Monthly archive

November 2014

The Starliters – Stop Kiddin’

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the Starliters - Stop Kiddin'
the Starliters – Stop Kiddin’

El Toro3023
Come On Stroll – Don’t Wanna Fly Back Home – I’ll Do It Every Time – I’ll Never Be Your Man – I’m Not A Kid Anymore – I’m Wasting My Time – It’s All Your Fault – Little Grass Shack – Long Gone Train – Once Again With You – Take And Give – Tennessee Local – The Honky Tonk Dream – This Chick Drinks More Than Me – Where My Little Love Has Gone – Who Who Boogie

There’s not that much Italian bands, but quantity doesn’t matter, quality does. And you’ll find quality with the Starliters. Featuring members from the Tribal Bops, this combo has, since the mid 90’s established a solid reputation with releases on On The Hill and Tail. With 16 tracks and 9 originals, their latest release is loaded with excitment, joy and first class musicianship. You’ll find a stroller (the opening track), two wild and frantic rockers (Don’t Wanna Fly Back Home and I’m Wasting My Time), hillbilly boogie (Who Who Boogie and Tennessee Local sung by drummer Frank who is very close to Tenneessee Ernie Ford; both featuring guest Jerry Boogie on piano), western swing (Cindy Walker’s It’s All Your Fault, the excellent This Chick drinks more than me), a ballad (Once again with you) and a BR5-49 type of song (Honky Tonk Dream) and some excellent covers (especially Johnny Horton’s I do it everytime). Icing on the cake,  Rockin’ Bonnie joins force to sing duet on the classic Take and Give.
Available at El Toro
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Poker Dots

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The Poker Dots
The Poker Dots

The Poker Dots formed in Spring 2002 by John O’Malley – Nitro’s, Rabbit Action – (guitar and vocals), Zac Zdravkovic (doublebass) and Spencer Lingwod(drums) whilst they were playing for Good Rockin’ Tonight. They were influenced by The Platters,The Crew Cuts,The Chestnuts and The Keytones to name but a few. Other influences stretch as far back as Django Reinhardt and Nat King Cole. Having piled themselves into Zacs studio, they were let loose to rejuvinate some of their favourite tunes adding the Poker Dot flavour and having a ball while doing it. The result was cool, crisp and slick with sweet harmonies to give it that retro sound for this first cd.

Captain Coma

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Captain Coma - ThirstCaptain Coma – Thirst

Kix 4U [1990]
Texas landler – Night Of Terror – Unguilty – Frenzy – Let’s Play House – Ghost Hour – Made In Germany – Sweetheart – 16 Pints – Live To Kill – These Boots… – Evil – Jailhouse Rock – Take Good Care

Captain Coma were from Germany and played a heavy kind of psychobilly with electric bass and raspy voice which could sometimes remind of the Meteors but were far to have the genius of Fenech’s brainchild.

They could have done one average mini lp for they have a couple of not so bad self penned songs like “Western landler” or “Night of Terror”. Instead of that they filled the album with poorly written material and uninspired and unoriginal covers (Frenzy, These Boots Are Made For Walkin’, Baby Let’s Play House, Jailhouse Rock) that sound like a parody of rockabilly played by a drunken punk band (they turned “16 Tons” into… “16 Pints”). Played at the same pace, in the same key, with the same sound and always the same feedback to start the songs, “Thirst” soon turns to be very monotonous.

The Radioactive Kid

Captain Coma
Captain Coma

The Pussykillers

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Pussykillers - David Vincent les a vu
Pussykillers – David Vincent les a vu

David Vincent les a vu /Zombie Rockers
KRUEL K 8803 [1989]

The Pussykillers were a French Psychobilly band from Poitiers and consisted of Bill (vocals), Kub (doublebass / b-vox), Erick (guitar / b-vox) and V(drums / b-vox). They played  a brand of heavy psychobilly influenced by the Meteors and the early Coffin Nails. Actually, their singer shouted more than he sang. They also played some gigs with Thierry Petel (Happy Drivers) on drums but they split in the early 90’s. It seems that their guitar player later comitted suicide.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Nelson Carrera – Love is a trap

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Nelson Carrera - Love is a trap - Rhythm Bomb
Nelson Carrera – Love is a trap – Rhythm Bomb

Rhythm Bomb Records – RBR 5773
Love is a Trap – Cold Heart Baby – But She’s Not You – I’ll Be A Bachelor Till I Die – Who’s Gonna Love Me Now – Crying Time – Honey Bop – Train To Jackson – Proud Of You – Thanks A Lot – Hey Santa Claus – As Long As Lon As You Love Me Too – Knockin’ On The Wrong Door – When My Baby Left Me – Still Around

Love is a trap is a good album of traditionnal rockabilly and honky tonk with a fine sound that seems to come directly from the fifties. You’ll find a majority of self-penned songs and a couple of well chosen covers from Hank Williams, Buck Owens, Ernest Tubb, Sid King…
Carrera used two different backing bands bon this record. Songs one to ten were recorded in France by Steve Rydell who also played guitar with Pascal Freyche on upright bassn Jean Pierre Cardot on piano and Gael Peletin on drums. The remaining five tunes come from two different sessions with the Dixie Boys in Portugal. Both are excellent though I do prefer the mix of the songs recorded by Rydell.
There’s no musical revolution here and Love is a Trap won’t probably change the way you see Rockabilly. But that’s not what you expect from this kind of records and if you ask for half an hour in company of a competent rockabilly singer and with a solid backing band, look no further.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis