Virgil

Pachuco José i Los Diamantes – Vamos A Bailar

Pachuco Jose - Vamos A Bailar
Pachuco Jose – Vamos A Bailar

Wild Records
Vamos A Bailar – Saleroso – Chicas Patas – Tiburon – Muy Sabroso Blues – Que Se Mueran Los Feos – Tin Marin – Tako’s Rock – Chucos Suaves – El Alacran – Marjiuana Boogie – All Night Long

In the the fifties, Lalo Guerrero created a style of his own by merging American rhythm’n’blues and swing with elements of Mexican culture and a bit of Samba and Mambo here and there.
Half a century later, a bunch of young and talented musicians (including members of the Vargas Brothers, the Lonely Blues Boys, Los Rhythm Rockets and Lil’ Gizelle’s band…) revive the genre. So if you dig all the aforementioned styles as well as Bill Haley’s rock’n’roll with a Mexican flavour (not to be confused with Bill Haley’s Mexican Twist during period!), this record is definitely for you. The opening/title track is the perfect example starting on a jump/swing beat, then the vocals in Spanish and two breaks with Latin arrangements in the middle. The musicianship is perfect with a special mention to Gil “El Guapo” Rodriguez for his clean and sharp guitar solos both on electric and on Spanish guitar (Que Se Mueran Los Feos). A very exciting and brilliant album that is sure to become the official soundtrack of all your parties.
And to add more coolness, this cd comes in a beautiful gatefold which is the closest thing to a good old vinyl in this digital days.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Number 9 Blacktops – Cool On My Right

number-9-blacktopsPart-Cd 6108.001

Steel Belted Radicals – Kentucky – Berlin – Big Rig – Monster Truck Takeover – Frankfort Avenue – Queen Of Hearts – Rock ‘N’N Roll Band – Come On Already – Out Of Sin – Boomland

Produced by Supersuckers frontman Eddie Spaghetti and with a bass player proudly sporting a Motorhead t-shirt, don’t expect the Number 9 Blacktops to play doo-wop.
This is raunchy and straight-in-your-face rock’n’roll with big guitar (Skinny Jim their singer-guitarist is endorsed by Gretsch), warm and round bass (electric, that is) and hammer-pounding drums. Imagine a hard hitting rockabilly band ingested, digested and regurgitated by ZZ Top, add a dash of surf (there’s a couple of instrumentals), a bit of early Reverend Horton Heat and a solid dose of country-punk ala Jason and the Scorchers and you’ll get a close idea of the sound of this album. And the whole thing is rounded in less than 30 minutes. Yes, this is Rock’n’roll! Highly recommended though clearly not for the purists.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Nervous Breakdown – Dirty Beats

Nervous Breakdown - Dirty Beats
Nervous Breakdown – Dirty Beats

PART CD 688.001
Nervous Breakdown Bash ~ You Bring Me Down ~ Do The Bop ~ Wild And Bad ~ Bad Side Of The Blues ~ Treat Me Like A Man ~ Dirty Beats ~ Rock ‘n’ Roll Queen ~ Baby You’re Mine ~ It’s Alright ~ Leave Me Alone ~ Bird Doggin ~ It Must Be Hell ~ Supersonica (instr.) ~ Where Have You Been?

This German quartet (guitar – double bass – drums – sax) plays modern rockabilly and rock’n’roll at a frenzied beat that sometimes borders on old school psychobilly (when the “billy” was still present). The saxophone brings a very personal touch and gives them a sound of their own, but if I had to make a comparison, I’d say they could be the little brothers of Hot Boogie Chillun. You’ll also hear some Sonics influences too.
Formed in 2005 they’ve waited 5 years to release their debut album and it shows. They are very well rehearsed and tight. You can hear that a special attention has been put into the arrangements and the sound is powerful, far from your usual “let’s release a record 2 months after we got together…” one often finds.
The other positive point is that 12 of the songs are very well crafted originals.
Nervous Breakdown take every good aspect of 80’s neo-rockabilly and take them into the 21st century for a sound that owes nothing to the past. A band to follow.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Velvet Candles (the)

The Velvet Candles - The Story Of Our Love
The Velvet Candles – The Story Of Our Love

The Velvet Candles – The Story Of Our Love

ElToro Records
The Story Of Our Love / Love Bells / Da Doo / That’s How I Feel / The Image Of A Girl / Forget About Me / Robot Stomp / Why Denise Grew Up / Lonely Days Lonely Nights / Take A Chance On Love / My Spare Time / Footsteps / Runaround Baby / There’s A Girl.

