2013....The Beat Went on!

2013....What's been released this year and going round and round on my CD player. Well....In no particular order we have.... JOHNNY THUNDERS with Hurt Me, this album showed his tender side; stripped naked with just a guitar, a brittle and beautiful listen NIKKI SUDDEN, The Boy From Nowhere Who Fell Out Of The Sky is a six CD box set. A lovingly crafted and compiled collection of Nikki’s work. Both these were reissued by the wonderful Easy Action Records. Sweet Revenge by the criminally ignored Punk'n'Rollers the LIGHTNING RAIDERS, was not so much a re-issue, because back in the day it was never released. Knox may not be touring with THE VIBRATORS but On The Guest List shows he's still part of the band, with a collection of songs that rank amongst the best he's written, and all supported by a cast of special guests. The UK SUBS, they just keep going, and going and getting better as they go, maturing with age disgracefully. CHARLIE HARPER and CAPTAIN SENSIBLE, this was a real surprise Too Much Reality....took Punk to a new Psychedelic underworld of neon grey. GLM, released three blinding Rocky yet slightly poppy download only tracks from their website. DEADCUTS, do just that....they cut you dead! A switch-blade to the throat of all the taste-makers and trend-setters. Deadcuts are out there and have got something special going on. BABYSHAMBLES Sequel To The Prequel, a brilliant album, Pete Doherty has been the only real Great British Rock'n'Roller for the last....fuck knows how long. THE MOB returned with a single Rise Up! an anthemic call to arms. THE FITS, reformed legends of the UK82 Punk scene, returned with some Punk Rockin' action with their Lead On EP. NEW MODEL ARMY, released a dark and moody master piece, and JAMES KING AND THE LONE WOLVES crawled out of the wreckage with some sublime swamp rock blues. Finally a couple of Punk'n'Roll supergroups cut through the crap this year. THE CRUNCH with their album Busy Making Noise which is a blast of pure Power Pop Punk, their line up includes former members of the Cockney Rejects, Lords of New Church/Sham 69 The Clash and Diamond Dogs. THE INTERNATIONAL PLAYBOYS, include a Twenty Flight Rocker (Gary Twinn) Sex Pistol (Glen Matlock) a Gen X/Chelsea (James Stevenson) Blondie (Clem Burke.) released three stompin' tracks via their web page. Hopefully an album will be released in 2014. Finally PRIMAL SCREAM's 2013 was a real return to form, a musical and lyrical statement of intent. Well there you have it a year in my Rock'n'Roll world....Here's to the next one!

JAMES KING AND THE LONE WOLVES - Article / Review / Download.

With all the current media interest about JFK, I was recently moved to play James King and The Lone Wolves rather brilliant Texas Lullaby. I didn't really fancy blowing my head off with the Dead Kennedys, I was more in the mood for something slightly more laid back and mellow. Back in the early eighties James King and The Lone Wolves were jangly swamp blues rockers; Mean, moody and menacing, they could have been contenders, but tales of drunken and violent excesses and a no compromise attitude meant major record companies were afraid of the big bad wolf and went for the easy soft options like Lloyd Cole and The Commotions and Aztec Camera instead, and mainstream success eluded the Lone Wolves. The band split in 1985 and their legend faded into obscurity, or did it?

Anyway to cut a story short, after playing the 5 track Texas Lullaby 12”, a record I've held dear since 1984, I did an internet search on James King and The Lone Wolves, and found out that my radar had missed the fact that the band had reformed in 2011, to play a couple of tribute gigs and haven't looked back due to the positive reaction they received, they also started recording, and the four track Pretty Blue Eyes E.P was released earlier this year, available as a digital download from Amazon.

The opening track Pretty Blue Eyes, recalls the sound of the Velvet Underground, while Fun Patrol is a neo Rockabilly rumble, a re-working of an old song of theirs, now with added harmonica. Guitars reverberate as James spits out some of the wickedest lyrics ever written; “Would you crawl on broken glass for me?....Would you blow your fucking brain out with a gun for me?” Even Beatles Die is a swirling and sweeping statement with Thunders style guitar licks. Happy Home finds feedback infused guitars dropping in and out creating an atmospheric anthem of alienation  “I don't want to crawl in your world I want to take a walk in mine.”

Has age mellowed James King and The Lone Wolves? No! They sound far darker and deeper on their walk to hell. The off kilter country vibe is still there, but there's more of a chugging and chopping three pronged guitar attack going on behind James's distinctive drawl which is akin to Iggy Pop, Johnny Thunders and Lou Reed having a fight on Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street. If the devil has all the best tunes, he got another four missing from his collection.

The Pretty Blue Eyes E.P is a haunting, emotional, intense and uneasy listen at times, the very essence of Rock'N'Roll; a groove that moves, an impassioned howl while wrestling with demons. These are twisted and tortured tunes of anguish. Tales of emotional turmoil and torment, broody and buoyant songs to drown in. This is life with all its beauty and ugliness affirming stuff! Single of the year? Definitely! Can't wait to hear their reworked Texas Lullaby which they are in the process of recording and mixing at the moment.

While I was on my internet travels I also found a couple of videos on youtube, from which I've ripped the audio (Thanx to the original uploaders) for your enjoyment. Here's Happy Home, Even Beatles Die and Fun Patrol. Live @ The Glasgow Glasshouse in March 2013, and there's Fly Away and Fun Patrol live on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1985. Enjoy! or Destroy!

  

ALIVE IN 85 With: TheTwentyFlightVayneWolves

These 3 bands are no strangers here, so without further a do, I’ll get on with it. First up it’s the no nonsense debut album G.T.F by those Iggy/Thunders Rawk‘n’Rollers THE VAYNES, or DEAD VAYNES as they were called for this release. Next we’ve got the 2 singles Tower Block Rock and Johnny 7 from the TWENTY FLIGHT ROCKERS with their Gene Vincent meets The Clash Sound‘n’Style. Finally to slow things down a bit there’s the jangling Rock’n'Roll guitar lurch of JAMES KING AND THE LONE WOLVES with their The Angels Don’t Know 12” Enjoy!

JAMES KING AND THE LONE WOLVES - Texas Lullaby (12" vinyl rip)

Another gem from the 80's. This time its from legendary Glaswegian James King, and his partners in crime The Lone Wolves. Kings idols were Thunders and Iggy. Not that you'd really guess from the sound of this 5 track 12", which is akin to the Velvet Underground. Another comparison would be Echo And The Bunnymen, but that does the Lone Wolves a hugh injustice, as these guys would chew up the bunnies and spew 'em up again without pausing for breath. This is hard and uglier by far. "Kennedy dies in my Texas Lullaby" Go on, have a listen...It's just a click away. Click