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lost souls

Various artists – Fury records

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V/A – Something To Remember

Fury Records – F3009 [1989]
Something To Remember – Something Shocking / Big Green Car – The Polecats / Lonesome Cowboy – Hot Rod Gang / Rhythm Riot – Jeff Potter / Lonely Town – Draggin’/ Johnny Rides – Lota Red / My Old Man – The Crestlers / She’s Too Way Out – Tony Dangerfield / Lost Souls – Lost Souls / Flat Top – Rockabilly 88 / Little Pretty Baby – Alphabets / Bust Head Gin – The Frantix / You’re The One – The Little Rock Combo / City Bound – Deuces Wild

something to remember fury records

A good compilation that gives an interesting overview of the Rockin’ scene at the end of the eighties.
Something Shocking wrote and played the song that gives the name to this compilation. It’s a very good and efficient Neo-Rockabilly. Likewise, as you can expect, the Polecats deliver an excellent Neo-Rockabilly tune with Big Green Car, an unissued track from the Won’t Die sessions.
Hot Rod Gang brings a touch of Wild West feel with Lonesome Cowboys, whose melody reminds of Funnel Of Love. Rhythm Riot by Jeff Potter is a drum-led instrumental. Lonely Town by Draggin’ is not a bad tune, but it doesn’t offer much to remember (pardon the pun). Lota Red is another German band. Their song is excellent and perfectly recorded. It’s a mid-tempo Rockabilly with a superb double bass sound and a strong Western flair. It’s one of the best tracks of this compilation.The Crestlers deliver an excellent modern Rockabilly track. Tony Dangerfield’s recording dates from 1964 and was produced by Joe Meek. Not surprisingly, it’s another highlight of the album with a mean guitar and a pumpin’ rock’n’roll piano. Lost Souls brings a welcome touch of wild Psychobilly to this compilation. Rockabilly 88, famous for having slap bass maestro Mark Winchester (later bass player for Brian Setzer) within their ranks, play a classic and mighty enjoyable Rockabilly. The Alphabets play Jive and Doo-wop-abilly in the style of the Keytones and the Jets. The Frantix deliver a mean and raunchy Blues song. If you dig the Deltas, this one is for you. Back to traditional Rockabilly with the Little Rock Combo while the Deuces Wild adds a touch of Skiffle and Bluegrass (one can hear hints of Foggy Mountain Breakdown) to their brand of Rockabilly.

Various – I Love My Car

Fury Records – F3002 [1987]
Way Out West – I Love My Car / Rusti Steel & The Tin Tax – Howlin’ / The Nitro’s – Destruction Road / The Sticks Trio – Get Up And Shake It / Rockin’ Rocket 88 – Put ’em In The Oven / The Hilltop Boys – Take A Chance Baby / Niteshift Trio – Don’t Need No Body / Rover Boy Combo – Baby Let Me Show You The Door / The Baskervilles – Inside Power / The Bootleggers – Hey Poor Billy / Oakville Tune Wranglers – Roamin’ Around / The Midniters – Where’s Derek / The Playboys – Desperate Dan

various - i love my car fury records

Fury records released I Love My Car in 1987. It is a more homogeneous compilation than many others released during the same period.
The compilation opens with the title song, played by Way Out West, a superb Rockabilly.
Rusti Steel and The Tin Tax is one of those bands that lean more towards Hillbilly and rural bop, like the Oakville Tune Wranglers, Rockin’ Rocket 88, the latter with fiddle, or the Bootleggers who play with a harmonica and also mix skiffle to their music.
Some groups stand out. Thus, the young Nitros, in one of their first (if not the first) discographic appearances, are already excellent. The sound is raw, but all the elements that will make Nighshades, their first mini-album, a masterpiece, are present.
Many of the groups on this compilation will only make occasional appearances and never release an album (nor a single for some), and that’s a shame. I am thinking of the excellent Sticks Trio. Their song Get Up And Shake is with She’s Just Rockin’, the only musical testimony of the group. It’s too bad because their Rockabilly-Jive, influenced by the Jets and the Keytones, was very pleasant.
The Baskervilles, featuring Pete Turland and Darrel Higham, and their Neo-rockabilly tinged with Psychobilly will make another appearance on a compilation and then disappear.
Another band that is difficult to find information on is the Hiltone Boys. Besides their four-track demo, this is, as far as I know, their only release. Their contribution, Take A Chance Baby, is traditional rockabilly with slight modern accents à la early Restless. Likewise, the Niteshift Trio brings a little neo-rockabilly touch to the ensemble.
The Midniters stand out from the rest of the selection. This is one of the earliest incarnations of the band, featuring a saxophone. Their rock instrumental seems to come straight out of a Hot Rod compilation from the early sixties. Very different from the neo-rockabilly/psychobilly of Easy Money, their debut album.
Finally, the Playboys (with Rob Glazebrook ex Rochee & the Sarnos) conclude the album with desperate Rock’n’roll.

