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Rockabilly - Page 27

Wyatt Christmas Trio

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wyattchristmas-trio-got-rhythm

Wyatt Christmas Trio – I’ve Got Rhythm

Part CD 6107-002
I Wear My Suit – Step It Up And Go – Movin’ On – I’m Goin’ Wild – Live It Up – It’s One Of These Nights – Red Hot – Sea Cruise – Mr Jones – Ride On – Sugar Sweet – Blues Is All Around Me – Diggin’ The Boogie

“I’ve Got Rhythm” is Wyatt Christmas Trio’s second album. It’s an interesting mix of Rock’n’Roll, blues (jump, rockin’ or classic), Rockabilly, Doo Wop and a bit of Jazz too. There’s a lot of variety all through the records. They add plenty of little things to always bring something new to each song whether it’s a different lead singer, some doo wop backing vocals (making them sound a bit like the Speedos or the Keytones), slide guitar, a couple of guest on blues harp, boogie woogie piano and saxophone, each song song different from the previous one. Some numbers have a slight pop edge that could appeal to a broader audience which is everything we could wish for them.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Sun Demons

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The Sun Demons – Return of…

Floyd Burney Records ‎– FBEP-001 [1997]
Damn Drunk! – Pick-Up Truck – The Lonely Man – Portrait To Go

The Sun Demons were an exciting rockabilly trio made of Dan Edwards (guitar/vox), Jeff West (uprightbass/vox) and Joe Tatar (drums/vox).
If their songs and style are rather  traditionnal they’re not against a little modernity that you find in Edwards’ guitar sound that is not that far from the great Brian Setzer (Rant and Rave period). West and Edwards sing lead on two songs each, both being two solid singers with a distinctive style. Good production with a powerful slap bass too.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Red Hot Max and Cats

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Red Hot Max and Cats ‎– The Thrilling Sound Of Hot Rockabilly
Red Hot Max and Cats ‎– The Thrilling Sound Of Hot Rockabilly

Red Hot Max and Cats ‎– The Thrilling Sound Of Hot Rockabilly

Wildcat Record Company ‎– WRC-LP-5002 [1981]
Have You Heard-Rockin’ And Rollin’ With Granmaw – Rock’N Roll Ruby – Hot Shot – Been In Memphis – Stomp Rock – Baby Let’s Play House – I Have Thought – Max Rockin Boogie – Flip, Flop Mama – Red Hot Stomp – Wanne You – Rockin With Me – Dig That Boogie – Done Gone – Jitterbuggin Baby

With “the Thrilling…”, Red Hot Max and Cats made it on long distance (and what distance no less than 16 songs) for the first time after an ep that sold out in weeks.
Red Hot Max and Cats were one, if not the first, band in Sweden to use a double bass. Their brand of Rockabilly is wild and frantic as demonstrated by their Burnette influenced “Have You Heard” or their cover of “Rock’n’Roll Ruby”. Some songs feature a piano which is always a plus and they bring variety to the set with songs like “Rockin’ and Rollin’ with Granmaw” that shows some influence from Bill Haley’s Saddlemen (with steel and piano). Talking about Bill Haley there’s a couple of songs with sax that leans more on the Comets sounds while I Have Thought features an harmonica and reminds of Howlin’ Wolf’s Smokestack Lightnin’.
Too bad some songs are a bit wasted by their drummer who is not always in place and misses some break. Anyway it remains a good album.

Red Hot Max & Cats - Cuckoo Clock Rock
Red Hot Max & Cats – Cuckoo Clock Rock

Red Hot Max and Cats – Cuckoo Clock Rock

TCY Records – 024 – 2013
Bring my Cadillac back – Well, now dig this – Equator-Mama’s little Baby-Bim bam –  Cast iron arm –  You gotta be loose –  Cuckoo clock rock – Stop –  Birht of the Boogie –  School of Rock & Roll –  Jitterbop Baby – Spirit of Woodstock –  The Saints Rock & Roll –  Svartbäckens Ros – Digga Rock & Roll

Formed in the late 70’s, Red Hot Max & Cats are some sort of an institution on the Swedish rockin’ scene.This cd is th ereissue of an album originally released in 1989. With Cuckoo Clock Rock, Red Hot Max took a slight departure from thier usual rockabilly sound. The addition of a permanent sax players as well as guests on second sax, piano and even trombon saw them morphed into a tight rock’n’roll unitin the style of Bill Haley, the Jodimars and the Stargazers.
It’s very well recorded and the result is pretty good and highly danceable but lacks of originality, partly due to the fact that all songs but one are covers, and furthermore some well known ones.
The reissue includes two extra tracks not on the original release – one being a Swedish version of the Jodimars’ Now Dig This – and a nice booklet with pictures and a band history.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Lucky Marcell & The Ramblin’ Three – Speed King

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luckymarcellEl Toro Records ETCD 2039
Please Stop Cryin / Three Or Four Nights / How About Me, Pretty Baby / Too Much / Crazy Little Mama / Rock And Roll Rhythm / My Love Is Not For You / Pink Cadillac / Doctor For Honky Tonk Gals / Mister Moon / Burnin’ / Speed King / Slow Down Brother

