the best out of Lemmy, guitarist Phil Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee and is insane enough to have done 4 albums with them. The band have praised him for not allowing them to write second rate songs and his ability to get a great sound and performance from the band. Anyone willing to endure their massive alcohol consumption, ear splitting volume, arguments and pranks deserves a lot of credit. He obviously knows what Motorhead fans want to hear.
“Born To Lose” starts things off in classic Motorheadbanging fashion – big drum fill, riff similar to their classic “Shoot You In The Back” and them Lemmy’s haggard growl. Sure, they’ve used the riff before and even the title way back in 1975 on “Iron Horse/Born To Lose” but who cares? By now you know where you stand with Motorhead – you love them or you cover your ears and retreat to the safety of your Wilco albums.
Most of the songs on The World Is Yours bear resemblance to some of their classic jams. “Brotherhood Of Man” is musically and lyrically an update of the world is doomed classic “Orgasmatron” and “I Know What You Need” reprises “Nothing Up My Sleeve.” The first single “Get Back In Line” is basically “Don’t Need Religion” part II. But that’s not to say that they only pinch from their own catalog. Lemmy was good friends with Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy’s classic brawl starter “Are You Ready” shows up in “Devils In My Hand.”
Motorhead’s on tour right now in the USA playing to generations of fans and enjoying a big swell in much deserved popularity. Part of that is due to the new documentary of Lemmy’s life, but a more important part is that they play kick ass rock n roll and hardly anyone else does. If you haven’t bought a Motorhead album in awhile, don’t snooze on this one. If you can afford it, pick up the deluxe import version that comes with a special all Motorhead issue of Classic Rock Magazine. The album cover may not be denim jacket worthy, but you already have Overkill or the classic warpig logo done in acrylic on yours, right?
Fast, loud, angry and to the point. That’s really all one I say about Unsilent Death by the band Nails. Their 10 songs in 13 lucky minutes makes Blood, Guts & Pussy by the Dwarves seem like a Dream Theater concept opus. I’m sure crusty types can rattle off the names of hundreds of “d-beat” style bands that they sound like but to me Nails taps into the dirty source of Discharge, Motorhead, Hellhammer and Poison Idea.
Since this album is so short, the songs run one into another as sort of a brutal musical suite. The fast ones are very fast and are usually a minute or less. The opening pair of “Conform” and “Scum Will Rise” are over so quickly you barely have time to figure out if you like them or not. If those 2 annoy you then you certainly won’t like the longer, slower ones. The title track is over 2 and a half minutes of a slower Hellhammer/Celtic Frost grind with a bit of a Slayer chug thrown in at the end. The 28 second “Traitor” manages to squeeze in some tempo changes before crashing into the next blitz. The album wraps up with the lengthy “Depths” (almost 4 minutes!) with screechy feedback and negativity for all.
Production on Unsilent Death is heavy as hell. Guitars crunch all the time but squeal nicely when they have to. The bass sound is massive and the drums hit hard and fast. The vocals are guttural and screamy but never venture into cookie monster territory. Overall this is a winner if you need a speed fix and need to break a lot of shit in a hurry.
I’m probably the last person you want reviewing an “acoustic” album. For the most part, acoustic guitar bores me to tears after a few minutes (Muddy Waters – Folk Singer is one of the few exceptions). But this is Wino we’re talking about, the master of doom, not some Jeff Tweedy snooze-fest so I approached it with an open mind and open beer.
Thankfully, the electric guitar makes an appearance early on and helped me to dive into this very solid album. Wino is an excellent player and it’s actually refreshing to hear him play acoustic. Lots of the riffs would probably work well in a band setting but playing them solo creates space for his great singing voice and powerful lyrics.
The title track starts off the album sounding like something The Who might have done in their early 70’s prime, energetic and moody. What really sold me on the record is the 2nd song, “I Don’t Care.” I’d imagine this is what Wino would say to me if I told him I was hesitant about listening to his acoustic album. It’s impossible for me to resist any kind of “fuck you” type of song extolling the virtues of having long hair and doing whatever you want. And then he rips into a great electric solo. Wino’s mentioned that Ross The Boss (The Dictators, Manowar, Shankin Street, etc) is one of his favorite guitarists and you can really hear the influence on this one.
“Hold On Love” and “Old & Alone” reveal a bit of a Beatles influence with big melodies to counteract the strong, personal lyrics. “Shot In The Head” is a great honky tonk shuffle. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Wino likes to drink beer and listen to Lefty Frizzell and Charlie Rich on a Saturday night. Even without bass or drums, it has a great boogie feel and killer slide guitar solo. The instrumental “O.B.E.” is all electric and lets him get all Frippertronic for 3 minutes.
