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Bamboozle

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Bamboozle – Retrograde

Bamboozle

Jimena records – RIGHT339 [2019]
Five past ten – the Lowdown – Rockin’ Man – Heebie Jeebies – Ice Cold Beer – Just Like You – Toxic Nightmare – Daddy’s Girl – Fever – Mayhem

Bamboozle came to my attention with their cracking cover of Nick Cave’s Red Right Hand. I put the band’s name in one corner of my mind and, to my great shame, I must say it stayed here for a while until I received “Retrograde” their debut album.
I was like “oh yeah I remember, the band that plays that Nick Cave’s cover” when I put the cd in the player. One minute later, I was hooked, and by the end of the last song, I was blown away.
First, let me introduce the band. On drums a well-known figure on the rocking scene: Les Curtis. Les played with Solid Smoke, Bob & the Bearcats, Mouse Zinn, Kid Rocker, etc. Also another familiar name, mister Jim Knowler of the Keytones (he also played with the Stargazers) on guitar. And last, but certainly not least, Serena Sykes aka the bass pixie, on double bass, vocals, writing, and production.
This trio forms the core of the band, but this album also features Keith Wilkinson on acoustic guitar and Peter Clifford on piano.
Five past ten is the perfect opener and describes precisely the sound of Bamboozle: fifties influenced music with a modern edge. While Curtis keeps the beat and Knowler flies on the fretboard, Sykes proves you can be a girl who sings Rockabilly without ending all your verses with a growl.
Sung by Knowler with harmonies by Wilkinson the Lowdown is part Buddy Holly, part Dave Edmunds, and 100% killer!
Sykes’ Rockin’ Man hardens the sound with a menacing riff bordering on Psychobilly. Out of sudden, Knowler jumps into a hot solo that is sure to please fans of Mark Harman and John O’Malley. Heebie Jeebies is not a cover but another Sykes original that she sings with grace. A jazz tune that swings as hell with superb backing vocals. This song is the occasion to salute the brilliant production work. And not only Retrograde is well recorded, but it’s also perfectly mixed.
Knowler returns on lead vocals with two songs. The hillbilly tinged Ice Cold Beer and Just Like You a Doo-Wop-a-Billy that wouldn’t be out of place on any of the Keytones albums.
The following two songs show the vocal range and how equally at ease at singing and writing any rocking style. Toxic Nightmare has a bit of Surf/Walk Don’t Run flair to it while Daddy’s Girl is one hell of a Rockabilly song.
The last two songs are covers from Little Willie John (Fever) and Imelda May (Mayhem.) On the paper, these choices first let me perplex. I’m not the biggest fan of Miss May, and I thought, “Does the world really need another cover of Fever?” But once again Bamboozle won over me. They took a fresh and brand new approach on Fever and Mayhem, full of energy, let me wanting for more which is the perfect way to finish a Rock’n’roll album.
Without a doubt, the band worked hard to produce such a good record. Now it’s your turn to work, buy it (https://www.bamboozlehq.co.uk/) and support Bamboozle live!

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Big Six (the)

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Big Six
Big Six

Big Six (the) – Don’t Stop… ROCK!

Rhythm Rock-It EPPR5 [2019]
20th Century Boy – We The Boys Will Rock Ya – Sombrero – Blue Moon – Lady Of Nagoya – Tell Me Baby – Out Tonight – At Last – Mama We’re All Crazee Now – Cold Feet – Are You Ready To Rock – Sh-Boom – Master Blaster – Groovey Geezer – All Of Me – Come Back Baby – West Coast Jive – Rock The Island – New Orleans – Get Off It and Rock It – No Way Out – Everybody Groove – Tiger Feet – Rocket Ship To The Moon – All Night Long

