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Nitros

Colbert Hamilton & Hellrazors / Nitros

Colbert Hamilton

Colbert Hamilton and the Nitros – Like A Rebel

Migraine Records ‎– MR 45-042
Like A Rebel / Cruel Hearted Girl

Released in 2020, this single (limited to 500 copies on red vinyl) features two songs recorded in 1993 during the Still Taggin’ Along sessions.
If the excellent Cruel Hearted Girl is not new, the A-side, Like A Rebel penned by Hamilton and O’Malley is even better. It’s an outstanding neo-rockabilly number and it seems hard to believe that it didn’t end on the original album.


Colbert Hamilton and the Nitros – Love Or Glory Man

[2013]
Shake Rattle Bump ‘n’ Grind – Falling To Pieces – Roxette – Rehab – Bella Donna – Everybody Loves Me – Life’s A Bitch – Blue – Molly’s Chambers – Love Or Glory Man – I Was The One – I Didn’t See Memphis – Livin’ La Vida Loca – W.M.D.

Colbert Hamilton and the Nitros - Love Or Glory Man
Colbert Hamilton and the Nitros – Love Or Glory Man

It’s good to see Colbert Hamilton team again with John O’Malley and the Nitros (who are for this album Jason King on double bass and Guy Shalom on drums). This is great neo-rockabilly, Hamilton having a perfect voice for that style and O’Malley’s jazzybilly guitar is everywhere. There’s a majority of self-penned tune either by Hamilton or O’Malley that are quite good. I wouldn’t say the same about the covers. “I Was the One” featuring Mark Keeley of Good ROckin’ Tonight on piano is okay but Amy Winehouse’s Rehab, Prince’s Everybody Loves Me or worse Ricky Martin’s Livin La Vida Loca seem very odd choices to me but as I said the originals are good enough and you can skip the covers and have a solid neo-rockabilly album.


Colbert Hamilton and the Nitros – Wild At Heart

Nervous Nerd076 [1994]
Lucille – Wild At Heart – Still Rockin’ After All These Beers – Bad Reputation – Too Late – Boom Boom – Do You Wanna Rock? – Abused By You – High Flyin’ Cat – Boogaville – Pass The Bottle To The Baby – The Boys Are Back In Town – Big In The World – Ninety Nine Girls

colbert hamilton wild at heart

Colbert Hamilton and the Nitros returned in 1994 with Wild At Heart (in the process, Hamilton returned to Nervous records), produced by the mighty Alan Wilson (the Sharks). And believe it or not, this one is even better than its predecessor.
Not only is the sound perfect, but the band and the singer are in top form. Moreover, they expand their musical range. Next to Neo-Rockabilly nuggets on which O’Malley, Taylor and Day show the full extent of their talent underlining Hamilton’s voice, you’ll hear more different tunes. Hence, the listener will find rather unusual covers like a superb reinterpretation of the Reverend Horton Heat’s Bad Reputation, or Thin Lizzy’s the Boys Are Back In Town turned into a magnificent Rockabilly tune (to be honest, the original one begged for this treatment). Also, the band and the singer delve into blues territories with Boom Boom (Little Walter), and Too Late. Both songs feature Detroit Donny on harmonica (who also played on the Frantic Flintstones’ Jamboree). Do You Wanna Rock is a solid mix between modern stuff and Rockabilly, quite similar to what the Rockats achieved with Make That Move. Totally on the other side of the Rock’n’Roll spectrum, Day’s Pass the Bottle is a traditional-sounding Rockabilly with piano and saxophone and plenty of references to Gene Vincent. The piano and the sax return for Boogaville, an instrumental, on which O’Malley’s talent seems to have no limits. Imagine an instrumental penned by Danny Cedrone, Franny Beecher and Mark Harman, and you’ll have a slight idea of the result. As if it wasn’t enough, Big In The World brings a touch of Soul (with hints of Roy Orbison) to this already superb album.
We couldn’t agree more with John O’Malley when he said about Wild At Heart: “I wouldn’t change a thing about that one.”


