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psychobilly - Page 15

Scam

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Scam - Gamblin fever
Scam – Gamblin fever

Scam – Gamblin’ Fever

Count Orlock
Pirates And Thieves – Captain Caveman – Magic Bus – Searching -. Hangover – Nutcrackers – Island Of Rock -. Somebody Tell Me – Losing Touch – Gamblin’ Fever – Dr. No – Ready, Willing And Able
Scam released their debut album on Count Orlock in 1988, this first album is very representative of the sound of the day. Light drums, slap bass and a clean electric guitar, influenced by Restless and fellow Dutchmen Batmobile. The sound is good (Johnny Z. produces. Any link to Johnny Zuidhof from Batmobile?) but could be a bit “fuller”. They have good original songs (Hangover, Captain Caveman, Ready Willing & Able) but the long distance (12 songs) tends to disadvantage the band and the album sounds a bit repetitive, they could have reduced it to eight solid songs. They also cover the Who’s Magic Bus,a band previously covered on the Juvenile Delinquents album (My Generation). I’m not sure sure it’s been reissued on cd, so try to grab a vinyl copy on ebay.

Scam - Infant Years
Scam – Infant Years

Scam – Infant Years

Tombstone
Haunted House – Death Train – Can I Get A Witness – Cry Out – I Can’t See – The Eyes – Boogie Disease
Despite an ugly cover, this mini lp, recorded in 1989, shows an improvement from the first album. If there’s not a big departure in term of sound but the band is tighter and the songs less repetitive.

 

Scam - A million dollar scam
Scam – A million dollar scam

Scam – A Million Dollar Scam

Rockhouse
The getaway – Dead and gone – Cold as ice – Where did I go wrong – Stop bugging me – I’m going crazy – Hang ’em high – Stop that gorilla – You can’t trick me – Goodbye so long – Which way now – Devil’s music – It ain’t right – Bloodbrothers – Trouble tonight – Loved that woman – Drink that bottle down – Candy man
Released in 1991, this album (their third after Gamblin Fever and Infant Years) marks a new step for the band. To their usual brand of light psychobilly/neo-rockabilly, they add a good dose of rockin’ blues with blues harp, saxophone and slide guitar. The set is varied and the song inspired. A guest singer is present on a couple of songs and brings a bit of diversity. A good album that shows the evolution and the maturity of the band. Reissued on cd with four bonus tracks.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Jekills

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The Jekills - The Jekills
The Jekills – The Jekills

The Jekills – s/t

Tombstone [1989]
Aston – Nobody In The Street – Marilyn Monroe – Gladiators – The Girl Is Mine – You’ll Be A Priest – Psycho Beat – Dr Jekills – Ballade Du Chomeur
A short lp that is the only testament of the short career of this Belgian psychobilly band that had a bright future in front of them. They started in the mid 80’s under the name of Riot Guns and evolved into The Jekills. They never ceased to progress until the death of Sergio their bass player that marked the end of the band. Released in the late 1989, this self titled album quickly sold out its initial pressing of 1000 copies and was re-released by Tombstone. The band is clearly influenced by Batmobile both for the music and the voice but with enough personnality. The album is not flawless far from it. The sound is a bit thin at places, it’s not always in tune and there’s a couple of filler, for example “Marilyn Monroe” x-rated tribute to the famous actress (“I’d like to f*** her” doesn’t represent what I consider to be great lyrics). But at least half of the songs are very goog uptempo psychobilly numbers with good slap-bass including Nobody’s in the street, Girl is Mine and la Ballade du Chomeur that reminds of Los Carayos.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Mad Sin

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Mad Sin - Amphigory
Mad Sin - Break the Rules
Mad Sin – Break the Rules

Mad Sin – Break the Rules

Maybe Crazy Records MYCD009 [1992]
Intro – Deep Black zone – Where Will It Go (Dub version) – No More – Fight Back – Sick World – All Hell Breaks Loose – Run To Live – Dirty Lies – Killer – No Mercy – Born Bad – She’s The One – Time Warp – Steal Machine – Where Will It Go

With Break the Rules, Mad Sin return to Maybe Crazy but instead of returning to the sound of their first albums, they pursue in the way that was announced by Amphigory. A full drummer had been added to the trio and Koefte can now fully concentrates on the vocals. the sound is heavier, punkier (they cover the Ramones She’s the One) and they regularly flirt with bad taste, especially on Dirty Lies, a slow that even Scorpions wouldn’t want on their most obscure b-side.

Mad Sin - Amphigory
Mad Sin – Amphigory

Mad Sin – Amphigory

Fury F 3019 [1991]
Intro ~ Amphigory ~ Eat Yourself ~ Body Snatchers ~ Alien Bug ~ Buried Alive ~ Vampire Slut ~ 1999 ~ Paranoid Brains ~ Your Death Is My Delight ~ Tornado ~ You Better Run ~ Rockin’ Bones ~ Human Fly ~ You Better Run #2 ~ Mind Blow
Third album and last one featuring the original trio with Koefte on drums. They still play their own brand of fast psychobilly, but with a heavier and punkier sound than their first two releases. It could have worked well if the production hadn’t buried everything. One can barely distinguish the instruments from the voice. Too bad, cause some songs like Amphigory or Your Death Is My Delight are as good as anything you can find on Distorded Dimensions. The cd reissue contains bonus tracks that were not on the original vinyl release.
The Radioactive Kid

Mad Sin - Distorted Dimensions
Mad Sin – Distorted Dimensions

Mad Sin – Distorted Dimensions

Maybe Crazy Records MYCD006 [1990]
Wicked Witch – Indestructible man – The Walltown – It Bites – Petrol Lunatic – Hammer beatin’ Boogie – No escape – Moonlight shadows – Watch out – Mad Man rock – Chainsaw cannibals – Fashion train

More or less the same sound than their debut album but a little less percussive due to the songs. If there’s good tunes like Wicked Witch or Moonlight Shadows, none are as good as Straight to Hell, Planet Paradise or Brainstorm. Anyway it remains a good album that can buy with confidence.

