As a lifelong Motörhead fan this release is one which I was a little unsure of when I first read about it. In keeping with the seemingly endless preoccupation of re-releasing slabs of music history, the Motörhead 79 campaign marks the 40th anniversary of two seminal albums in the career of one of the best rock n’ roll bands the UK has ever seen. I understand that this package has the full cooperation of the three band members estates and it does allow one the opportunity to revisit the music that pushed Motörhead from pub band to legends. Just in case you have lived under a rock for 40 years, Overkill and Bomber form two thirds of the trio of albums which are widely regarded as the classics in their catalogue (The other being Ace Of Spades).
Released on 24 March 1979, Overkill is arguably the ultimate Motörhead album. There are few more devastating opening tracks that the thunderous double bass kick of ‘Philthy Animal’ which opens Overkill. It remains irresistible, especially when joined by the rapid fire of Lemmy’s Rickenbacker and the crashing riffs of ‘Fast’ Eddie. The album also contains the backbone of the Motörhead live set for the next four decades: Overkill, No Class, Stay Clean and Metropolis became permanent live staples, whilst Damage Case and Capricorn also featured regularly. There is little more to say about this album. Raw, vibrant and brimming with thumping tunes, it is simply brilliant.
You also get the band’s full set from Friars, Aylesbury on the Good N’ Loud tour which supported the album release. Recorded on 31st March 1979, this recording harnesses the incredible raw energy that the band had at that time in their career. Ferociously fast, you can see why Motörhead were described as the prototype thrash band who influenced so many. The set list contains several tracks from Overkill along with Hawkwind staples The Watcher and Motörhead, and other tracks from their 1977 debut release Motörhead. At times totally anarchic the band were on stage; the band is clearly under the influence yet still able to hold it all together. The interplay between the band highlighted the camaraderie that existed with the classic line-up whilst Lemmy’s interactions with the crowd are endearing and showed his lasting respect for those who came to watch him play.
For those of us alive at the time, 1979 saw lengthy periods of industrial unrest and the arrival of the Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher as PM. Motörhead’s follow up to Overkill contained a more bluesy Bomber was another solid release with the cracking Dead Men Tell No Tales opening the album, ‘Fast’ Eddie’s soulful playing linking with the rhythm guitar style of Lemmy’s bass. Bomber isn’t as aggressive as Overkill but there are several tracks on the album that stand the test of time, including the thundering Stone-Dead Forever and of course the intensity of the title track which closes the album. The album which inspired that lighting rig, Bomber cemented Motörhead’s reputation
The liver recording to accompany Bomber in this package was recorded in Le Mans on 3rd November 1979. Sharpshooter is over an hour of Motörhead with the set list similar to the Good N’ Loud show in Aylesbury. Slightly weaker in production and mixt he addition of tracks from Bomber add interest although the band are distinctly looser with hints of the sloppiness that sometimes affected the band live. A rare opportunity to hear tracks like All The Aces, Lawman and Poison recorded live makes this an interesting if perhaps non-essential listen.
Completing the box set is a collection of alternate versions and outtakes of a few of the Bomber tracks in The Rest of ‘79. Whilst I’m not a fan of rough mixes and outtakes, the gem here is the instrumental version of Fun On The Farm and the blues-soaked crawl of Treat Me Nice (originally recorded in 1980 and is an early version of the song You Better Ru’, released on March ör Die in 1992) which demonstrates that Motörhead were always a rock ‘n’ roll band. ‘Fast’ Eddie’s guitar work is particularly fine here. Overall this is an essential package for those who remain staunch devotees of the Motörhead legacy. History has shown that Motörhead are one of the iconic bands of a generation; they remain sorely missed and in the 1979 package we have a reminder of what a thunderously impressive band they were. 9/10
The Wildhearts: Diagnosis (Graphite Records) [Alex Swift]
After nearly 10 years of radio silence from the Wildhearts, save the occasional show here and there, they have returned all guns blazing, in 2019. In May they released their excellent comeback record, Renaissance Men, which brought their signature combination of raucousness and searing melodies to the forefront while continuing to develop their sound. Ginger also got a solo album out this year. Both he and the band have been touring seemingly non-stop, and in between all of that Wildhearts, proper have managed to get back in the studio to record five new songs, for a mini-album headed up by the best song from the full-length, Diagnosis! Believe me when I say the title track truly is as sweet today as five months ago. The anthem helps me feel better about myself, the feverish, enthralling guitars and screams of ‘You are not your diagnosis!’ aiding in creating a truly cathartic experience. Not only is this one of the most poignant songs about mental health I’ve either heard, but it’s also a fine protest song as well. Everything about the song proves a rallying cry, to the disenfranchised: how dare you label us, we’re not your puppet, your toy ‘you’re not an animal! You are a human being’.