“Green Speed” is the fastest song on the album with killer dueling electric leads over a driving acoustic rhythm. But the real highlight of the album for me is the cover of Motorhead’s biker anthem “Iron Horse/Born To Lose.” It’s always been one of my favorite Motorhead songs (especially the On Parole version when Larry Wallis was in the band) and Wino really makes it his own. With all due respect to Lemmy, I don’t think he has a drivers license and shouldn’t really be operating any vehicles, while Wino is a well known die-hard motorcycle mutherfucker. The lyrics obviously mean a lot to him and his soulful vocals deliver the message hard.
Wino’s discography is pretty solid and Adrift is a great addition to it. Don’t let the “unplugged” thing scare you off. You can still play it loud n proud.
Waveriders, have we got a special treat for you! In the formative days of independent rock journalism, one of the definitive, pioneering metal fanzines was Kick Ass. Today, we got a special Ripple contribution from none other than - Mike "Artie O." Hannon, one of the original innovators at Kick Ass.
If we all clap hard, beg, and plead, we may be able to get Mike to contribute more, but in the meantime, we're thrilled and humbled to welcome Mike into the Ripple fold.
ATTENTION: Citizens of Earth! This is Alan Davey, Panic! Do you remember the following words from somewhere? "Know your body's made to move, feel it in your guts / Rock 'n' roll ain't worth the name if it don't make you strut." If you do, this Gunslinger release must certainly have been what that great sage was talking about.
Friends, have I got an album for you. When was the last time you heard an album that was absolutely killer from start to stop? Better yet, absolutely killer over the course of eleven tracks?! Then when it stopped... you immediately hit start again! Well, this is one of those. Bass Assassination 101, delivered in spades, right here. I have had this one spinning on endless repeat and "Valium 10" since discovering its greatness. (Why is this scorcher not being praised on all corners of the globe? Yet shite like the latest album from Green Day is somehow honored as genius?! Questions for the ages, I guess.) I am more than a bit biased to players of this caliber, being a HUGE fan of the bass guitar and those who know precisely (and dangerously) what to do with it. Dare I say, Alan Davey is the ONLY person who could actually front Motorhead, other than Lemmy Kilmister, if the occasion ever arose. Big words, I know... but these are BIG sounds. The likes of which you just don't hear very often, if at all. Alan already did, essentially, take on that heady task during his lengthy tenure with Hawkwind. He was the perfect heir apparent, and the entire period was of great interest to me, conjuring memories of "Doremi Fasol Latido", "Hall of the Mountain Grill" and "Warrior on the Edge of Time". All older Hawkwind classics on which Lemmy had cemented the bottom so very brilliantly. Also, a few of my all-time favorite albums. So, this is where I stand in my vision here. It may be slanted, but it's slanted for all of the right reasons. If you are like-minded, please proceed and enter the craft...
The story of Gunslinger is a long one, dating back to 1979 when Alan Davey and his cousin, Nigel Potter, began to structure what they call "the sonic wall" that would soon become Gunslinger. At this time, their obsession with powerful, flat out rock and roll was beginning to take shape(s). During those early formative years, name change followed name change, but it was when they called their latest incarnation 'Chainsaw' that the real story begins... It was here that songs like "Warhorse", "Gunslinger", "Night Song" and many others first came into sonic being. The immense sound that was to become Gunslinger was thus born. With influences ranging (and raging) from Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Motorhead, Hawkwind and many others, the full-on assault was then thought to be in full flow. The band quickly gained a reputation for playing extremely loud and built a solid, loyal following. They then recorded a demo tape and a record deal was promised, but the deal was never signed. Alas, it was just not meant to be. As they say, the rest is history... until now, that is! But first, a short bit of further backstory is in order...
A long-time Hawkwind fan, Alan Davey ("Bass Assassin # 2", appointed that grandiose title by none other than one Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister himself), sent a demo of his playing to Hawkwind main man, Dave Brock, and was rightly recruited to join the Hawkwind ranks in 1984. Alan then went on to become the second longest-serving member of the band, playing and recording with them for 22 years. (Why didn't they make a movie about that? Instead of that crappy "Rock Star" debacle from a few years back. I'll tell ya, there is no justice in this world.) His time with Hawkwind was a very productive one, to these ears. The man's first gig with the band was at the legendary Stonehenge, for goodness sake. That is just epic stuff! No two ways about it.
But this isn't a Hawkwind write-up, it's a Gunslinger one. So, on to the meat and potatoes of this essential beast known as Earthquake in E Minor. (The album IS Earth-shaking, as the title suggests.) As advertised with the following quote: "Straight up dirty rock/metal, Alan`s 1st band with cousin Nigel Potter who wrote ALL the songs with Alan between 1979-82. If ya like old Motorhead & Hawkwind this is the perfect mix of the two!!" I couldn't say it better than that myself, so I let the quote speak for itself. Well, Motorhead and Hawkwind are two of my all-time favorite bands, so you know I'm going to praise music with a sound like that *IF* they get it right. I am happy to say that not only did they get it right, they have surpassed any expectations you could possibly have. (And I have expectations, believe me.) The music (barely) contained herein is so impressive to fans of the style, that it prompted a comment from a friend which revered: "Is this really Gunslinger? You sure it's not songs that were supposed to be on the album between Overkill and Bomber?" That is MIGHTY HIGH praise, and gives you a perfect launching pad for appreciation of the concept.
