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old-school psychobilly

Skrunch (the)

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skrunch

Skrunch (the) – S/T

Tombstone records TOMB-DISC 672 [1989]
The Skunch – Watch Out! – Beez – In The Desert – I’m A Rocket – Small Town Stomp – Staze – The Big One – The Dream – When My Baby Left Me – Morning Fever – Rebel Rebel – True – Breakaway

Skrunch (the) – Smelly Sally

KIX 4u 3360 [1991]
Teflon Shake – Wild One – Herman the Sperm – Sorry – Intro – Raving Antstits – Gotta Geck Back – Lady Ghost Lover – Blue Suede Shoes – Smelly Sally – Caveman – Cadillac – Get Yourself Together – She’s Nice

The Skrunch
smelly sally

The Skrunch was a Dutch Psychobilly band formed in 1987 by Patrick Sturm (double bass and vocals), Daniel Nicolas (guitar), and Chris (drums). They disbanded in 1991. During their short career, the trio released two albums. They probably had no bigger ambition than having fun together. Hence, they sound more like a bunch of friends having a good time than a band that wants to create good music. As a result, Skrunch had little to offer. Their original songs were, at best, average, and their covers were barely recognizable (special mention to their horrible version of Breakaway). They were far from being accomplished musicians, and the sound is untidy. The poor production didn’t help either, especially on the first one. Smelly Sally, the second album, showed some improvement, but 14 songs are way too much for a band like this.

The Radioactive Kid

Slapping Suspenders

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Slapping Suspenders – Blood Sucking Freaks

Count Orlok Music – R.O.C.K. X [1990]
Bloodsucking Freaks – Swad Clodhopper – Highlander – End Of The Endless Sleep – Handsome Molly – Fat Slags – Terminator – Duke’s Gonna Be Alright – Chainsaw Peck – All You Need Is A Fist – Night In Whitechapel – Billy The Kid – Hillbilly Freak – Nude Girl – Shobido

slapping suspenders

Slapping Suspenders was a Swedish Psychobilly trio consisting of Thomas Schuldt (double bass and vocals), Johan Wallgren (guitar), and Michael Halonen (drums).
Their debut album, Blood Sucking Freaks, issued on Count Orlock records, is fast, annoying, and above all, very repetitive Psychobilly. The group has no fresh ideas, and their music has very little variation. The tempos and melodies are almost always the same, and the scratchy vocals are similar on all the tracks. They make a few attempts at a bawdy hillbilly style, but these are not very successful, and the same can be said about their cover of The Jungle Book (I Wanna Be Like You).
After listening to this record, it becomes quickly evident that it is not a masterpiece, and the fifteen tracks seem very long. The group also appears to lack musical cohesion. While the double bassist manages to do well, the drummer sometimes struggles to keep the rhythm, and the guitarist seems to have the skill level of an amateurish punk group.
The best thing you can do with this album is to store it next to Captain Coma and quickly forget about it.

Slapping Suspenders – The Good, The Bad And The Keeper Of The Seven Waffles

Count Orlok Music – C.O.C.K. XIV [1992]
1000 Ways To Suicide – Whos Dead? – Oh Darling – Ghostriders In The Sky – Sandy – Midnight Hour – Barfin All Night – Piece Of Dead Meat – Send The Hippo To The Gallows – Magnum 44 – Hedgehog – Rip It Up – Rubber Girls – Spanking – Love Is For Fools – Revenge Of The Mad Cow – Shobido

slapping suspenders

The Slapping Suspenders show no significant progress since their first album. Even if the group is more musically diverse, incorporating different tempos and styles into their songs, this album contains seventeen songs, which is way too long for a group of their level.
Additionally, the group’s bawdy side, as heard in their version of “Rip It Up,” may become tiresome rather quickly.

Chicken Jump Skips

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Chicken Jump Skips – Fly Back!!!

