Archive Review: The Buzzcocks' Flat-Pack Philosophy (2006)

Never as nihilist as the Sex Pistols, nor social realists like the Clash, the Buzzcocks’ immense reputation was built on the band’s appropriation of the three-minute pop song for the punk milieu. Frontman Pete Shelley’s acute observations on the teenage condition, coupled with an undeniable sense of melody and a biting instrumental tact – courtesy of guitarist Steve Diggle – made the Buzzcocks one of the most influential bands to emerge from the class of ’77. If, after all this time, they’re not exactly a household name in the US, well, dammit, they should be! After breaking up in 1981, the Buzzcocks reformed a decade later around Shelley, Diggle, bassist Tony Barber and drummer Philip Barker.

This line-up has now been around longer than the original band, and they have released music every bit as memorable as those now-legendary early albums. Flat-Pack Philosophy is a perfect example of Buzzcockian rock; Shelley’s matured songwriting underlined by a fast-and-loud delivery and bold, bright instrumental hooks. Although Shelley no longer shares a teenage perspective, his romantic inclinations are no less clumsy, and songs like “Sell You Everything,” “Credit,” and “Between Heaven and Hell” showcase a wider, intellectual worldview. Altogether, Flat-Pack Philosophy blows across the current musical horizon like a gale-force wind, proving that punk rock can grow old without losing amperage, fury or attitude. One of the year’s best rock ’n’ roll albums, Flat-Pack Philosophy stands proud alongside works like Love Bites and A Different Kind of Tension. (Cooking Vinyl, 2006)

Review originally published by Alt.Culture.Guide™, 2006

Buy the CD from Amazon: The Buzzcocks' Flat-Pack Philosophy

Archive Review: Manic Street Preachers' Know Your Enemy (2001)

In the ever-changing Britpop genre, where longevity isn’t a well-known character trait, the Manic Street Preachers have nevertheless managed to forge a decade-long career. From their early ’90s punk guise as “generation terrorists” to a millennial role as popular arena rockers, the Manic Street Preachers have become the respected graybeards of the British pop/rock scene.

Along the way, they have struggled through controversy, sorrow and fleeting trends to emerge as one of the most successful British bands in recent memory. The one thing that has eluded them, however – stateside success – won’t be won with Know Your Enemy, a mixed bag of style and performance.

Manic Street Preachers’ Know Your Enemy

Know Your Enemy opens with a “Suffragette City” inspired roar that propels “Found That Soul” dangerously close to the “raucous and roll” turf inhabited by harder rocking bands like Dogs d’Amour or Hanoi Rocks. James Dean Bradfield’s guitar stings and buzzes like a six-string hornet’s nest while the background rhythm crashes and tumbles behind his vocals. Unfortunately, “Found That Soul” bleeds into “Ocean Spray,” an aggravating piece of shite with wimpy vocals and nonsensical lyrics.

The remainder of Know Your Enemy is a similar roller-coaster ride, mixing breathless rockers like “Intravenous Agnostic” and “Dead Martyrs” with bland pop tripe that wouldn’t pass muster with the most fervent Anglophile. It seems as if the band is trying to reconcile the success of its present with the street credibility of its past, leading to this choppy, frequently ill-conceived collection of songs. When the band rocks, they raise the roof like few others bands can. When they fall down, however – such as with “Miss Europa Disco Dancer” – they are truly embarrassing.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

The 1995 disappearance of original lyricist and guitarist Richey James has certainly affected the band, although not as much as some critics claim. The Preachers quartet that included Richey James and the post-James trio that carried on after his mysterious disappearance are two quite different outfits. James’ growing mental illness, penchant for self-mutilation and politically charged lyrics made for a flamboyant and electric style of music, and early Preachers’ albums and bootlegs are prized by their fans.

The post-James band has created their own sound in his absence, incorporating their early random madness with a slicker, more professional pop structure. This direction has led to a certain degree of success that they might never have enjoyed with James running the show. These days, however, the Manic Street Preachers seem to be a band in the midst of an identity crisis, too seldom sounding truly manic and, with Know Your Enemy, preaching only to the faithful. (Virgin Records, released April 24, 2001)

Review originally published by Alt.Culture.Guide™, 2001

Buy the CD from Amazon: Manic Street Preachers’ Know Your Enemy

CD Preview: Wilko Johnson Blows Your Mind!

British rock legend Wilko Johnson isn’t living on “borrowed time” – he just up and snatched the years away from the Reaper – and he has been rockin’ full-tilt ever since. The former Dr. Feelgood guitarist and influential solo artist was diagnosed with terminal cancer in early 2013 and wasn’t expected to live out the year. Instead of sitting around in bed, he hit the road for a “farewell tour” of the U.K. and then ventured into the studio to record the acclaimed Going Back Home album with his friend Roger Daltry; released in March 2014, it would become the most commercially successful album of Johnson’s career.