Let’s not overlook the other five ragers here though: God Damn begins on some more of that wild punk charm, before culminating in a level of ferocity which even exceeds their expected level of zaniness. The duelling guitar riffs on this track, mixed with the galloping bass really lends the impression that the band knew these extra songs would meet their expected level of dynamism. This is immediately followed by A Song About Drinking, in which the more retro, traditional sound makes the song reminiscent of something from Earth Versus The Wildhearts or The Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed. In the catalogue of topics they’ve employed, this one obviously falls closer to the silly end of the spectrum, yet lacks none of that wittiness that they always manage to bring to the table. The First Time has an incredibly joyous tone, the exuberant lead melodies, and lively tempos, almost imitating glam rock, yet with these musicians placing their own unique spin on the sound.
To be quite honest, I don’t care for That’s My Girl – make no mistake, it’s got a great solo, yet the production and compositional choices make it indistinguishable from an Andrew W.K song – who although great in his own right, has a sound of his own, which feels a little out of place here. Neither do I like LOCAC which is their attempt at a hardcore song – again, not necessarily bad, just not a style which looks awfully comfortable on Ginger and co, whose main strength is writing melodic songs which are simple enough to learn, yet complex enough to be blown over by. Is Diagnosis as good as Renaissance Men? Well, no but then, it's not actually a full release. The mini-album may be flawed in places, yet it still demonstrates the trademark energy and vitality we have come to expect from the four-piece. Don’t expect another classic, yet definitely, make time in your listening schedule for at least one full listen 7/10
Blame Zeus: Seethe (Rockshots Records)
Hailing from sun soaked Portugal, Mr & Mrs Hutchings favourite holiday destination, Blame Zeus are a really interesting band to listen to. I'd say they were alternative rock with a lot of progressive touches. Big chunky riffs bring fat grooves, the rhythm section locks it all into place driving the time signature changes that remind me of Tool in places led by the thumping bass (The Warden). The magic of Blame Zeus is in the soulful vocals of Sandra who carries tracks like Deja Vu which has a modern style built on some crushing heavy riffs. The band have said that this could be considered a conceptual album "because the main theme of the songs is unexpressed anger, silent pain transformed into poetry" it means this album has touches of Alice In Chains, Halestorm and also Hydrogyn, when they were good.
The addition of male vocals on Down To Our Bones is welcome taking things to the Lacuna Coil style, on this song is full of attitude. With the big rock songs swelling most of the album, there are also some more reflective moments, with the proggy White an anthemic ballad with some acoustic layering that transforms itself into a chugging rocker with some odd time signatures. The Obsession Lullaby continues the anthemic style with a killer guitar solo in the middle while things get grittier with Into The Womb but it's No that is the clear single here with it's defiant industrially tinged sound. Seethe is a really deep, intelligent album from these Portuguese rockers, I urge you to seek it out. 8/10
Double Crush Syndrome: Death To Pop (Arising Empire) [Alex Swift]
Any album by the name of Death To Pop is either going to be really enthusiastic or embarrassing. There’s certainly a lot of conviction in the title, and I’m pretty much immediately told that I’m not headed into an experience too focussed on genre fusion. Sadly that works far more to Double Crush Syndromes detriment than their advantage. There's a prevailing sarcasm throughout, which lends the act a cheekily brazen attitude, particularly from vocalist and lead guitarist Andy Brings, and the musicians around him certainly command a level of theatrical strut. For instance, the album opener, Whore, slows down in the bridge before gradually swelling to the main chorus, while the title track utilizes a call and response technique, bringing to life that determined, influential feel, alluded to by the lyricism. For all its faults the album champions rock and metal while giving a subtle wink to the audience to let them know that these musicians are here to have a lot of fun, rather than make a statement, or be taken too seriously – I certainly appreciate that.
