psychobilly Archives - the rockabilly chronicle

Chicken Jump Skips

Published on 11 June 202411 June 2024

Reviews

Chicken Jump Skips – Fly Back!!!

Thousands Records – 1000CD-047 [2024]
Honey Hush – Battle Back – Live Wire – Mess Around – Go Heavean – Jailhouse Rock – Mad Stone – Your Wildcat Ways – Saddle Soap

Chicken Jump Skips is a band with origins dating back to 1991. Over the years, it has evolved to its current lineup. The band’s first album, released in 2016, demonstrated their talent with an impressive rendition of “Sing Sing Sing.” Now, in 2024, they are back with their second album, which primarily features cover songs. Despite the potential difficulties that come with covering other artists’ work, Chicken Jump Skips’ creativity and skill shine.
The album begins with a strong version of “Honey Hush,” a cover that is certain to capture your attention. Imagine Johnny Burnette’s rendition, but performed at a thrilling 78 rpm, complete with a powerful double bass that will resonate through your surroundings. In just a minute and thirty seconds, the band leaves a lasting impression.
The next track, “Battle Back,” doesn’t skimp on the double bass. It has a perfect melody and a very good structure, alternating between slow and fast parts. A short, original guitar solo brightens up the whole song. Psychobilly is a genre known for mixing with Metal (with various degrees of success). Among the successes is the excellent cover of “Ace Of Spades” by Batmobile. Now we have to consider Chicken Jump Skips’ version of Mötley Crüe’s “Live Wire,” which sets the bar very high and is on par with Batmobile. They manage to maintain the energy of the original track and its characteristic breaks while infusing their own Psychobilly touch. Once again, we can’t help but notice the enormous work of the rhythm section.
We continue with another successful cover with “Mess Around” (Ray Charles), which, in the expert hands of the trio, becomes a clever mix between Ska and Psychobilly with a frantic voice. One of the group’s great qualities is that, although they often play at tempos that would make Chuck Yeager blush, they always remain very melodic, as “Go Heaven” proves. At times, we would be tempted to compare them to Batmobile; this is particularly obvious when we listen to their version of Jailhouse Rock, which copies the melody of its verses from “Bambooland” (and given the result, it is an excellent idea!). “Mad Stone” alternates wild parts with more pop moments. “Your Wildcat Ways” should irritate many a Rockabilly purist, but how good does it feel to hear a band having fun and playing without worrying about anything other than having a good time.
“Saddle Soap” (released in 1985 on the Roughnecks’ first EP) ends the album on a melodious, more Rockabilly note, and it is just as successful.
Furthermore, Chicken Jump Skips has the excellent idea of making a short album (nine tracks and less than 22 minutes), which avoids any attempt at filler and leaves the listener breathless and asking for more (which is always a good sign).

Fred ”Virgil” Turgis

Demented Are Go

Published on 7 June 20247 June 2024

Reviews

Demented Are Go – Demented Are Go Present… The Demon Teds – The Day The Earth Spat Blood

Link Records LINK MLP 084
Country Woman – Brain Damaged Chile (Slight Retard) – One Sharp Knife – Flight 103 – Termite Man -Skitzoid Brain – Now She’s Dead (Warp Mix) Life’s A Bitch/Demon Ted Boogie/Now She’s Dead

In 1989, Mark Phillips decided to revive Demented Are Go, which had broken up some time before due to the departure of Lex Luther followed by the double bassist. Faithful Ant Thomas (drums) and Simon Cohen (violin) returned, and the lineup was completed by Billy Favata (double bass) and Mike Pannell (guitar), both from the Court Jesters. The group was quickly offered the opportunity to record an album by Link Records. Despite not having any songs ready and without having rehearsed, Demented Are Go entered the studio to record what would become “Demon Teds… The Day The Earth Spat Blood.” Considering the large quantity of alcohol (and likely other substances) consumed, it’s quite surprising that Link Records was able to release an album at the end of the recording session.
The album includes several filler tracks such as Flight 103, Termite Man, and Life’s A Bitch, which quickly turn into aimless guitar demonstrations with a poor metal sound that borders on bad taste. These are interspersed with various noises and effects seemingly for no reason other than to fill up time. Despite this, there are still some good tracks on this record. When Demented Are Go are at their best, they are truly impressive. With Country Woman, the band creates a new genre that blends country music and Psychobilly with a wild and frantic violin and jaw harp. With its intro that sounds lile a zombie version of the Beach Boys, Brain Damaged Chile is a pure blast of madness, and One Sharp Knife is one of the group’s best songs. This version has a much heavier sound than the first version that appeared on Hell’s Bent On Rockin’! in 1985. Both versions are excellent, but I have a soft spot for the first, which is scarier. Skitzoid Brain is also a good song that captures the band’s signature Psychobilly sound.
It’s unfortunate that the mediocre songs drown out the good ones because these four tracks could have made for a great EP.