After touring with Daltry in support of the album, and outliving his doctors’ prognosis by months, Johnson underwent a radical eleven-hour surgery that removed his cancer and provided the artist with a new lease on life. At 70 years old, Johnson isn’t letting any time slip by…as he has been quoted as saying, “there’s nothing like being told you’re dying to make you feel alive.” As an illustration of his rock ‘n’ roll vigor, on June 15th, 2018 Johnson will be releasing Blow Your Mind, his first album of new material in 30 years. The album will be available on CD, LP, and as a digital download on the historic Chess Records label, which also released Going Back Home.

Johnson was joined in the studio by his longtime band – bassist Norman Watt-Roy and drummer Dylan Howe – with Dave Eringa, who produced Going Back Home, on the board. Watt-Roy’s rhythmic bass playing was an integral part of the Stiff Records’ sound, and he’s played on tracks by Nick Lowe, Rachel Sweet, Madness, and the Clash and was a founding member of Ian Dury & the Blockheads. Howe, the son of Yes guitarist Steve Howe, is an acclaimed musician in his own right, playing with artists as diverse as Nick Cave, Ray Davies, Paul McCartney, and David Gilmour.

In a press release for Blow Your Mind, Johnson says of the album’s new songs, “it’s tricky when you get to seventy years old, because what am I supposed to be singing? ‘I love you, baby, but you done me wrong?’ Come on! That’s kind of a problem. But I never thought that I’d be the sort of person to write songs about different sorts of real-life experiences until I got sick.” Featuring his typical mix of R&B and rock ‘n’ roll, several songs on the new album deal with his illness and mortality; evincing the black humor that is a Johnson trademark. “I didn’t really intend to ever use them and, obviously, I didn’t know if I’d ever get back into the studio. One of those songs, that’s a reflection of that time, about sitting around the house at night knowing that death’s coming; we’ve recorded it, and it’ll be on the album. It’s actually quite a cheerful one, too!”

Check out the album’s track list below and then order your copy from Amazon.com.

Wilko Johnson's Blow Your Mind track list:

1. Beauty
2. Blow Your Mind
3. Marijuana
4. Tell Me One More Thing
5. That's The Way I Love You
6. Low Down
7. Take It Easy
8. I Love The Way You Do
9. It Don't Have To Give You The Blues
10. Lament
11. Say Goodbye
12. Slamming

UFO's The Salentino Cuts covers album

On September 29th, 2017 British rock ‘n’ roll legends UFO will release their very first album of cover tunes with The Salentino Cuts on Cleopatra Records. Paying homage to a dozen of the band’s favorite tunes, The Salentino Cuts offers up some unexpected-but-no-less-inspired choices like covers of John Mellencamp’s “Paper In Fire” and the Bill Withers’ soul classic “Ain’t No Sunshine” along with more traditional rock ‘n’ rollers like the Yardbirds’ “Heartful of Soul” and ZZ Top’s “Just Got Paid” as well as deep cuts like Mad Season’s “River of Deceit,” Robin Trower’s “Too Rolling Stoned,” and Steppenwolf’s “The Pusher.”

Unlike other 1970s-era classic rock revivalists that will remain nameless, UFO has punched its way into the 21st century. Rather than rehashing their storied past, the band has released a number of studio albums of new material over the past decade, the most recent being 2015’s acclaimed A Conspiracy of Stars. As UFO rapidly approaches its 50th anniversary as a band, the current line-up includes original members Phil Mogg (vox) and Andy Parker (drums), keyboardist Paul Raymond (who’s been with the band since 1976), guitarist Vinnie Moore (since 2003), and recent addition, American bassist Rob De Luca, who joined the band when original UFO madman Pete Way’s health forced his retirement.

In a press release for the new album, Vinnie Moore says, “Making this covers record was a blast for me. I thoroughly enjoyed putting a little of my own spin on these tunes that I grew up with. I played ZZ Top and Robin Trower songs about a gazzilion times onstage over the years. It was great to actually get to record some of my old faves.” The Salentino Cuts will be available on both CD and as two limited-edition vinyl pressings – one on splatter vinyl and one on white vinyl. In support of The Salentino Cuts, the band will be touring North America with fellow British hard rock legends Saxon; you can check out the tour dates listed below to see if they’re coming near your hometown.

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: UFO’s The Salentino Cuts

UFO 2017 North American tour dates:
Sep 22 @ Newton Theater, Newton NJ
Sep 23 @ Paramount Theater, Huntington NY
Sep 24 @ Baltimore Soundstage, Baltimore MD
Sep 26 @ Theater Of The Living Arts, Philadelphia PA
Sep 28 @ Flying Monkey, Plymouth NH
Sep 29 @ Palladium, Worcester MA
Sep 30 @ Webster Theater, Hartford CT
Oct 1 @ Aura, Portland ME
Oct 3 @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Toronto ON Canada
Oct 4 @ Corona Theatre, Montreal QU Canada
Oct 6 @ Machine Shop, Flint MI
Oct 7 @ Ground Zero, Traverse City MI
Oct 8 @ Concord Music Hall, Chicago IL
Oct 9 @ Tangier Cabaret Room, Akron OH
Oct 11 @ Jergels, Pittsburgh PA
Oct 12 @ Bogarts, Cincinnati OH
Oct 13 @ Star Plaza, Merrillville IN
Oct 14 @ The Egyptian, Indianapolis IN