Shortly after he left the Stargazers in 1994, Ricky Lee Brawn went on to form two supergroups featuring the cream of the crop of the British rocking’ scene: the Space Cadets and the Big Six.
Both bands featured Anders Janes his partner in crime in the Stargazers. The Space Cadets and the Big Six released numerous albums, mostly on Vinyl Japan, and now sadly out of print. But in 2012 Janes released a best-of album of the Space Cadets on his label Rhythm-Rock-It. And while the band played its last show at Viva Las Vegas before an indefinite break appeared “Don’t Stop… ROCK!” the very best of the Big Six.
I can hear the younger ones ask: “Why are the Big Six so special?” Well, let me just tell you that the band was formed, in addition to Brawn and Janes by Mike Sanchez (Big Town Playboys) on piano, Nick Lunt and Al Nicholls (both also from the Big Town Playboys) on saxes and the one and only (or dare I say the one and crazy) Pat Reyford from Sugar Ray Ford on vocals and guitar.
Their music is a mix of various influences, all mixed to make a highly danceable and rocking cocktail. Every track here is a winner and is sure to make you wriggle, tap your feet and clap your hands.
You’ll find a good dose of Glam Rock sprinkled with Rockabilly. Listen to the guitar part on T-Rex’s 20th Century Boys. Doesn’t it sound like Paul Burlison (or Grady Martin) in the Johnny Burnette Rock’n’roll trio? And Mud’s Tiger feet and Slade’s Mama Weer All Crazy Now should be learned by every young cat who tries to master the art of double bass.
Rocksteady and early ska influences are present in some songs, including a new version of the Stargazers’ Rocketship to the Moon. It has to be said that Brawn’s vintage production works very well for that stuff. Tunes like Janes’ Cold Feet and Come Back Baby seem to come straight from Studio One in Jamaica.
There’s a bit of Latin too (Sombrero), an amazing cover of the Jazz standard All of Me featuring hot solos, plenty of Rock’n’roll everywhere as well as superb Rhythm’n’Blues (Reyford’s Tell Me Baby, All Night Long, or Master Blaster.)
If you don’t own the original albums, I can only recommend you to jump on this best-of. And if you already have them, buy it too, for it comes in a superbly designed digipack.
But be warned! If you try to dance on every track of this album, you may suffer from serious exhaustion.

Buy it here.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Keytones (the)

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Keytones good to be alive

The Keytones – Shake your hips

Keytones - Shake your hips

Roof Records – RR LP 103301 [1988]

Shake Your Hips – Coastin’ Along – Lonely Road -Why Do Fools Fall In Love – The Munsters – That’s When Your Heartaches Begin – Swimming In Pink Champagne – Now’s The Time – Soft Pillow – Volare – Good To Be Alive – Only For You – I Got A Woman – That’s My Desire – The Missable Kind – Young Emotions

This album released on vinyl in 1988 and later reissued on cd with four bonus tracks features mostly new recordings of songs previously released on single, ep or album.

That said it’s a very good one so there’s no reason to ignore it.

Their cover of Slim harpo’s Shake Your Hips opens the set with a powerful doublebass and a mean and hypnotic guitar. The band’s Coastin’ Along is what I’d descripe as a typical Keytones song, when doo-wop meets neo-rockabilly.

No trace of doo wop in Lonely Road, this is pure neo-rockabilly. Frankie Lymon’s Fools Fall In Love seems written for them. Next is a cover of the tv theme of the Munsters in another version than the one available on Speak After the Tone.

Elvis’ That’s When Your Heartache Begins is turned into a jivin’ doo-wop number. The new version of Pink Champagne is relatively close to the one previously issued, same goes for Only For You.

Now’s the time is a fast and short Rockabilly tune in the style of Just Because. Back to Keytones sweetness with the jivin’ Soft Pillow. I guess by the time we reach Volare we’ve lost the wild Rockabilly cats (too bad for you guys) but that’s why I like the Keytones. Good to be Alive is a rockin’ doo wop and probably one of the Keytones’ best original tune (and excellent guitar solo by the way).

Their cover of I Got A Woman owes more to Elvis than Ray Charles – which is not surprising – but they bring a good variation to make it their own. That’s My Desire is another one that seems to have been written for them.
The two remaining songs are two originals in their own doo-wop/jive style.

If you already own the singles, this album is maybe a little ess essential than Speak After the Tone but otherwise that’s a very good one.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Keytones-speak after tones-front
Keytones – speak after tones

The Keytones – Speak after the tone

[1987]
Ghost Of Lonely Heart – I Guess You’ll Never Know – Swimming In Pink Champagne – Angel From Paradise – Munsters – Only For You – Tickity Tock Of The Clock – Stars In Your Eyes – Stained Glass Lies – Whats Cookin’ Tonight – Girl – My Gals Been Foolin’ Around

Released in 1987, Speak AFter The Tone is the band’s first full length. It contains twelve songs, 11 originals and one cover (“Munsters“).
There’s no big departure in their sound from their previous singles, it’s the same good mix of doo-wop (Only For you), jive and rockabilly (Angels From Paradise). Most surprising is “Stained Glass Lies” with its heavy guitar and pounding drums that seems a bit out of place in all that sweetness. The musicianship is top notch with swingin’ rhythm and jazzy licks thrown in for good measure.
Nice package too with beautiful gatefold sleeve that includes the lyrics. To my knowledge it’s never been reissued on cd.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Keytones – Good to be alive

Keytones good to be alive

Red Sky Records – Key 3 [1985]

Good to be Alive – Now’s the Time

Another great single by the Keytones (Jarrod Coombes, Jim Knowler and Cliff Marshall) with two originals penned by Knowler.