 

Mad Sin - Chills and Thrills in a Drama of Mad Sin and Mystery
Mad Sin – Chills and Thrills in a Drama of Mad Sin and Mystery

Mad Sin – Chills and Thrills in a Drama of Mad Sin and Mystery

Maybe Crazy Records MYCD004 [1988]
Acid Train – Brainstorm – Buddy’s Riot – Straight to Hell – Planet Paradise – Mad Rumble – 2,3,4 – Shake the thing – Day of the Merge Souls – Gonna get her – Sell your soul – Whirl girl – Blind spot* (*cd only)

Essential debut album from this German trio (the singer sings and plays drums). They kept the rockabilly and early psychobilly influences (from the Sharks, the Deltas and the early Meteors) but bring something new to the mix with Koefte’s crazy and manic voice and original songs. This album is definitely one to have in any decent psychobilly collection.

 

 

Tremors (the)

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invasioncoverThe Tremors – Invasion Of The Saucermen

Brain Drain Records – BD08
World War III Boogie – Invasion Of The Saucermen – Somatose – Idle Hands – Atomic Jesus – Jungle Fever – (I Ain’t No) Two Timin’ Man – Devil’s Eyes – Workin’ Overtime – Treat Me Right – The State Patrol – Shakin’ From Seizures – Late Night Drive-In Monster Show – The Crawdad Song
How can I resist a band that shares its name with one of my favourite movie (yes I admit I love “arty” movies ahahaha), an attractive 3D designed cover (glasses included) and songs called “Invasion Of The Saucermen”, “Atomic Jesus” and “World War III Boogie”? I simply just can’t. The album opens with an instrumental and then you’re bound to a journey through this trio’s own brand of traditional (Idle Hands, Kenny Parchman’s Treat Me Right), fast (Somatose) and super-fast rockabilly (Atomic Jesus) with predominant slap bass. “Late Night Drive-In Monster Show” has a tempo similar to the “Munster Theme” and could be coined as psychobilly while Two Timin’ Man is their own vision of a hillbilly tune. Apart of “Treat Me Right” the other covers are Charlie Feather’s Jungle Fever (great haunting jungle beat) and the traditional “The Crawdad Song” which receives the Tremors treatment : fast, raw and wild. Fourteen songs in thirty minutes (almost half of the songs are under the two minute mark), no time to loose and everything is said.

tremors_demon_boogieThe Tremors – Demon Boogie Fever

LOVE ME – SCREAMIN’ MIMI – BIG CITY – BLUE MOON WOMAN – ROCK BOPPIN’ BABY – YOUR WICKED HEART – HI-FI ROCK ‘N’ ROLL – FUSS & FIGHT – BLACK CAT BLUES – ROCKIN’ BONES – SWEET LOVIN’ MAN – DEMON BOOGIE FEVER – I GOT IT
The first thing that caught my eyes after the cover and the digipack (both nice) is: 13 songs for 25 minutes. Woah! It’s gonna be a hell of a ride. And during this 25 minutes (including 8 originals and 5 covers) you’re going to be exposed to fast paced and high octane rockabilly with strong double bass (Powerful guitar voice and drums too). But they always keep things enjoyable (like the Ramones they are speed but never TOO speed) and… rockabilly. I mean they never fell in the cliché of Punkabilly or bad Psychobilly though some songs actually deals with Psychobilly like Demon Boogie Fever. And as the cover design shows, their rural roots are never far away. It leaves you breathless but you should like this sensation.
Buy it at http://www.tremorsrockabilly.com/home.html.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Rantanplan

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Rantanplan - Two Worlds At Once

rantanplan_two_worlds_at_once_cdRantanplan – Two Worlds At Once

Link Records / Anagram  [1990]
Rantanplan ~ Watch Me Goin’ Off ~ Unknown Girl ~ Go Out Cherie ~ Bad Games ~ Container Love ~ Chinese Boy ~ Liberty Baby ~ Riding To Nowhere ~ My Bed Is Too Small ~ Inspite Of No Feet ~ Bikini Girls With Machine Guns.
Rantanplan, whose name comes from a famous French comic strip character,  never claimed to have big ambitions and played mostly for fun (and I suspect for free booze too). However they managed to have one album out on Link in the Chuck Flintstone serie which is reissued now on Anagram/Cherry Red.
This album is very representative of the psychobilly sound one could hear in the second half of the 80’s with a light sound (here, very light due to the thin production) and the slap bass to the fore. The result is neither good nor bad, it’s just average. It’s mainly due to the production, the lack of a good guitar player able to play solos and original numbers that are not very… originals. The booklet contains detailed liner notes with a history of the band. .

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

X-Invaders

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x-invaders
x-invaders – Storm boys

X-Invaders – Storm Boys

Pinner Records 201
Storm Boys – Lover Boys

Shrillish guitar, sparse drums, fast slap bass and high pitch vocals: every ingredient for a 80’s neo-rockabilly/early psychobilly single are here. Storm Boys is more interesting and original than the b-side which is just “another” fast tune.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

X-invaders
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