Colbert Hamilton and the Nitros – Still Tagging Along

Vinyl Japan JRCD05 [1993]
Get out of my sight – Cruel hearted girl – Rollercoaster rock – Gaze into the crystal – Wasn’t that good – Cadillac baby – Dead of night – Black magic – Get you back – New place in town – Stop – Haunted memories

Colbert Hamilton

Recorded in 1992 and released the following year, Still Tagging Along saw Colbert Hamilton teaming with the Nitros (John O’Malley, Rich Taylor and Gary Day).
Get Out Of My Sight, written by Tony Coni (of the Hellrazors), begins with restrained tension before exploding into superb Neo-Rockabilly fireworks. Cruel Hearted Girl is just as excellent but with an emphasis on melody. Rollercoaster Rock is a classic Rock’n’Roll. Gaze Into The Crystal is built around a catchy riff around which O’Malley adds embellishments. The slightly veiled voice adds even more to the mysterious atmosphere of the song. Wasn’t that good is a cover of Wynonie Harris. Without horns, the song takes a more rockabilly turn. Once again, O’Malley’s guitar, combined with Hamilton’s voice, does wonder. Cadillac Baby, written by Hamilton and Coni (probably during the Hellrazors days), ends the first side.
Dead of Night is a Neo-rockabilly masterpiece. It’s one of the very best tunes of the genre. Taylor and Day build a solid rhythm, O’Malley’s guitar keeps the tension before bursting into a hot solo, and Hamilton’s voice is the icing on the cake.
Originally done by Jericho Jones, Black Magic alternates between Diddley-tinged parts and classic Rockabilly. The following three songs, while good, are more average. Get You Back and Stop are not that original in their form and structure, and New Place In Town is slightly too long to convince.
But all that is quickly forgotten with the fantastic jazzy ballad Haunted Memories. Alan Heller adds a second guitar and piano to complete the orchestration. Once again, the rhythm section does a superb job, with Taylor playing with brushes. Hamilton is perfectly at ease as a suave crooner, and O’Malley places subtle accelerations sounding like Django during his electric period, who would have crossed paths with Mark Harman.
Despite two or three more average songs, Still Taggin’ Along is an album that any Neo-Rockabilly lover must have.
The first pressing came out on pink vinyl.


Colbert Hamilton and the Nitros – Cadillac Baby

Vinyl Japan JRT02 [1993]
Cadillac Baby – Silver Bullet – Cruel Hearted Girl – Born To Love One Woman

Released at the same time as the album, this EP is its perfect complement. Cadillac Baby and Cruel Hearted Girl appear on the album. Silver Bullet, a composition by Rich Taylor, the drummer is a superb melodic tune and would have had its place on the album, especially as a replacement for less original songs (New Place In Town for example). Don Johnston’s Born To Love One Woman receives the Hamilton/Nitros treatment and becomes an excellent Neo-Rockabilly. Released in translucent red vinyl.

Colbert Hamilton and the Nitros
Colbert Hamilton and the Nitros (John O’Malley, Rich Taylor, Gary Day)

Colbert Hamilton and the Hellrazors – s/t

Fearless Records – FEAR LP001 [1984]
Wow – Mystery Train – Half-Hearted Women – Women Love – Rock Therapy – Long Blonde Hair – Ice Cold – Long Black Shiny Car – Nervous Breakdown – Love Me – I’m So High – Good Rockin’ Tonight – I’ll Never Let You Go – Don’t Knock Upon My Door – Love Me

Some records are revolutionary, some are very good, and some, despite minor flaws, are like good friends you like to stay with. I consider the debut album of Colbert Hamilton like a good friend.
On one hand, this is an all-cover album (ranging from Gene Vincent to Restless), and the sound is a bit thin concerning the production. On the other hand, Colbert Hamilton has an impressive voice, and the Hellrazors (Toni Coni on guitar, Tony Parkes on slap bass, and Julie Gardner on drums) do a perfect job backing him. The rhythm section is simple yet powerful and effective, with prominent slap bass, and Miss Gardner plays mainly on the snare. It keeps the raw essence of the genre and is ably completed by Coni’s lightly electrified guitar.
All in all, it’s a good album recommended to anyone interested in the British neo-rockabilly sound of the mid-eighties.

Griswalds (the)

The Griswalds – Do The Hucklebuck

Raucous Records – RAUC 005 [1988]
 Do the Hucklebuck – Cry Baby Blues – Robbie Robot – Sweeney Todd 

Griswalds do the hucklebuck

The Griswalds formed around 1987 (maybe late 1986) with Gary Pudney (formerly of the Nitros) on vocals, Clive Howling, a one-time member of the Frantic Flintstones on slap bass, Jason Loadsman on drums and Jason Barnham (ex-Furys) on guitar. 
Howling left shortly before the band recorded its debut EP for Raucous and was replaced by Matt Johnson on electric bass. Though not revolutionary, this four-track EP is quite pleasant. On the A-side, you find a sped-up version of the Hucklebuck (Roy Milton and many others after him) and Cry Baby Blues, a more average rocking tune. The B-side is more interesting with the excellent Robbie Robot, which sounds like a Psychobilly version of Devo and Sweeney Todd. The latter is a lovely ballad, a least musically, with lyrics about the demon barber of Fleet Street.