Good to be Alive is a doo wop/jive tune like only the Keytones can craft while Now’s the time is an uptempo Rockabilly with a powerful slap bass.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

keytones keytones keytones

The Speedos

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the Speedos - It's Only Rock'n'roll
the Speedos – It’s Only Rock’n’roll

The Speedos – It’s Only Rock’n’Roll

PART 647.001 [2010]
Ghostriders ~ Believe me ~ Remember then ~ From the bottom of my heart ~ Sandy ~ You’re driving me crazy ~ Cotton fields ~ I’m not a juvenile delinquent ~ A Zippe Di Zoom ~ Fly me to the moon ~ Come go with me ~ Lovely night ~ Rag Mop ~ I just want to know ~ Sh’Boom ~ West Virginia (Country Roads) ~ The Diary

Part has the good idea to reissue the Speedos catalog. First released in 1989, It’s Only Rock’n’roll was until this reissue only available on vinyl and I suppose long out of print.
This quartet could be described as the German cousins of the British Keytones.
They play doo-wop harmonies with a bit of jive on a rockabilly background. There’s even some hillbilly with their uptempo cover of Cotton Fields.
Like numerous debut album, it’s not flawless, but the few minor imperfections are well compensated by the freshness of their approach.
The repertoire goes from Frankie Lymon (I’m Not A Juvenile Delinquent) to the Del-Vikings (Come Go With Me) or Frank Sinatra (Fly Me To The Moon) with a couple of originals too written by lead singer/guitarist Olaf Prinz. On a couple of songs the line-up (guitar / doublebass / drums / saxophone) is augmented by Götz Alsmann on piano for a fuller sound.
As an added bonus,the band’s debut ep from 1987 – featuring a self penned song (I Just Want To Know) and three covers: Sh-Boom, John Denver’s Take Me Home Country Roads and a rockabilly-doo-wop rendition of Neil Sedaka’s The Diary – is included. Recommended.

 

the Speedos - A Dreamin' Life
the Speedos – A Dreamin’ Life

The Speedos – A Dreamin’ Life

King Hat [1992] – reissue Part [2010]
I call it bop – Duke of earl – Jungle book – I adore you – Quiet whiskey – Believe me – A dreamin´life – Dance town – Caledonia – Blackboard jungle – Forever – Hey you

A Dreamin’ Life is the band’s second album, and to get to the point, their best. It takes more or less the same ingredients than their debut but both the sound and the band are better.
It kicks off with “I Call It Bop” that wouldn’t be out of place on the Stargazers’ debut album. Next is the accapella doo-wop “Duke Of Earl” with top vocals and harmonies. They also do great justice to Louis Prima’s Jungle Book. “I Adore You” is a sweet ballad with a bluesy edge. The pace changes with Wynonie Harris’ Quiet Whiskey, a solid jiver also treated in a Stargazers style. Believe Me features Gotz Allssman and is a re-recording of a song from their first album in a more accomplished version. The title track is a soft rockabilly. “Caldonia” is the sole weak point of the album, but it’s quickly forgotten with Blackboard Jungle a great rock’n’roll. “Forever” is another great moment in the Keytones style while Hey You concludes the album on an uptempo note.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

speedos
The Speedos – Olaf Prinz, Bernd Eltze, Volker Naves & Frank Johland

The Piccadilly Bullfrogs

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piccadilly bullfrogs

The Piccadilly Bullfrogs

The Piccadilly Bullfrogs are Danny Brittain on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Pete Davenport on lead guitar and backing vocals and Tim ‘Trundle’ Purkess on string bass and backing vocals.
Recently, Shaun O’Keeffe (Red Hot, Keytones, Stargazers) joined them as their permanent fourth member on drums. Tim told us a little bit more about that project.