The Radioactive Kid

Rattlers (the)

Published on 21 May 202422 May 2024

Reviews

The Rattlers – I Don’t Want You

Lost Moment LOM003 [1984]
I Don’t Want You – Hey Baby

Debut single for the Rattlers (Mark Carrington on vocals, Steve Davey on lead guitar, Nick Peck on slap bass and Graham Woodside on drums.) Both songs are originals.
A side is a good Rockabilly number with powerful slap bass and clean guitar, while B side shows some Psychobilly influences in the structure and the vocals.

The Rattlers – Scare Me to Death

Lost Moment Records – LMLP 001 [1984]
Scare Me To Death – Little Red – Mine All Mine – Kat Krept In – Hey Baby – Always Yours – Your my Baby – The Rattlin Boogie

The Rattlers were formed in the early 1980s around Mark Carrington (vocals), Nick Peck (double bass), Steve Davey (guitar) and Graham Woodside (drums). In 1984, the group signed with Lost Moment Records and, in the wake, released their first 45 rpm. Shortly after, the Rattlers released their first album under the guidance of Boz Boorer (Polecats). Musically, the Rattlers sound like the turbulent little brothers of the Polecats (for Carrington’s voice) and the Deltas for the energy. The influence of the emerging Psychobilly scene can also be heard on their cover of You’re My Baby (also covered at the same time by Guana Batz). The group does not hesitate to cover songs more associated with the Glam scene (Cat Crept In by Mud or Always Yours by Gary Glitter). The Rattlin Boogie is an excellent instrumental with a second Les Paul-influenced guitar that bears Boz Boorer’s mark. Even though the band has an excellent guitarist and a powerful bassist, it’s sometimes a little chaotic, even shaky, but it always remains new and exciting, which is what Rock’n’roll should always be.

The Rattlers – Take A Ride

Lost Moment Records – LMLP 007 [1985]
Shake Your Money Maker – Knife Edge Baby – Life In A Coffin – Bloo Zoot – Gona Rock – 007 Theme – Take A Ride – Mine All Mine – Bad Moon Rising – Blow Up Baby – She’s The One – Love Me – Bare Foot Nelly

For their second album, the Rattlers are now playing as a trio. Steve Davey and Graham Woodside have both left the band. Robert Clarke is now the Rattlers’ guitarist, and Mark Carrington has moved to drums while continuing to provide vocals.
But these changes in no way affect the group’s energy and ability to play and compose excellent Neo-Rockabilly numbers.
Additionally, the band is produced by Paul Stewart, who knows how to get the most out of the trio. The production is perfect. The stripped-down quasi-acoustic sound of the double bass and drums (almost played without cymbals) contrasts wonderfully with Clarke’s inventive electric guitar. The group gets closer to the Deltas on certain songs (Bloo Zoot, Shake Your Money Maker) to switch, the next moment, to an instant Psychobilly classic (Life In A Coffin) before moving on to a Rockabilly Pop song (Gonna Rock) which, with a bit of promotion could almost have been a hit. The trio also offers an excellent version of the 007 Theme, recorded at Stewart’s suggestion because the group lacked songs to complete the album. Along the same lines, Blow Up Baby was composed in the studio, with each group member contributing to the writing.
Many Psychobilly and Neo-Rockabilly groups, from Meteors to Swamp Dogs via Stage Frite or Voodoo Dolls, have covered Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival). Still, the Rattlers’ version is undoubtedly one of the best. Unfortunately, like many other bands before them, in fact, all except the Cramps, the Rattlers fail to recreate the energy and urgency of The Phantom’s Love Me. The album ends with Barefoot Nelly, a hillbilly/skiffle with banjo.