The Velvet Candles come from Spain and are Mamen Salvador, Agusti Burriel and Eduardo Peregrin. Backed by a solid band they play late 50’s/early 60’s white/italo doo-wop.
Since my doo- wop knowledge is mostly made of compilation I won’t go much into details telling you that this song sounds like this or this other one reminds of (write hear the name of the artist you want). I can only trust my ears and they tell me that this album is pleasant, very well sung and very well orchestrated (some songs with strings arrangements).
Next to covers from the catalog of the Safaris, the Fabulaires, Dante & the Evergreens you’ll find some solid originals like Robot Stomp and one song written for them by the great Mario Cobo. The cd is very varied: the three of them singing lead, the songs go from the fully orchestrated “The Story Of Our Love” to the accapella of “Why Denise Grew” also including a song in Spanish.
Fans of the genre can buy it with confidence.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

BR5-49

BR5-49 - One Long Saturday Night plus
BR5-49 – One Long Saturday Night plus

BR5-49 – One Long Saturday Night, plus

Bear Family BCD 17347
Even If It’s Wrong – Long Gone Lonesome Blues – Heartaches By The Number – Bettie Bettie – Right Or Wrong – Hometown Boogie – Honky Tonk Song – Go Boy Go – Lonesome 7-7203 – My Name Is Mud – I Ain’t Never – Little Ramona (Gone Hillbilly Nuts) – Big Mouth Blues – Cherokee Boogie – Ole Slewfoot – Crazy Arms – Gone, Gone, Gone – One Long Saturday Night – Take Me Back To Tulsa – Hillbilly Tramp – Settin’ The Woods On Fire – Knoxville Girl – Sweet Georgia Brown

BR5-49 came like a breath of fresh air in the musical landscape of Nashville. Sure they weren’t the first to play traditionnal country, others played it on a smaller level, but they managed to get signed on a major lbel and for a while this music was at the place it deserved in the country music industry.
But though I like their songs and style a lot, I always thought that their studio albums sounded a little bit too clean and would have been better with a little more grit. Just imagine how they would have sounded had they been recorded by Wally Hersom at his Wallyphonic studio.
On this live album, recorded in Germany (and four bonus tracks recorded in Japan) in 1996, they show that the stage whether it’s a honky tonk in Dallas or a German TV show was the place where they belonged.
With no pression but the sheer joy of playing for an audience, the band felt free to play whatever they wanted from western swing (Bob Wills’ Right Or Wrong and Take Me Back To Tulsa) to 60’s country rock (Graham Parson’s Big Mouth Blues) with a solid dose of classic Honky Tonk and Rockabilly in between. This is fun from start to finish. Both Mead and Bennett are mighty fine singers and their harmonies are superb (without mentionning their guitar skills), Don Herron is a wizard with anything that has strings while Wilson and McDowell provide the beat with a subtility that too often lacks in modern country. In the end “One long Saturday Night” could possibly be the band’s best album (and as usual with Bear family it comes with a thick booklet including many pictures and liner notes by Chuck Mead).
And for those who think that the experience can’t be complete without Jay’s smile, Chuck’s legs, Gary’s hat, Shaw’s mustache and Don’s overall, Bear has a also released a dvd from the same live.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Switchblade

Switchblade - the lost album
Switchblade – the lost album

Switchblade – the lost album

Trophy TR005
Baby What You Want Me To Do – Blue Jeans And A Boys Shirt – Blues Blues Blues – Yes I’m Gonna Love You – Chicken Run – No More Crying The Blues – Go Go Go! – Homesick Boy – One Cup Of Coffee – One Part Stops Where The Other Begins – Pink Cadillac – Rock n’ Roll Jump n’ Shout – Come On Baby Take A Little Chance With Me – Three Alley Cats – Waiting For A Train – Warm Love – What Goes On – Wild Wild Lover – You Got To Lose

Mouse (Red Hot’n’Blue) formed Switchblade in late 1989 with Graeme Grant (Demented Are Go, Krewmen) on bass, Eric LaCube on drums and Guy Bolton (Born Bad) on lead guitar. The band only lasted one year, then Mouse reformed Red Hot’n’Blue. In April 1990 they found time to record a full album in a professional studio that remained unreleased until now.
If you look for slick and polished rockabilly this is definitely not for you. The sound is raw and uneven. There’s differences in term of sounds between songs, some sounding more like demos while others seem more “finished”. Their sound is a mix of rockabilly (Grant is one hell of a powerful slap bassist) with a good dose of rockin’ blues with a lot of energy and an emergency feel present all along the album (the fact that it was recorded and mixed in two days probably contributes to that feel).
Mouse penned three songs and the rest is split between rockabilly classics like Orbison’s Go Go Go, Glen Glenn’s One Cup of Coffee and Blue Jeans and a Boys Shirt, Roy hall’s Three Alley Cats, Benny Joy’s Wild Wild Lover and blues like Jimmy Reed’s Baby What You Want Me To Do, Earl Hooker’s You Got To Lose, George Thorogood’s Homesick Boy and some surprise like the Beatles What Goes On.
Despite the lack of homogeneity, it’s, with 19 songs, a good value for money, and if you like Mouse you’ll jump on this one (and the completist will find demos on the Unreleased recordings on Fury records as well as one song, Ride Ride Ride, on the compilation album 20 Blasters from Blighty).

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