Have you ever played the « what if… » game ? It’s quite simple. You take a situation and you imagine what would have happened if… I’ve got a good example for you « What if Johnny Burnette Rock’n’roll Trio had recorded one album at Meteor records ? ». You wonder why I ask this question ? Well maybe because the result would have sounded like Lucky Marcell excellent debut album.
This amazing quartet comes from Serbia and have released with Speed King one of the best 50’s sounding rockabilly album I’ve heard in years. Straight, pure and raw rockabilly from start to finish with just two detours : one for an excellent country ballad (Mister Moon) and another for a hillbilly boogie number with steel guitar (Slow Down Brother).
They’ve got everything, yes sir the whole package: solid originals, good choice of covers (Jimmy Johnson’s How About Me Pretty Baby, Sammy Master’s Pink Cadillac, Johnny Bond’s Three or Four Nights), superb musicianship, a natural sense for rockabilly (it never sounds like they’ve learnt it, you see what I mean, it comes naturally) and icing on the cake a great sound. If it wasn’t on El Toro I could have swear it came from Wild Hare Records or Willie Lewis’ Rock-A-Billy Records.
I could sing their praise all day long, suffice to say that if you dig real rockabilly played at the right tempo (who said that rockabilly had to be super fast?) Lucky Marcell and the Ramblin’ Three are the band for you.

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

Rip Carson

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Rip Carson - Stand Back
Rip Carson – Stand Back

Rip Carson - Savage American Rock
Rip Carson – Savage American Rock

Rip Carson – Savage American Rock/Stand Back

Savage American Rock
PART-CD 682.001 – Part Records [2009]
Don’t Hold My Baby – Full Of Sin – So Long – Come On Back – Green In My Pocket – All Alone & Blue – 2 Timin’ Woman – You Can Find Another Man – Gamble My Life Away – Keep Your Pain – I Gotta Rock – Down That Line – Get It Through To You – I’m Gonna Drink – Tornado Love – Whiskey ‘n Water
Stand Back
PART-CD 682.002 – Part Records [2009]
Little Red Hen – Heart Attack – Can’t Comfort Her – After School Rock – Saw Ya Walkin’ – La La Love Me – Another Bridge To Burn – Stand Back – Rock Me Right – End Of The Tracks – Stay For Me – Holler Little Baby – Don’t Leave Me – Voodoo Woman

Part Records reissue Rip’s first two albums previously released on Rockin’ Ronnie Weiser’s Rollin’ Rock and now long out of print.
Savage American Rock is Rip debut album. One can hear the influence of rockabilly masters like Johnny Burnette or Gene Vincent wildest sides. The band is excellent especially Danny Angulo’s lead guitar. Of course you’ll find some minor flaws inherent to many debut album. Rip’s voice lacks of confidence (even though he’s never clearly out of tune) and the songwriting is not totally original. Though every songs are credited to Carson or Carson/Angulo the careful listener will find resemblances between Full Of Sin and Carl Perkins’ Matchbox, All Alone & Blue and Tex Rubinowitz’s No Club Lone Wolf and You Can Find Another Man and Bob Dylan’s Dont Think Twice.
Those little reserve apart, it’s a good album.

Stand Back goes further on the wild side as prove the first two tracks, all in savage guitars, screams and hoarse voice. But it also shows a more melodic side of the man with tunes like Can’t Comfort Her, Saw Ya Walkin’, Another Bridge To Burn, Stay For Me. A style he’ll explore more thoroughly with his album “My Simple Life”.
A good album, more consistent than Savage American Rock that gives you the best of both world.

Rip Carson - My Simple Life
Rip Carson – My Simple Life

Rip Carson – My Simple Life

Golly Gee Records GGR
The Hate Inside Of Me – All I Ask – Sinking Down – Miss Heartbreak – My Simple Life – Let Me Be -The One I Want – I’ll Tell You – That Aint Enough – Stuttering Cindy – Poor Me- Keep Moving -Happy Heart – I’m Not Free
“My Simple Life”, is Rip best (and last) album to date and probably one of the best rockabilly records this genre has given us in recent years. The musicians are no strangers to rockabilly fans:veteran Paul Diffin (The Blue Cats, Sugar Ray Ford, Big Six, Marshall & The Shooting Stars) on bass and recording, Joel Morin (Dawn Shipley, Pep Torres) on guitar and Michael Faughnan (Lustre Kings) on drums. The mid tempo The Hate Inside Of Me starts the album and you know you’re not just listening to “another good record”.
I won’t go into a song by song review but you’ll find here great rockabilly tunes like Sinkin’ Down, That Ain’t Enough (two collaborations with Rip’s partner in crime: Ryan Sagat), Poor Me and I’m Not Free (with handclaps), a beautiful ballad that sounds like Sam Cooke meets Don Gibson (All I Ask) and two well chosen covers that suit perfectly Rip’s voice : Jackie Lee Cochran’ Miss Heartbreak and Charlie Feathers’ Stutterin’ Cindy. So, the result is quite simple: great musicians with great songwriting and great production work. Take a listen just to hear the instruments separately and you’ll see what I mean. What you have here is a piece of classic rockabilly. An album as important as Big Sandy’s On The Go, High Noon’s Show & Dance and maybe even Gene Vincent’s second album. You couldn’t say I didn’t warn you.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

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