The Rattlers – Never Say Die

Nervous 052 [1989]
Crazy Love CLCD6494
Gone Forever – Cruisin` Around – For Your Love – She`s The One – Savin` It All For You – Loaded Dice – Leavin` You Behind – Never Say Die – The Man With The Twilight Eyes – For You No More – Forbidden Love – October Moon – Never Catch Me Again

The Rattlers formed in 1984. the band released various albums, singles, ep’s before splitting a couple of years later. Nick Peck (slap bassist) joined Paul Roman (Quakes) in Paul Roman and the Prowlers for a short time but soon re-frormed the Rattlers, with Doug Sheperd on guitar (formerly in Something Shocking and one time member of the Rattlers for the stage) and Doug McCarthy on drums. A deal was concluded with Nervous Records and they recorded “Never Say Die” with Pete Gage in 1989.
This album is really excellent and though the previous one were good it’s by far a more accomplished work (I believe that Gage is no stranger to that).
The core of the album is made of a majority of self penned neo-rockabilly numbers very well written with tight arrangement and a special care on the vocal harmonies. Peck is a more than competent singer too. A couple of songs border on psychobilly like the title track (superb) and Forbidden Love. At the exact opposite October Moon and Leavin’ You Behind find the band in a jazzy-rockabilly style similar to the Nitros.
The original pressing is now long out of print but it’s been reissue on cd by Crazy Love records and is also available as mp3 download.

The Rattlers – Face The Fact

Raucous Records RAUC 012
Face the Fact – Running / I Feel Fine – Waiting for You To Call

After the resounding success of “Never Say Die,” the Rattlers continued their momentum with a new EP the following year. Produced by Boz Boorer (Polecats), the EP featured a new line-up with Alistair Dick on double bass, allowing Nick Peck to focus solely on vocals. The EP is well-produced and features fast-paced beats and catchy songs. “Face The Fact,” a composition by Boorer, showcases a melodic Neo-Rockabilly style, while “Running” leans more towards Psychobilly with its intense rhythm, raspy vocals, and contained rage.
Despite Peck’s somewhat imprecise singing, “I Feel Fine” works very well. It demonstrates how well the Beatles’ music lends itself to Neo-Rockabilly, following the likes of the Nitros, the Stringbeans, the Polecats, and Dave Phillips.
The EP concludes with “Waiting For You To Call,” driven by the lively drums of Doug Mc Carthy.

The Rattlers – Never A lost Moment

Lost Moment [1991]
Tear It Up – Mystery Train – She’s My Baby – Good Rockin’ Tonight – Rockhouse – Hey Baby – Ting-A-Ling – Little Red – Your My Baby – Walkin’ Whistlin’ Blues – I Don’t Want You – Mine All Mine – Dancin’ Doll – Your My Baby – Rattlin’ Boogie – Life in a Coffin – Take a Ride – Bad Moon Rising – Love Me – 007

What happens when a label wants to cash in on a band’s name? They gather early recordings (very early and much uninspired), poorly recorded live songs as well as a couple of outtakes and alternate takes and the result is a 20 song album that is barely audible. It’s a pity because the Rattlers were a good band and deserved a better treatment than this hastily made compilation. For hardcore fans only (but only them!).

The Rattlers – Live in Europe

Jungle Noise – APECALL 004 [1990]
Rock On – She’s the One – You’re My Baby – Face the Fact – Running – Life in a Coffin – My Way – For Your Love – Twilite Eyes – Waiting for You – Loaded Dice – Bad Moon Rising – I Feel Fine – Forbidden Love – Friday on my Mind – I’m ready – Never Catch Me Again – Little Red – King Creole – Oh Boy

The Rattlers recorded this live album in 1990 with the four-piece line-up of the band, which is the trio of Never say Die with new member Al Dick on bass, allowing Peck to concentrate on vocals.
With 20 songs, it’s a good value for money, though the majority of them are played at the same tempo, which tends to be slightly monotonous after 12 songs. Eight songs are originals while the remaining twelve come from Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, Elvis, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Easybeats, Garry Glitter, the Beatles and the Jackals, an American Rock’n’roll band that released one album on Nervous.
The sound is excellent, and the slap bass is very well recorded. It’s a nice addition to your Rattlers collection, though I prefer the studio recordings on which the vocals are better.