The Griswalds – Who Framed The Griswalds?

Nervous Records – NERD 047 [1989]
Fright Night – Surfin’ for a Blonde – Dead Time – Happy Hour – Hit Man – Blue Oyster Palace – Who’s Crying’ Now – Stop, Jump About – Rich Bitch – Gay Barndance – Crazy Little Kid – Spasms –  Mean Mother… – Tiger Feet 

the griswalds

After a tour with Torment, Roy Williams offered a recording contract to the Griswalds. When the band entered the studio to record their debut album, Martin Clark (brother of Rob Clark of the Rattlers) and Keith Bailey (ex-Niteshift Trio) had replaced Johnson and Loadsman, respectively.
With fourteen tracks, which is often too long for a Psychobilly album, Who Framed The Griswalds is close to a certain Psychobilly perfection. The band is tight and has developed an excellent and original brand of Psychobilly. 
Many songs have a strong pop edge, some with an interesting and unuasal structure (Who’s Crying Now) and others more threatening, like Fright Night and Hit Man. It culminates with their excellent cover of the Housemartins’ Happy Hour and demonstrates a band who doesn’t satisfy with playing only fast Rockabilly. 
Thus, Crazy Little Kid sounds like a cross between the early Frantic Flintstones and the Long Tall Texans, and Surfin’ For A Blonde sounds like a Psychobilly answer to Danny and the Juniors.

But the Griswalds can also deliver mean Psychobilly tunes with distorted guitar, as demonstrated by Rich Bitch and their cover of Mud’s Tiger Feet. There’s also some jungle beat ala Jungle Rock (Dead Time), a blues tune (Mean Mother… with harmonica) and Gay Barndance, which could be best described as Psycho-Hillbilly.

The Radioactive Kid

Griswalds

Whiskey Jean

Whiskey Jean feat. John O’Malley – My Little Miss

whiskey jean

Malleycat Records [2021]
My Little Miss – You’re my Heaven – Shotgun Daddy – Drink That Whiskey, Drink That Wine

Whiskey Jean is a newcomer on the scene (at least for me). She usually plays with her band, the Chasers, but this E.P. was recorded during the COVID, and John O’Malley (Nitros) played all instruments. All songs are self-penned.
Whiskey Jean has a pretty good voice, and she doesn’t try to copy nor imitate anyone. She sings with her own voice, which is the most important.
My Little Miss is a solid jiver with a solid beat and a tickling piano. You’re My Heaven is a tender ballad with Jordanaires-like backing vocals, and therefore has a strong Elvis/RCA feel. Shotgun Daddy is pure Rockabilly bliss, featuring a powerful slap bass and a mean guitar that sports the distinctive touch of mister O’Malley. Drink That Whiskey, Drink That Wine closes the set on a boppin’ note with once again a superb guitar part from John O’Malley.

Available here.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Gazmen

The Gazmen - Rigormortis Rock
The Gazmen – Rigormortis Rock

The Gazmen – Rigormortis Rock

Vinyl Japan JRT9 [1996]
Western Star [2020]
Rigormortis Rock – Teenage Operation – Kid From Mars – Ace Of Heart

This ep initially came out in 1996. The Gazmen formed around the charismatic personality of Gary “Gaz” Day. Day is known for his collaboration with many influential bands, notably The Frantic Flintstones, The Sharks, The Nitros, The Caravans without forgetting his stint with popstar (and rockabilly aficionado) Morrissey, whose influence can be heard on the last track of this ep. The rest of the band was basically The Sharks with the addition of ex Born Bad and Morrissey’s guitarist, Alain Whyte. They played a traditional brand of psychobilly close to the Sharks (not very surprising) and the early Meteors, Day’s voice reminding the great Nigel Lewis, but with a fuller sound. The song Rigormortis Rock was first released by Alan Wilson (who wrote it ) under the moniker of The Space Cadets (not to be confused with Mouse’s band) around 1984 on the Nervous compilation Hell’s Bent on Rocking. Some of these songs were also part of the set when Gary was in the Sharks. One can hear early versions of Teenage Operation and Kid From Mars on the excellent compilation Rare Psychobilly from the Vaults.
In 2000, the American label Rock-It re-released it on cd.
The vinyl version became an object of collection with both Psychobillies and Morrissey’s fans looking for it.
Western Star has now reissued it on 10” colored vinyl, but don’t wait to buy one it’s a limited edition
Available here.