Thousands Records – 1000CD-047 [2024]
Honey Hush – Battle Back – Live Wire – Mess Around – Go Heavean – Jailhouse Rock – Mad Stone – Your Wildcat Ways – Saddle Soap

Chicken Jump Skips

Chicken Jump Skips is a band with origins dating back to 1991. Over the years, it has evolved to its current lineup. The band’s first album, released in 2016, demonstrated their talent with an impressive rendition of “Sing Sing Sing.” Now, in 2024, they are back with their second album, which primarily features cover songs. Despite the potential difficulties that come with covering other artists’ work, Chicken Jump Skips’ creativity and skill shine.
The album begins with a strong version of “Honey Hush,” a cover that is certain to capture your attention. Imagine Johnny Burnette’s rendition, but performed at a thrilling 78 rpm, complete with a powerful double bass that will resonate through your surroundings. In just a minute and thirty seconds, the band leaves a lasting impression.
The next track, “Battle Back,” doesn’t skimp on the double bass. It has a perfect melody and a very good structure, alternating between slow and fast parts. A short, original guitar solo brightens up the whole song. Psychobilly is a genre known for mixing with Metal (with various degrees of success). Among the successes is the excellent cover of “Ace Of Spades” by Batmobile. Now we have to consider Chicken Jump Skips’ version of Mötley Crüe’s “Live Wire,” which sets the bar very high and is on par with Batmobile. They manage to maintain the energy of the original track and its characteristic breaks while infusing their own Psychobilly touch. Once again, we can’t help but notice the enormous work of the rhythm section.
We continue with another successful cover with “Mess Around” (Ray Charles), which, in the expert hands of the trio, becomes a clever mix between Ska and Psychobilly with a frantic voice. One of the group’s great qualities is that, although they often play at tempos that would make Chuck Yeager blush, they always remain very melodic, as “Go Heaven” proves. At times, we would be tempted to compare them to Batmobile; this is particularly obvious when we listen to their version of Jailhouse Rock, which copies the melody of its verses from “Bambooland” (and given the result, it is an excellent idea!). “Mad Stone” alternates wild parts with more pop moments. “Your Wildcat Ways” should irritate many a Rockabilly purist, but how good does it feel to hear a band having fun and playing without worrying about anything other than having a good time.
“Saddle Soap” (released in 1985 on the Roughnecks’ first EP) ends the album on a melodious, more Rockabilly note, and it is just as successful.
Furthermore, Chicken Jump Skips has the excellent idea of ​​making a short album (nine tracks and less than 22 minutes), which avoids any attempt at filler and leaves the listener breathless and asking for more (which is always a good sign).

Fred ”Virgil” Turgis

Demented Are Go

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demented are go

Demented Are Go – Demented Are Go Present… The Demon Teds – The Day The Earth Spat Blood

Link Records LINK MLP 084
Country Woman – Brain Damaged Chile (Slight Retard) – One Sharp Knife – Flight 103 – Termite Man -Skitzoid Brain – Now She’s Dead (Warp Mix) Life’s A Bitch/Demon Ted Boogie/Now She’s Dead

demented are go

In 1989, Mark Phillips decided to revive Demented Are Go, which had broken up some time before due to the departure of Lex Luther followed by the double bassist. Faithful Ant Thomas (drums) and Simon Cohen (violin) returned, and the lineup was completed by Billy Favata (double bass) and Mike Pannell (guitar), both from the Court Jesters. The group was quickly offered the opportunity to record an album by Link Records. Despite not having any songs ready and without having rehearsed, Demented Are Go entered the studio to record what would become “Demon Teds… The Day The Earth Spat Blood.” Considering the large quantity of alcohol (and likely other substances) consumed, it’s quite surprising that Link Records was able to release an album at the end of the recording session.
The album includes several filler tracks such as Flight 103, Termite Man, and Life’s A Bitch, which quickly turn into aimless guitar demonstrations with a poor metal sound that borders on bad taste. These are interspersed with various noises and effects seemingly for no reason other than to fill up time. Despite this, there are still some good tracks on this record. When Demented Are Go are at their best, they are truly impressive. With Country Woman, the band creates a new genre that blends country music and Psychobilly with a wild and frantic violin and jaw harp. With its intro that sounds lile a zombie version of the Beach Boys, Brain Damaged Chile is a pure blast of madness, and One Sharp Knife is one of the group’s best songs. This version has a much heavier sound than the first version that appeared on Hell’s Bent On Rockin’! in 1985. Both versions are excellent, but I have a soft spot for the first, which is scarier. Skitzoid Brain is also a good song that captures the band’s signature Psychobilly sound.
It’s unfortunate that the mediocre songs drown out the good ones because these four tracks could have made for a great EP.