The Rattlers – Gangsters and loose Women

Count Orlock R.O.C.K. XII [1991]
Rock On – Change Your Mind – It’s All Over – What Have I Done? – The Chase – Ring On The Other Hand – Back Of My Hand – Through The Curtain – The Race Is On – Haunted Hill – Win Or Lose – Lux Luther Blues – She Don’t Love Me – Beat Out My Love – All The Tears – King Creole

With Gangster and Loose Women, the group moves from the neat Neo-Rockabilly of Never Say Die towards a lively and sometimes melodious Psychobilly. The compositions are quite good but, overall, lack a bit of variety both in rhythms and in sound.
Never Say Die benefited from Pete Gage’s presence and experience as a producer. He knew how to get the best out of the group, extending their style while renewing it. Here, the absence of a real producer (the album is produced by Sheperd, Peck, and the sound engineer) is cruelly felt.
Unfortunately, the songs all end up looking a bit similar, although some of the tunes stand out from the rest. We will note the excellent Lex Luther Blues (with harmonica), which recalls the first incarnation of the Rattlers, the acoustic and tuneful All the Tears (although a little weak in terms of vocals), the frantic and excellent The Chase (already released as a single) and a handful of others. But the album, which still contains sixteen tracks, ends up seeming long, which is a shame for a Rock’n’Roll album. The group would have been wiser to leave the often unnecessary covers (Rock On and King Creole being already present on the live album and Beat Out My Love that sounds terribly thin, especially compared to what the Cramps did of that same song) to have a tighter and ultimately more effective record.

Spook and the Ghouls

Published on 5 May 20245 May 2024

Reviews

Spook and the Ghouls – Whitechapel Murders

Nervous Records – NERD 043 [1988]
Reaper Grim – Demon Barber On Fleet Street – Vampira – Nightmares From Beyond – Love Me So – Let ‘Em Swing – Twisted Kind – Gallows Are Awaiting – Werewolf In Our Town – Dead Flesh Creeping – Bela Lugosi’s Dead – Live And Raw – Death Ride – Rocker

Spook and the Ghouls formed in the mid-1980s with Simon Badminton (vocals and double bass), Dave Kingdon (guitar), and Vic Greener (drums). The band’s outrageous makeup on the album cover tends to make them lose credibility. But it would be a shame to stop at this first sight because you would be missing out on an original group that stood out in the Psychobilly landscape of the second half of the 1980s.

Spook and the Ghouls develop a highly original style that is dark, grim, and very gloomy—in other words, gothic—but always melodic and in which the Rockabilly base remains very present.

The group’s success lies in their unique approach. Their music is not about being loud or aggressive. It’s about creating an unsettling, even oppressive atmosphere as if the singer is whispering a story directly into your ears. This aesthetic is perfectly captured in their cover of Bauhaus’s ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead ‘. The guitar work is a journey through various sounds and textures, from rock’n’roll to garage (Vampira), with detours into Surf and Metal (Nightmares from Beyond). The few Rockabilly tunes, lighter and bouncy, may seem out of place, but they are surprisingly effective.

Ultimately, when the trio plays a more classic and predictable Psychobilly, it loses its personality and is less convincing (like on their cover of AC/DC’s Rocker). Fortunately, there are very few.

If you’ve only skimmed through this record or are open to discovering a different album, I urge you to give this hard-to-pigeonhole record a thorough listen. You might just find yourself drawn into the unique world of Spook and the Ghouls.

The Radioactive Kid

Lost Souls (the)

Published on 16 March 202417 March 2024

Reviews

Lost Souls (the) – Erazer Head

Tombstone Records Tomb-Disc 698 [1991]
True Love – Dead Or Alive -(Get Me To The) World On Time – Hell Train – Spiral Dreams – Angel Of Death – Lysergic Acid – Erazer Head – Tomorrows Fool – S.O.A.P.Y – Witch Hunt – Doctor Death

Released shortly after their debut album, Erazer Head showed some changes in the sound of Lost Souls. The group’s sound has asserted itself, mainly the guitar, which has a more Metal tone and takes a more prominent place than on Chasin’ A Dream. The album also benefits from a better production. Roughly, one could say that if Chasin A Dream was close to the Mark Cole era Krewmen, Erazer Head is closer to Tony McMillan’s Krewmen. We can also hear the influence of emerging groups such as Nekromantix. This influence is also felt in the compositions, notably the two-part vocal parts of Hell Train. Overall, the sound has toughened up, making the group more aggressive and “in your face”. Likewise, the group introduces changes and breaks in rhythm (Spiral Dreams, Lysergic Acid), which bring the Psychobilly of Lost Souls into the 90s. Broome really delivers on double bass, ideally supported by the drums that followed the general evolution with a fat sound (and sometimes bordering on Punk). In the end, Lost Souls delivers an excellent nervous Psychobilly album, very representative of its time.