However, I have said this before, but while I love me’ some traditional hard rock, you don’t get any points in my book for clinging to stereotypical sounds. This album would have impressed me 12 years ago when I was just getting into rock and hadn't heard everything the umbrella term has to offer, yet down the line, I’ve come to appreciate experimentation and learned to draw lines between music with genuine passion, and stuff that’s just generic or copycat. I’m sad to say that these anthems are absolutely slathered in that kind of cynicism. From the uninteresting rhythms and riffs which pervade Souls to Sell to the absolutely cringe-inducing romantic lyricism of I’m in love with you – the saccharine, sugar-coated clichés just seem weak, no matter how many layers of irony this singer tries to drench them in. There’s literally a song on here called Cocaine Lips which sounds like Summer Lovin’ from Grease, as performed by Motley Crue – given my love of musicals, you think I’d be all over that, but in this case, na…that’s just stretching the joke to ridiculous levels.
Although you could do far worse than Double Crush Syndrome in the barren wasteland of generic hard rock, a vague semblance of personality is unlikely to do you any favours in my scoring system, As I said before, I can respect some of the tactics played with here, yet they won't be convincing me to return any time soon. 4/10
Blame Zeus: Seethe (Rockshots Records)
Hailing from sun soaked Portugal, Mr & Mrs Hutchings favourite holiday destination, Blame Zeus are a really interesting band to listen to. I'd say they were alternative rock with a lot of progressive touches. Big chunky riffs bring fat grooves, the rhythm section locks it all into place driving the time signature changes that remind me of Tool in places led by the thumping bass (The Warden). The magic of Blame Zeus is in the soulful vocals of Sandra who carries tracks like Deja Vu which has a modern style built on some crushing heavy riffs. The band have said that this could be considered a conceptual album "because the main theme of the songs is unexpressed anger, silent pain transformed into poetry" it means this album has touches of Alice In Chains, Halestorm and also Hydrogyn, when they were good.
The addition of male vocals on Down To Our Bones is welcome taking things to the Lacuna Coil style, on this song is full of attitude. With the big rock songs swelling most of the album, there are also some more reflective moments, with the proggy White an anthemic ballad with some acoustic layering that transforms itself into a chugging rocker with some odd time signatures. The Obsession Lullaby continues the anthemic style with a killer guitar solo in the middle while things get grittier with Into The Womb but it's No that is the clear single here with it's defiant industrially tinged sound. Seethe is a really deep, intelligent album from these Portuguese rockers, I urge you to seek it out. 8/10
Double Crush Syndrome: Death To Pop (Arising Empire) [Alex Swift]
Any album by the name of Death To Pop is either going to be really enthusiastic or embarrassing. There’s certainly a lot of conviction in the title, and I’m pretty much immediately told that I’m not headed into an experience too focussed on genre fusion. Sadly that works far more to Double Crush Syndromes detriment than their advantage. There's a prevailing sarcasm throughout, which lends the act a cheekily brazen attitude, particularly from vocalist and lead guitarist Andy Brings, and the musicians around him certainly command a level of theatrical strut. For instance, the album opener, Whore, slows down in the bridge before gradually swelling to the main chorus, while the title track utilizes a call and response technique, bringing to life that determined, influential feel, alluded to by the lyricism. For all its faults the album champions rock and metal while giving a subtle wink to the audience to let them know that these musicians are here to have a lot of fun, rather than make a statement, or be taken too seriously – I certainly appreciate that.
However, I have said this before, but while I love me’ some traditional hard rock, you don’t get any points in my book for clinging to stereotypical sounds. This album would have impressed me 12 years ago when I was just getting into rock and hadn't heard everything the umbrella term has to offer, yet down the line, I’ve come to appreciate experimentation and learned to draw lines between music with genuine passion, and stuff that’s just generic or copycat. I’m sad to say that these anthems are absolutely slathered in that kind of cynicism. From the uninteresting rhythms and riffs which pervade Souls to Sell to the absolutely cringe-inducing romantic lyricism of I’m in love with you – the saccharine, sugar-coated clichés just seem weak, no matter how many layers of irony this singer tries to drench them in. There’s literally a song on here called Cocaine Lips which sounds like Summer Lovin’ from Grease, as performed by Motley Crue – given my love of musicals, you think I’d be all over that, but in this case, na…that’s just stretching the joke to ridiculous levels.
Although you could do far worse than Double Crush Syndrome in the barren wasteland of generic hard rock, a vague semblance of personality is unlikely to do you any favours in my scoring system, As I said before, I can respect some of the tactics played with here, yet they won't be convincing me to return any time soon. 4/10
No comments:
Post a Comment