Lost Souls (the)

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Lost Souls (the) – Erazer Head

Tombstone Records Tomb-Disc 698 [1991]
True Love – Dead Or Alive -(Get Me To The) World On Time – Hell Train – Spiral Dreams – Angel Of Death – Lysergic Acid – Erazer Head – Tomorrows Fool – S.O.A.P.Y – Witch Hunt – Doctor Death

lost souls - erazer head

Released shortly after their debut album, Erazer Head showed some changes in the sound of Lost Souls. The group’s sound has asserted itself, mainly the guitar, which has a more Metal tone and takes a more prominent place than on Chasin’ A Dream. The album also benefits from a better production. Roughly, one could say that if Chasin A Dream was close to the Mark Cole era Krewmen, Erazer Head is closer to Tony McMillan’s Krewmen. We can also hear the influence of emerging groups such as Nekromantix. This influence is also felt in the compositions, notably the two-part vocal parts of Hell Train. Overall, the sound has toughened up, making the group more aggressive and “in your face”. Likewise, the group introduces changes and breaks in rhythm (Spiral Dreams, Lysergic Acid), which bring the Psychobilly of Lost Souls into the 90s. Broome really delivers on double bass, ideally supported by the drums that followed the general evolution with a fat sound (and sometimes bordering on Punk). In the end, Lost Souls delivers an excellent nervous Psychobilly album, very representative of its time.

Lost Souls (the) – Chasin’ A Dream

Nervous Records NERD054 [1990]
Chasin’ A Dream – All Day And All Of The Nigh – Prisoner Of Love – Dancing With Myself – Still Feel The Pain – Only One For Me – Dead Stay Dead – Devil in Disguise – Surf Bitch – She’s Gone – Skid Row – Never Gonna Stop – Death Bone Alley – Lost Souls

Lost Souls

Lost Souls began in the mid-80s as a four-piece band. They then evolved as a trio and were discovered by Roy Williams, who sent them to Madhouse studio to record their debut album produced by Mickey Mutant (Meteors, Coffin Nails, Restless). The lineup on this album consists of Mark Broome on double bass and vocals, Neal Hattersley on guitar and vocals and Ian Lydell on drums.
Released in March 1990, Chasin’ A Dream is very representative of the Psychobilly sound of the era, namely a wicked and raspy voice, a light electric guitar (sometimes similar to the early Frantic Flintstones) and a powerful rhythm section led by an even more powerful and fast slap bass. 
The majority of this album is rather good and very pleasant, with excellent compositions. Moreover, the group has a good idea to add covers that have not been played ad nauseam, such as Billy Idol’s Dancing With Myself and The Kinks’ All Day And All Of the Night.
There are a few weaker songs and a bit repetitive, but it’s a detail, and the whole thing is more than successful.

lost souls

Various Artists – Live At The Big Rumble

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Various Artists – Live At The Big Rumble

Nervous Records – NERCD 066 [1991]
Atomics: I do declare – Restless: New Orleans – Restless: Shake Your Moneymaker – Lost Souls: Devil in Disguise – Lost Souls: Prisonner of Love – Mad Sin: Moonlight Shadows – Mad Sin: Walltown Kid – Razorbacks: Hot rod man – Boozy: Boozy – Los Renegados: Soy un renegado – Cyclone: Bates motel – Cyclone: Cyclone Shock – Nekromantix: Alice in Psycholand – Nekromantix: Motor Psycho – Numbskulls: Psychophobia – Demented Are Go: Anal Wonderland – Dypsomaniaxe: Bad Habit – Coffin Nails: Loose Woman – Skitzo: Empty Room – Spellbound: Legend of the Past

Live at the Big Rumble

Live At The Big Rumble presents some bands recorded live at the 2nd Big Rumble in October 1990. The whole thing is uneven. Nevertheless, it offers some interesting moments.
The Atomics is an American band playing energetic Neo-rockabilly. Although convincing on their albums, their live performance here is quite messy.
The Razorbacks, another group from the United States, play a supercharged cover of Tex Rubinowitz’s classic Hot Rod Man.
Los Renegados mix their Neo-Rockabilly with a touch of Hillbilly for a fairly average result.
Boozy came from Belgium and was one of many bands that seemed more interested in partying than working on songs and recording albums. This is felt in their performance, which is confused and musically poor.
Restless lives up to its reputation. Always professional and at the top musically, the group, then with Steve Whitehouse of Frenzy on double bass, played two perfect versions of New Orleans and Shake Your Money Maker. Faced with such a performance, one can just regret the absence of Long Black Shiny Car or Ice Cold.
The Psychobilly from Lost Souls is fast and powerful. They’re one of the only bands on this compilation to sound better live than on the album.
This is unfortunately not the case with the Cyclone. Both songs are excellent, but the sound is confusing and can’t fully convey the album’s energy. On the contrary, Mad Sin, still a trio at the time, displays impressive energy. Even more impressive, Nekromantix perfectly reproduces the arrangements and the power of two songs from their second album. 
Dypsomaniaxe was formed by four colourful girls with impressive quiffs who played a fast, quite crazy, outrageous, exuberant, and fun Psychobilly. Everything to seduce! I would have easily exchanged half of this album for five or six more tracks of them. 
Much in better shape than on Link’s Live and Rockin’, the Coffin Nails launch into an epic five-minute version of Loose Woman, full of fun and humour.
If Skitzo’s performance is of interest, it is not musical but historical. It was the last concert given at the time by the group. It’s powerful, with a fairly marked Punk influence, although not as noisy as one might fear. However, the whole thing lacks a little accuracy and coherence.
Numbskulls play that brand of Psychobilly with a heavy Punk influence that I’m not too keen on. That said, they play it well.
Demented Are Go are in great shape, as demonstrated by the always very subtle Anal Wonderland. The pleasant surprise comes from Spellbound, whose version of Legend Of the Past is superior to the studio version.
Ultimately, this compilation is a strange catch-all between wild Psychobilly and Neo-Rockabilly, established groups and other more amateur ones, which makes us regret the absence of groups present during this edition (Quakes, Nitros, Polecats).

The Radioactive Kid