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Lil Mo and the Unholy 4

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Lil Mo and the Unholy 4
Lil Mo and the Unholy 4
Lil Mo and the Unholy 4

Lil Mo and the Unholy 4 – The Big Payoff!

Rhythm Bomb RBR5911 {2015}
Jake Leg – Big Doow – Cry Lil Girl – Sally Forth – My Search – Dig Boy – I Hear You Knockin’ – Easy Does It – Numbers Not Names – Livin’ Some Before I Die – Slippin’ In – Tornado

If you already know the excellent Doo Wop band Lil Mo and the Dynaflos, Lil Mo and the Unholy 4 is their lead singer’s rockin’ side.
Or to put it in a different manner, the Dynaflos are his Jekyll’s side, Lil Mo while the Unholy 4 let his Mister Hyde speak (and if you’ve heard their cover of Save It released in 2013 you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about!).
But I forget to tell you about the essential: Morris “Lil Mo” Everett has to be one the best singer to appear on the rockin’ scene in the last, say, ten years (at least!). His voice is not only good, expressive and powerful, not only can he sings in tune (don’t laugh this is not that frequent) but his tone has to be one of the most original today, the kind you immediatly recognize. It’s so good to hear someone who doesn’t try to imitate the singers of the fifties and comes with his own personnality.
The band is equally good: Mike Sobieski palys guitar (and what guitar,: clean, sharp, rockin’), on bass you have Randy Stanton who played with Marcel Riesco in Truly Lover Trio like the band’s drummer Ricky Mc Cann formerly of the Playboys and who is now part of Big Sandy’s Fly Rite Boys.

Lil’ Mo and the band penned three songs (Jake Legs, Sally Forth and Numbers Not Names) and the remaining songs are covers ranging from well known material to Rockabilly fans (Slippin’ In, Tornado) to lesser known stuff, all played with the band’s trademark sound that make them sound like originals (like the Rimshots did in their time, I know this is not the only example but it sure is one of the best!).
In the end you have one hell of a hot platter made of hot Rockabilly, wild rock’n’roll, swamp blues (they cover Lazy Lester’s I Hear You Knockin’) and a bit of country swing with an awesome cover of Faron Young’s Livin’ Some Before I Die, filled with energy and a feel of emergency and tension that is essential to this music.

No information could be found on the cover about the studio and/or the producer/recording engineer so I don’t know who I have to thank for making such a good sound. And if I say it’is clean and crisp don’t misunderstand me, I don’t mean TOO clean, I mean clean like Big Sandy’s On The Go or anything recorded in a good studio in the fifties (too many believe that to sound “authentic”, a Rockabilly album has to sound muddy and dirty, but Lil Mo and the Unholy 4 don’t fall on that trap!)

I’m going to grab as soon as I can a copy of their previous album, Rapture and will eagerly wait for the next one.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

V/A – The Northwood Story

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the Northwood Story
the Northwood Story
the Northwood Story

The Northwood Story

NVCDCOMP 3
Red Hot ‘n’ Blue – Sure Like The Look In Your Eyes / Riverside Trio – Forty Miles Away / Lazy Farm Boys – Jack Rabbit / Sure Shots – Fire Engine Baby / Lone Stars – Lonely Town / Rochee & The Sarnos – Woman Eater / Blue Rhythm Boys – That Don’t Move Me (Alternate Take) / Slingshots – Hay Rig Ride / Fireball XL5 – Walking On The Edge Of Midnight / Red Hot ‘n’ Blue – Caldonia / 4 Blazes – Buck Dance Rhythm / Peter Davenport & the Roof Raisers – Bop A Du Bop A Du Bop / Riverside Trio – Dopey Frutti / Slingshots – That Chick’s Too Young To Fry / Sprites – B-I-Bickey-Bi Bo Bo Bo / Fireball XL5 – Blues Don’t Go / Blue Rhythm Boys – Rollin’ And Tumblin’ / Red Hot ‘n’ Blue – Move Baby Move / Riverside Trio – You Lied All Through The Night / Crawdads – Don’t Let Religion Fool Ya