Nitros (the) – reviews

The Nitros - Nightshades/Stompin' Beat
The Nitros – Nightshades/Stompin’ Beat

The Nitros – Nightshades/Stompin’ Beat

CDM Psycho 78 [2009]
Cat With 9 Lives / Deadly Nightshades / Saigon Baby / Misery / Crazy Crazy Crazy / Medusa / Get Off My Wagon / Well Now Baby / I’m Doing Fine / What’s Gonna Come Of Me / Stompin’ Beat / I’ll Cry Instead / Scrapin’ The Barrel / Crazy Little Thing Called Love / I Ain’t Mad / Gotta Pay / Rockin’ All Night / Dying Day / Devil’s Ship / Swingsville / Running Out Of Time / All I Can Do Is Cry / Midnight Special

This well-deserved reissue gathered the Nitros’ first two albums, only available on vinyl until now.
Tracks one to eight features their debut mini-album released on Link with the first line-up (O’Malley, Swain, Attrill.) It contains excellent modern/neo-rockabilly with powerful slap bass, some blues influences (Well Now Baby), and even a touch of Psychobilly (the dark Misery.) Most of all, this is the instant revelation of a talented guitar player mixing the influences of Cliff Gallup, Mark Harman, Carlo Edwards, and jazz players like Django Reinhardt to create his own style.
The following twelve tracks come from Stompin’ Beat, the band’s second album released on Nervous with Gay Day (Frantic Flintstones) on slap bass and Richie Taylor on drums. It’s another killer release, and though it lacks the freshness of their earlier recordings, it benefits of a tighter and cleaner sound. O’Malley also shows more of his jazz influences with the fantastic Swingville. The covers are very well chosen too, coming from the catalog of Queen (Crazy Little Thing Called Love), the Beatles (I’ll Cry Instead) and the Polecats (Rockin’ All Night.)
The last two tracks are bonus tracks (All I Can Do Is Cry, and the jazzy/Stray Cats influenced Midnight Special) that will be later recorded for their third album.
The booklet features a story of the band (written by yours truly), but more importantly, it also contains a lot of rare and previously not seen pictures of the group.
Too bad that, probably for license reasons, Anagram didn’t include songs like Echoes of Love, Destruction Road, Taxi Cab, Running out of Time, and previously released on compilation albums.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis


The Nitros - Something's Gotta Give!
The Nitros – Something’s Gotta Give!

Rockout NITLP001 [1993]
North’n’South – Love ‘Em ‘N’ Leave ‘Em – Something’s Gotta Give! – One For You – All I Can Do Is Cry – I’ll Get Mine – I Ain’t The Giving Kind – I Won’t Worry Any More – Big Sandy – What It Worth? – I Wrote My Baby A Letter – Midnight Special


The Nitros - North'n'South
The Nitros – North’n’South

Rockout NITEP001 [1993]
North ‘n’ South – I’ll Get Mine – Wrote My Baby A Letter – Midnight Special


The Nitros - Stompin' Beat
The Nitros – Stompin’ Beat

The Nitros – Stompin’ Beat

Nervous NERD 049 [1990]
I’m Doing Fine – What’s Gonna Come Of Me – Stompin’ Beat – I’ll Cry Instead – Scrapin’ The Barrel – Crazy Little Thing Called Love – I Ain’t Mad – Gotta Pay – Rockin’ All Night – Dying Day – Devil’s Ship – Swingsville

See review of the cd release.


The Nitros - Nightshades
The Nitros – Nightshades

The Nitros – Nightshades

Link LINK MLP 062 [1988]
Cat With 9 Lives – Deadly Nightshades – Saigon Baby – Misery – Crazy Crazy Crazy – Medusa – Get Off My Wagon – Well Now Baby

See review of the cd release.

Rockout records

Rockout records

Rockout records was a Rockabilly and Psychobilly label formed by Gary “Gaz” Day, bass player for the Gazmen, the Frantic Flintstones, the Nitros, and Morrissey.

Rockout records

7″

  • The Nitros – North´n´South – NITEP001 [1993]

10″ LP

12″ LP’s

  • The Nitros – Something’s Gotta Give – NITLP001 [1993]
  • Paul Ansell’s Number Nine – Number Nine – NIT LP 002 [1993]
  • Frantic Flintstones – Ravin’ With The Lunatics – NIT LP 003 [1993]
  • The Caravans – Straightside – NITLP 004 [1993]
  • Carlos And The Playboys – Girls On The Loose – NITLP005 [1994]

CD’s

  • The Nitros – Something’s Gotta Give – NITCD001 [1993]
  • Blue Rhythm Boys – That ´Ol Blue Magic – NITCD 006 [1994]