Lost Souls (the) – Chasin’ A Dream

Nervous Records NERD054 [1990]
Chasin’ A Dream – All Day And All Of The Nigh – Prisoner Of Love – Dancing With Myself – Still Feel The Pain – Only One For Me – Dead Stay Dead – Devil in Disguise – Surf Bitch – She’s Gone – Skid Row – Never Gonna Stop – Death Bone Alley – Lost Souls

Lost Souls began in the mid-80s as a four-piece band. They then evolved as a trio and were discovered by Roy Williams, who sent them to Madhouse studio to record their debut album produced by Mickey Mutant (Meteors, Coffin Nails, Restless). The lineup on this album consists of Mark Broome on double bass and vocals, Neal Hattersley on guitar and vocals and Ian Lydell on drums.
Released in March 1990, Chasin’ A Dream is very representative of the Psychobilly sound of the era, namely a wicked and raspy voice, a light electric guitar (sometimes similar to the early Frantic Flintstones) and a powerful rhythm section led by an even more powerful and fast slap bass.
The majority of this album is rather good and very pleasant, with excellent compositions. Moreover, the group has a good idea to add covers that have not been played ad nauseam, such as Billy Idol’s Dancing With Myself and The Kinks’ All Day And All Of the Night.
There are a few weaker songs and a bit repetitive, but it’s a detail, and the whole thing is more than successful.

The Graveyard Mutants

Published on 17 December 202317 December 2023

Reviews

The Graveyard Mutants – Afterlife Love Machine

Crazy Love Records CLEP64518
Afterlife Love Machine – Bloodlust / Puzzle Girl – The Witch

The Graveyard Mutants are a new trio from Spain. But if the band is new, the musicians are well-known names in the Spanish Rockabilly/Psychobilly and Punk scene.
David (lead vocals and double bass) previously slapped his bass in the Calamitiez and, before that, Smell of Kat. Julio (guitar) also played in the Calamitez, and Miguel drummed for various Punk bands.
Their new venture is one of the best Psychobilly releases I’ve heard in years, along with the Rusty Robots and the Nevrotix. But since the genre has seen many evolutions since its creation, and sometimes not for the best, and to avoid confusion, the term early-Psychobilly would be more appropriate (I also thought about borrowing the term Mutant Rock to Paul Fenech). There’s no trace of Metal or Punk in their music, despite the pedigree of some band members. The Graveyard Mutants play their own style of unhealthy Neo-Rockabilly, dealing with weird themes. But don’t think they’re a retro-sounding band trying to imitate what has been done 30 years ago. Even though you could take one of their songs and include it on any compilation album from the 80s without anyone noticing it, their EP, consisting of four self-penned tracks, manages to be, at the same time, a record that unmistakably sounds like a release from 2023. In other words, their music is timeless. That’s a prowess not given to anybody.

Let’s talk a bit about the music in detail. First, if you expect fast tunes, you will be disappointed. The band is clever enough to know that a song, especially a spooky one, needs breath to create an atmosphere. The four songs here are all mid-paced, some even with a slight country beat. The musicianship is also top-notch. I guess you can’t beat experience. David’s bass and Miguel’s drums work well together, blending to create a perfect rhythm section. Too often, the drums are poorly played and just here to give the tempo, or the band thinks that they have to put the bass and especially the slap to the fore, destabilising the ensemble’s sound. Not here. Then you have an excellent guitar player playing with a clean sound who favours fast licks instead of powerful chords. Then those licks explode into hot solos that are always inventive. Woah! With such a setting, David just has to add his confident and powerful voice, though he never shouts or screams, to these four excellent mutant gems.
Icing on the cake, Crazy Love released it in five different colours (black, green, yellow, red, mixed colors and white).

Fred “Virgil” Turgis