Northwood was one the most exciting label of the mid 80’s, aiming at an “authenthic” sound before the term was coined by so-called purists. This collection gathers 20 songs, including 18 never issued before.
Red Hot’n’Blue are featured here with three songs. Sure Like The Look In Your Eyes is a re-cut of their great blues bopper with a different line-up and a fuller sound. Louis Jordan’s Caldonia is a track that didn’t make it on the album and was scheduled for a 7″. They give it a real jazz treatment by merging it with Babs Gonzales/Dizzy Gillespie’s Oop pop a da. Superb solos from every band members. The third song is a live take of Dick Penner’s Move Baby Move.
The Riverside Trio was the other great name of the label and the other band to have a full lp. Included here are two hillbilly boppers (one from their early demo and a studio outtake from their debut album) and a new version of Doppey Frutti, probably recorded to be released as a 7″.
The Blue Rhythm Boys were another great band on Northwood. Too bad there wasn’t more unissued stuff. Rollin’ & Tumblin’ comes from their 7″ and That Don’t Move Me is an alternate take of the Carl Perkins cover also present on their debut 45rpm, though this take is a lot wilder.
The Sprites (featuring Pascal Guimbard who later played with Red Hot’n’Blue) were a French band playing Gene Vincent inspired stuff. They had two songs on Big Noise from Northwood. Their cover of Vincent’s B-I-Bickey-Bi sounds exactly like the Screaming Kids.
Another promising act was the Slingshots, who were also on Big Noise. They played Rockabilly with a strong rural feel, and released their debut album more than ten years later after their debut on wax. The Crawdads who have one song here followed a similar path by releasing their debut album “On A Platter” in the early 90’s.
The Sureshots became very popular on the scene, they were and still are a solid live band and released some great albums too. Their cover of the Jiv-A-Tones‘Fire Engine Baby was released on a French ep with the French band the Jokers. This is an alternate take.
The Lonestars later evolved into Howlin’ Wilf’s Vee jays. They played rockin’ blues with a touch of jazz. With the two songs featured on the James Dean of the Dole Queue sampler Lonely Town is to my knowledge their only release.
The Four Blazes featured Pat Reyford and have one song here, a hillbilly rendition of Slim Gaillard’s Buck Dance Rhythm.
Peter Davenport is famous for his association with the Stargazers. The Roofraisers were his first post Gazers venture and featured Jacko Buddin on vocals. Bop A Du Bop A Du Bop is one of the two songs that first appeared on Big Noise From Northwood. Great Bill Haley/Jodimars inspired stuff.
This compilation also proposes an unissued songs from Rochee & the Sarnos (Woman Eater) and two songs by Fireball XL5.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Rusti Steel

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Rusti Steel & the Startones - Gone With The Wind
Rusti Steel & the Startones - Gone With The Wind
Rusti Steel & the Startones – Gone With The Wind

Rusti Steel & the Startones – Gone With The Wind

Western Star Records WSRC 041 [2010]
Gone With The Wind – Gone With The Wind – Missing You Blues – Can’t Go Out – Hopin’ For The Best – Baby You Doin’ Me Wrong – A Lovers Question – Lucky Guy – Speed Crazy Baby – Slow Down Suzie – I’ll Do Anything For You – Please Baby Please Be Mine – Whirl – Share Your Life With Me – Wedding Bells Ring – I Can’t Hide

Rusti Steel & the Startone are a rockabilly country boogie band featuring guitar, bass, drums, pumpin’ piano and occasionnal steel guitar. Rusti is not really a newcomer having released rockin’ albums since the mid 80’s. And though it sounds a bit cliche, I have to say that Gone With The Wind is by far his best. With 15 songs and only one cover it’s a killer.

It opens with the Bill Haley & the Saddlemen sound of the title track: propulsive beat on the bass and drums, powerful piano and agressive steel guitar. Next is Missin’ You Blues that owes more to Elvis circa 1956, with Alan Wilson providing back up vocals for a full Jordanaires effect. Double bass player Stewart Dale wrote the Burnette inspired Can’t Go Out, a perfect number though I waited until the end, hoping to hear at least of them scream. The country boogie of Hopin’ For The Best is the good occasion to put the piano to the front. But no time to loose and back to good ol’ rockabilly ala Baby Let’s Play House with Baby You Doin’ Me Wrong followed by the sole cover of the album: Clyde McPhatter’s Lover’s Question.Lucky Guy is a piano led rockabilly with a Danny Cedrone solo in the middle. Speed Crazy Baby is halway between Just Because and Maybellene. Stewart Dale sings Slow Down suzie his second contribution to the album and a good rocker. After a couple more rockabilly numbers the album closes on a high note with I Can’t Hide, a mean rockin’ numbers ala Gene Maltais’Raging Sea.It’s a western Star release so expect top notch production and recording work and special mention to Chris Wilkinson (Bonneville Barons) for the superbly designed cover and booklet.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Honky Tonk Pounders

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Honky Tonk Pounders - Devil Bop
Honky Tonk Pounders - Devil Bop
Honky Tonk Pounders – Devil Bop

Honky Tonk Pounders – Devil Bop

Part Records PART-CD 641 002 [2010]
Devil Bop – Sea Of Tears – Bad Hair Boogie – Lovesick Fool – Freight Train Running – Hot Rod – I Know That You Love me – Boom Boom – let’s Get Rockin’ – You’re The One – Righttime To Rock – Rockabilly Pearl – Bad Luck – 6th Street Rumble – Sweet Innocent.

The Honky Tonk Pounders are a German rockabilly trio featuring Gunnar Fick of the Ringlets Trio. They formed in 1996 but this is only their second release, so you can see this guys take their time when it comes to go into the studio. Actually only five songs are totally new. Ten of the fifteen songs here have already appeared on a 10” mini album but it’s good to have them on cd format. The result is a solid set of 15 originals with varied styles. The backbone of this collection is made of wild and mean rockabilly (Devil Bop, Rockabilly Pearl), with some country ballads (Sea Of Tears and You’re The One with a steel), Gene Vincent styled rockabilly (Hot Rod), neo Rockabilly that takes you back to the Ringlets Trio days (Boom Boom), boogie (Bad Hair Boogie that features a piano), blues (6th Street Rumble).
The Honky Tonk Pounders influences comes from the classic rockabilly masters (Burnette, Perkins) as well as today’s bands : Freight train Running shares a similar riff to Deke Dickerson’s Wear Out The Sole Of My Shoes, I Know That You Love Me strongly made me think of Big Sandy’s Thru Dreamin’ and you can hear a Derailers influence in Bad Luck.
Fick whose prowess on the slap bass with the Ringlets Trio never ceased to amaze, proves he’s also a very good guitar player and the other two members provide a strong rhythm.
All of these contribute to make a highly enjoyable album.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Peter Baylor

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Peter Baylor - I Hear The Road
Peter Baylor - I Hear The Road
Peter Baylor – I Hear The Road

