The Cordwood Draggers – A Starlit Shindig With…
El Toro Records – ETCD 4012
Jukebox Tell My Baby – Kwitchurbelyakin – Game of Love – Falling for You – Where’s Ya Stay Last Night?- 255 Flattie – Ten Year Itch – Little Martian Honey- Honestly – Lover’s Moon – Lonesome Truck Driver Blues – Rock Boppin’ Again
Here you have the third album from that british band still on that great Spanish label El Toro. The majority of the songs – eight – from this album are from the pen of singer/guitarist Mick Cocksedge, and like the previous one there’s a little bit for everyone. You’ll find a hillbilly lament (Jukebox Tell My Baby) with pedal steel which is also present on the hillbilly bop “The Game Of Love” and “Lover’s Moon”. It also adds a feeling of loneliness on “Lonesome Truck Driver Blues”, and even if the songs is credited to Bill Monroe their version owes more to Bob Newman. Of course you have a good dose of rockabilly, never too wild but a good collection of mid tempoes like “Rock Boppin’ Again”, “Kwitchurbelyakin” and “Where’d Ya Stay Last Night?” which is a bit more modern than the other one. The hillbilly bop/rockabilly “255 Flattie” is one of my favourite with questions/answers between the lead singer and the backing vocals and Eddie Potter’s take off guitar. Potter also wrote “Ten Year Itch” which also has a bit of a modern edge mixed with Hank Williams’Ramblin’ Man. Very good. “Little Martian Honey” is a solid rockabilly with heavy slapbass and wild guitar but one could regret the mix that buries the voice too much on this one. The doo-wop band The Roomates adds their sweet voice on two slow and beautiful songs “Falling For You” and “Honestly”. One fine album with different arrangements and moods.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis
The Cordwood Draggers – Radiation Bop
El Toro Records. ETCD 4011
Honey Honey – I Missed You – Simmer Down – Don’t Tease Me – Radiation Bop – Shake Her Shack – For Always – Flipside Mama – Knock Knock Knock – I Stole Today – Write Me A Letter – Hey Mr Plane – That’s When It All Went Wrong – Rock And Roll On
Talking about nuclear energy here is another fucking good trio from England with a self-penned album. Among the 14 titles of that album you’ll no doubt find something for you with sometimes beat sometimes delicacy: some first class rockabilly («Flipside Mama», «Knock Knock Rock») some hillbilly («Simmer Down» «Shake Her Shack», «Write My Baby A Letter») a honky-tonkin’ one in a Johnny Horton way («I Stole Today»), some «Jets» sounding («Don’t Tease Me» and «Hey Mr Plane»reminds me the famous british band) and a little doo-wopin’ («For Always» with the Roomates backing vocals).The first «Honey Honey» written by the singer Mick Cocksedge is gonna grab you like it grabbed me with its tapering and piercing guitar. Their «Radiation Bop» with the burlisonian sounding rockabilly guitar from Ed Potter and the Jose Espinosa’s bullfiddle will explode in your face. «Rock and Roll On» a «Buddy Holly style» end that second album from a to be closely followed band.
David “Long Tall” Phisel