piccadilly bullfrogs
Danny Brittain, Tim Purkess and Peter Davenport

“I’ve spent a large part of the last thirty years playing Big Beat Rock’n’Roll, Swing-Jive, etc, in five and six piece bands and although I still love that kind of thing, I had a real urge to re-visit the material which first switched me onto the whole scene. I had a bunch of Essex recordings from Bill Haley and The Saddlemen/Comets, plus some of those wonderful SUN 45s all of which happened to be tucked away inside a big valve radiogram given to me by my uncle Mick, when I was only just in my teens. This mixture of primitive Rockabilly and very early R’n’R made a huge impression on me and changed my life forever, although I rarely got the chance to play it on stage. So, as we were having a much needed break from The Stargazers, I finally decided it was time to put things right and I’m very glad that I did. The trio format is really much more flexible than people imagine and because of its size, the process of writing and arranging new material is totally streamlined.
Especially when you’re lucky enough to be teamed up with major talents like Danny and Pete!
Once, I casually mentioned my desire to form an old-school trio to Dan and to my delight he was ready to sign up for it straight away! Peter was the obvious choice for guitarist and I seem to recall calling him that same day. Happily, his reaction was the same as Danny’s.
In terms of style and ethos, The Piccadilly Bullfrogs is quite closely related to the “spit and sawdust” pub bands we played in before things really started taking off in the early/mid eighties.
As Peter so rightly pointed out the other day, folks now have a tendency to over-intellectualise. Then in dissecting the songs to find out how they work, they miss the point entirely! As I see it, this isn’t the type of music that demands any in depth analysis. If it doesn’t speak directly to the soul – either the band aren’t up to the job, or the audience haven’t let the music into their heart. In short, the beauty of these old tunes is that they work on such a fundamental level. They don’t need the fussy, complicated treatments that the larger R’n’R dance bands are obliged to use.
We have been influenced by a great variety of old Rockabilly, R’n’R, Bluegrass, Hillbilly, Skiffle, R’n’B, and Country artists (with perhaps just the very very lightest hint of Gypsy Jazz in there somewhere).
I think we should leave it to others to define our sound. Hopefully (if we’re doing things right) it will be reminiscent of all the genres mentioned earlier – but at the same time different. If we haven’t brought anything new to the equation, we may as well give up now!”

The Piccadilly Bullfrogs - Hoppers, Boppers & Rockers
The Piccadilly Bullfrogs – Hoppers, Boppers & Rockers

The Piccadilly Bullfrogs – Hoppers, Boppers, & Rockers

Rhythm Bomb CD RBR 5722 {2011}
Move Around – Cutthroat Joe – Boppin` The Blues – Banksy – Wildcat Tamer – No Time To Lose – Sunshine Hop – I Could Have Been Somebody – The Ace Boogie – Right String Baby – Don`t Hold Back – Ride Ride Ride

Two guitars, one double bass, and tons of talent. The debut album of the Piccadilly Bullfrogs features 12 tracks, eight originals, and four covers entirely recorded in single takes with no overdub, in glorious mono on an old tape machine with a “ridiculously cheap and nasty microphone.” So you’ve been warned if you expect slick production that comes from a multi-track studio and lots of overdubs, this album is not for you. But if you dig music that breathes life, with raw edges that takes you back to the glorious days of Sun or Meteor, jump on this one. The instrumentation is almost entirely acoustic with just what I suppose to be a small amp for the electric guitar. The Piccadilly Bullfrogs are pure and unadulterated rockabilly. The songs are varied and very well crafted too, from Cutthroat Joe (that sounds like Carl Perkins, Tommy Steele and the Three Penny Opera all rolled into one) to the skiffle tinged sound of Ride, Ride, Ride and lots of boppin’ in between, including a tribute to the famous Ace Café in the form of a boogie (The Ace Boogie). No need to say that with their combined experience, the musicianship is top-notch too. Davenport plays inventive solos one after another and also delivers an excellent instrumental titled Sunshine Hop, while Brittain and Purkess provide the beat.

The Piccadilly Bullfrogs - Rockabilly Gentlemen
The Piccadilly Bullfrogs – Rockabilly Gentlemen

The Piccadilly Bullfrogs – Rockabilly Gentlemen

On The Hill Records ‎– OTHRCD-18 [2014]
Get With It!- Baby Don’t Care About Me – Rock The Joint – Domino – Rockin’ Chair On The Moon – Summertime

This limited six-track ep was released to coincide with a Japanese tour the band did in 2014. There’s no significant departure in terms of sound from the band’s debut album: it’s the same mix of raw rockabilly mixed with skiffle and early Rock’n’roll (think Bill Haley’s Saddlemen). It’s full of energy and very lively, two things that too often lack when you listen to modern bands. It contains two originals, one by Tim Purkess and another by Danny Britain. The four covers being two of Haley’s classics (Rock The Joint and Rockin’ Chair to the Moon), Roy Orbison’s Domino, and Gershwin’s Summertime.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

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