The Radioactive Kid

Spook and the Ghouls

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Spook and the Ghouls – Whitechapel Murders

Nervous Records – NERD 043 [1988]
Reaper Grim – Demon Barber On Fleet Street – Vampira – Nightmares From Beyond – Love Me So – Let ‘Em Swing – Twisted Kind – Gallows Are Awaiting – Werewolf In Our Town – Dead Flesh Creeping – Bela Lugosi’s Dead – Live And Raw – Death Ride – Rocker

Spook and the Ghouls

Spook and the Ghouls formed in the mid-1980s with Simon Badminton (vocals and double bass), Dave Kingdon (guitar), and Vic Greener (drums). The band’s outrageous makeup on the album cover tends to make them lose credibility. But it would be a shame to stop at this first sight because you would be missing out on an original group that stood out in the Psychobilly landscape of the second half of the 1980s.

Spook and the Ghouls develop a highly original style that is dark, grim, and very gloomy—in other words, gothic—but always melodic and in which the Rockabilly base remains very present.

The group’s success lies in their unique approach. Their music is not about being loud or aggressive. It’s about creating an unsettling, even oppressive atmosphere as if the singer is whispering a story directly into your ears. This aesthetic is perfectly captured in their cover of Bauhaus’s ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead ‘. The guitar work is a journey through various sounds and textures, from rock’n’roll to garage (Vampira), with detours into Surf and Metal (Nightmares from Beyond). The few Rockabilly tunes, lighter and bouncy, may seem out of place, but they are surprisingly effective.

Ultimately, when the trio plays a more classic and predictable Psychobilly, it loses its personality and is less convincing (like on their cover of AC/DC’s Rocker). Fortunately, there are very few.

If you’ve only skimmed through this record or are open to discovering a different album, I urge you to give this hard-to-pigeonhole record a thorough listen. You might just find yourself drawn into the unique world of Spook and the Ghouls.

The Radioactive Kid

The Graveyard Mutants

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The Graveyard Mutants – Afterlife Love Machine

Crazy Love Records CLEP64518
Afterlife Love Machine – Bloodlust / Puzzle Girl – The Witch

graveyard mutants

The Graveyard Mutants are a new trio from Spain. But if the band is new, the musicians are well-known names in the Spanish Rockabilly/Psychobilly and Punk scene.
David (lead vocals and double bass) previously slapped his bass in the Calamitiez and, before that, Smell of Kat. Julio (guitar) also played in the Calamitez, and Miguel drummed for various Punk bands.
Their new venture is one of the best Psychobilly releases I’ve heard in years, along with the Rusty Robots and the Nevrotix. But since the genre has seen many evolutions since its creation, and sometimes not for the best, and to avoid confusion, the term early-Psychobilly would be more appropriate (I also thought about borrowing the term Mutant Rock to Paul Fenech). There’s no trace of Metal or Punk in their music, despite the pedigree of some band members. The Graveyard Mutants play their own style of unhealthy Neo-Rockabilly, dealing with weird themes. But don’t think they’re a retro-sounding band trying to imitate what has been done 30 years ago. Even though you could take one of their songs and include it on any compilation album from the 80s without anyone noticing it, their EP, consisting of four self-penned tracks, manages to be, at the same time, a record that unmistakably sounds like a release from 2023. In other words, their music is timeless. That’s a prowess not given to anybody.

Let’s talk a bit about the music in detail. First, if you expect fast tunes, you will be disappointed. The band is clever enough to know that a song, especially a spooky one, needs breath to create an atmosphere. The four songs here are all mid-paced, some even with a slight country beat. The musicianship is also top-notch. I guess you can’t beat experience. David’s bass and Miguel’s drums work well together, blending to create a perfect rhythm section. Too often, the drums are poorly played and just here to give the tempo, or the band thinks that they have to put the bass and especially the slap to the fore, destabilising the ensemble’s sound. Not here. Then you have an excellent guitar player playing with a clean sound who favours fast licks instead of powerful chords. Then those licks explode into hot solos that are always inventive. Woah! With such a setting, David just has to add his confident and powerful voice, though he never shouts or screams, to these four excellent mutant gems.
Icing on the cake, Crazy Love released it in five different colours (black, green, yellow, red, mixed colors and white).

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

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