The current band is made up of Davey on bass and keys, his nephew Louis "Snag" Davey on guitar, and a young phenom simply named "Cat" on drums and backing vox. The guitar and drums on this particular album are performed by an earlier line-up consisting of Nigel Potter and the mysteriously named George A., respectively. Together, they form a triple threat, which virtually flies off the disc and comes looking for your blood. I haven't heard this kind of decimation in a LONG time, folks. (I'm a bit of a jaded old bastard, and never really heap praise like this on very much at all. I don't even write reviews, unless I've been truly inspired.) The collective is an absolute winner. Recalling, for me, the same feeling I had upon discovering Motorhead in my misspent youth. Maybe you remember when you first heard Tank'sFilth Hounds of Hades and were just pummeled from beginning to end? Well, this is that kind of deal. A real deal, made up of monster basses and all the aces!
I'm not really a track-by-track reviewer, but you would be hard-pressed to find a dud in this bunch. If I was pushed to name a few favorites, I would simply and honestly respond with, tracks one through eleven (this one really does go to eleven). As I said earlier, it is a completely enjoyable experience from start to stop, and really should be consumed as a whole. Sometimes half a dose does the trick, but this is a better pill when swallowed whole. Hell, the music makes me feel young and virile again... and that's not an easy thing to do! ha (Mission accomplished... and thank you for it!) This is the kind of music that first inspired me to start a band. This is the kind of music that can start and/or end wars, whichever may be your preference, of course. If any of this sounds appealing to you, and it should, get your hands on this album. Scare your kids, scare your dog, scare your cat. Hell, scare your lion... whatever may have you. I dare you to try and tame this monster! Take the bull by the horns, yes, but be forewarned that this choice may lead to blunt trauma and (motor)head wounds. Try fighting the "Snaggletooth" and "lemmy" know how you make out... if you survive, that is. (How's that for props?) Hey, it's fun to play with words like that (I haven't used some of those wonderfully over-the-top terms in years), but I really can't emphasize enough just how strong this album is. If it had been released in the early '80s, it would have been on many different top-lists as a favorite, I'm certain of it. Alas, that was not to be. But the time is now, and there is no better time than the present. Earthquake in E Minor is a winner on all counts. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the talented lead guitar and drums of the current line-up, as well. (See vids on the Gunslinger MySpace page and YouTube.) If only more of the younger players had this kind of education. Snag and Cat are really firing on all cylinders, and I am amazed that Alan has made discoveries like this in a younger team. Kudos to you all. Top-notch!
Alan and Gunslinger are also hoping to make their way to the USA for some shows. (Isn't there someone out there who can secure this?) The last time I saw him live was on a Hawkwind tour, many moon phases ago... which is entirely too long between visits. Let's do what we can to get that in order, huh? Phone your local politicians, fly a banner from a plane... whatever! This music is made for a live setting, and I hope I will get the chance to see that happen. The band's bio included this apropos proclamation, "We're loud, mean and coming to town!" Let's hope so. I would certainly be there... and you should save a calendar date, too. Gunslinger will be releasing a live album titled "Unlawful Odds" in February 2011. I am impatiently looking forward to that release from this unlawful act. Until then, I will keep cranking Earthquake in E Minor, while I gleefully watch the neighbors' lawn die! Hell, the only complaint I have about the Gunslinger album is that there is no umlaut used above the letter "U" in the band's name. Can't get any better than that for a current release, can you?
I fully realize that there are a lot of Hawkwind and Motorhead mentions in this review. That is not the only chapter in this story, but it's almost impossible not to reference those things when reviewing this album. If you are a fan of either band, make it your business to get this album. (After all, it is the business of the future to be dangerous.) Of course, there is far more to the Church of Alan Davey, so check them @ his web site. He is involved in many creative projects and is a very crafty musician of varying styles. I enjoy them all. Maybe you will, too? They don't make 'em like this anymore, that's for sure. Alan is also currently playing with Hawklords, a collective which showcases many other important former Hawkwind alumni. "25 Years On", and all are still a force to be reckoned with. That is an impressive feat!
For your consideration (as a fun side-note): Alan has even been spotted boldly sporting a T-shirt which reads, "My Rickenbacker Is Older Than My Wife!" Hell, if that doesn't win you over... I guess nothing will sway you. Remember, "If the Bombs Don't Get Ya, the Bullets Will". Carpe diem, baby!
Update: After completion of this review, Alan has now informed me that Flicknife Records will be releasing the live Gunslinger album. And the band have also acquired an agent in the USA who can finally get them some gigs on these shores. "So watch out, we're coming!", exclaims Mr. Davey. Heed the man's words. Hope to see y'all there...