Peter Baylor – I Hear The Road

Preston PEP5100
Roadhouse Romeo – If That’s Not Wrong, It Must Be Right – I’ve Got Troubles On My Mind – All Night Long – Tarcutta – I’m Going To See My Baby – I Hear The Road – When Grandma Got High – Two Hearts – My Baby Was Born To Rock – Strange Boogie – Don’t Mind Me When I Cry – I’m Going To Move To The Country – Hillbilly Rhythm
If the name of Peter Baylor is not familiar to you, you have probably heard his guitar before. He played with bands like The Dancehall Racketeers, The Starliners and the Flatfoot Shakers. You can hear him on Deke Dickerson’s ep “Deke’s Down Under” recorded during his tour of Australia. This is his first album under his name but he’s playing for more than 20 years now.
The album opens with the infectious rhythm of “Roadhouse Rodeo” with amazing guitar work, and superb bass and drums. “I’ve Got Troubles On My Mind” is another uptempo hillbilly jazz tune featuring a Jimmy Bryant type of solo from Peter.
There’s also a good dose of Honky Tonk, from the rural “If That’s Not Wrong, It Must Be Right” to “Don’t Mind Me When I Cry” that could have been sung by Ray Price via the Hank Williams influenced “All Night Long”. My favourite being “Two Hearts”. But Peter can rock, the title track proves it (the rocking steel guitar on this one is amazing) as does the frantic “My Baby Was Born To Rock”. There are many more gems on this platter for you to discover, a cajun song (When Grandma Get High), tasty instrumentals (going from Les Paul / Arthur Smith to Eddie Cochran) and if that’s not enough to convince you (what else do you need?), it’s been recorded at the legendary Preston studio to get that warm and authentic sound we all love. Highly recommended.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Marauders

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The Marauders – Midnight Rhythm
The Marauders – Midnight Rhythm
The Marauders – Midnight Rhythm

The Marauders – Midnight Rhythm

Rock’n’Roll Purgatory RRP-010
Last Call – Dead Of Night – Lonely Road – She Put A Curse On Me – Tow The Line – Kill Pop Radio – Refuge – Midnight Rhythm – My Revolver – Satisfied
The marauders are a neo/modern – rockabilly trio coming from Pennsylvania. To describe them I’d say they’re a cross between The Quakes in their Voice Of America period, as Ben Dum’s voice sometimes reminds me of Paul Roman, and some Setzer solo stuff like Ignition. But of course, they’re more than just imitation or followers. The ten songs of this record are all Marauders originals and they know how to write solid stuff in a wide range of mood. The opening song goes “straight in your face” with heavy slap bass, rocking guitar and lyrics like “gotta drink my cash”, how can you be wrong? “Dead Of Night” don’t give the time to rest as it plays on a similar tempo and you have to wait “Lonesome Road” and its country feel to take a breath but it soon followed by “She Put A Curse On Me” a song with fine lyrics you can’t help but sing along. “Tow The Line” is a swingin’ rockabilly tune with a punk feel on the chorus and could easily be found on a comp’ of the legendary Nervous Records label, if you see what I mean. Chris Lawson is a hell of a slap bass player, but, one good point that needs to be mentionned, he also knows when he don’t have to slap and don’t interfere with the drums. “Midnight Rhythm”, the title tracks, starts with just the voice and the acoustic guitar in a country mood and then come the drums and slap bass for another great rockabilly moment. A dark song like “Revolver” has a bit of Psychobilly in it, but don’t let the term confuses you. I mean what they now call “old school psychobilly” when it was just nervous rockabilly not heavy metal with a slap bass. The last song “Satisfied” is a classic rockabilly with a stop/start structure, and let you wanting more.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Marauders
The Marauders – s/t

The Marauders – The Marauders

S/R {2006}
I Don’t Mind – We Are the Marauders – Rumble On the Rocks – Johnny Don’t Like ( When You Call Him Elvis) – New Tattoo – Hell On High Heels – Nothing to Prove – One of These Days – Alibi – Lookin’ Forward to Leavin’ You Behind – Ryhthm Fix

Featuring “We Are the Marauders” penned for the band by Brian Setzer. Setzer would later recorded this song on his owb album “13” in 2006.

 

The Marauders - Dial M For Marauder
The Marauders – Dial M For Marauder

The Marauders – Dial M For Marauder

Bonedog Records {2008}
Juvenile Frustration – She Took a Shot – Road Rat – Last Laugh – Out of Line – On the Radio – 10 Year Drifter – Oh My My – Late Night Livin’ – Roadkill – Dead of Night – Lonely Road – We Are the Marauders

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