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Restless

Restless

Restless – Ready To Go!

Restless ready to goBluelight Records BLR 33205 2 [2020]
Love Like A Bullet – Ready To Go – Crime Don’t Pay – 18 Wheels – One Way – Hellbound – Knee Deep In The Beat – Shake Your Body – Open Road – Bid For Freedom – All Night Long – If I Can Ever Let Her Go

After forty years of service to the cause of Rock’n’Roll, Mark Harman has decided to bring down the curtain on Restless. That’s a shock. It’s hard for me to imagine a world without Restless. Theband has always been part of my musical landscape. I can tell you when and where I bought Why Don’t You Just Rock?
However, this sad news was counterbalanced by the announcement of a new studio album recorded by the four-piece line up of the band, which put on wax Vanish Without A Trace, one of the very best Neo-Rockabilly of all time.
The wait is finally over and here’s Restless’ final studio album the well-named Ready To Go! (I’m optimistic and hope that the band will maybe release a live album or a rarities compilation featuring all line-ups of Restless, one can dream.)
Ready to Go! is a vibrant album with songs penned by each member of Restless. It’s also perfectly recorded, with the band making full use of the studio and trying things with their producer Mika Railo. The sound is crystal clear, and the listener can hear every subtlety from the superb slap bass sound (you hear both the slap and the notes) to the different layers of guitars.
Love Like A Bullet, a rip-roaring boogie-blues with a modern edge, is the perfect opener. The title track is a wild Rockabilly with a Johnny Kidd feel. After a classic opening, Crime Don’t Pay develops into something completely different and very catchy. Restless songs have that quality to evolve into unexpected directions.
Jeff Bayly’s writing contribution is small in terms of quantity but not in terms of quality. His 18 Wheels is a superb Rockabilly tune with a country twang.
As a Buddy Holly fan, I was totally under the charm of One Way, a highly melodic tune with superb guitar arrangement between Harman and Malone. Hellbound is a country tune with a dark ambiance, featuring no less than six guitars and none played by mister Harman. This is the opportunity to mention his superb vocal performance, not only on this song but on the whole album. His talents as a guitarist are often praised, for good reasons, but we tend to forget just how fantastic a singer he is.
Knee Deep (In the Beat) changes the mood and is more on the jazz side. Nice piano playing too.
Shake Your Body is one of the most modern songs of the album. It mixes a threatening feel with a touch of what I would describe as Glamabilly. Surprising at first, but very addictive.
Next is Open Road, a beautiful country tune with a ’60s vibe. Bid For Freedom is more traditional, sounding like a cross between Sun Rockabillies and Marty Robbins. After that moment of calm, All Night Long, a fantastic Rocker with powerful slap bass and slide guitar, takes no prisoners. And here we are, the last tune of the final Restless album. If I Can Ever Let Her Go is a jazz-tinged number with piano and brushed snare. One could easily imagine the band playing it in a small club, in the wee hours of the morning, with the chairs on the tables.
What else can I say? It’s sad to see them go (though I’m sure they have plenty of solo projects) but it’s a good thing to see them leave the scene at the top of their game releasing what is probably one of their best albums.
The LP version has two different songs (Gotta Get Out, and Here She Comes.)
Available at Goofin Records and Raucous.


Restless ‎– Love Like A Bullet

restlessBluelight Records ‎– BLR 45143 7 [2019]
Love Like A Bullet – Get Up And Get Out

In the recent years, Restless went back to their mid 80’s quartet line-up consisting of Mick Malone on guitar, Jeff Bayly on bass, and, of course, Ben Cooper and Mark Harman, respectively on drums and guitar and vocals. This line-up gave us the best (the Vanish Without a Trace ep that I hold as one of the best neo-rockabilly records ever made) and After Midnight an album that needs to be reconsidered (see review below).
Penned by Cooper, Love Like A Bullet starts with the band shouting “Gotta Give me your love” that reminded me of the opening of What Can You Say? then the tune evolves into a rip-roaring boogie blues with a modern edge. The result is both a classic and a contemporary song.
The b-side, penned by Malone, is exclusive to this single and won’t be available on the forthcoming album, which is a reason good enough to buy it, but the quality of the song is another good reason.
These two songs augur the best for the album that will be released in 2020. And since the band has decided to call it quit, it will probably be their last which is very sad. But if all the songs are from the same wood, Restless will leave the scene on a very high note.


Restless – Figure It Out

Nervous Records NERCD072
Road To Paradise  Guitar Man  Nowhere To Go  Just An Echo  Empty Hands  Better than nothing  Still waiting  I go wild  Shopping Around  Going Back  His Latest Flame  Memoir’ Blue

Restless figure it outIn 1993, Restless, still with Steve Whitehouse on double bass and Rob Tyler on drums, returned to Nervous Records. But this return to the record company that released their first and classic album does not mark a return to the roots for the trio. Fans of Restless’ supercharged neo-rockabilly will have difficulty recognizing their favourite group.

Let’s start with what’s missed (and really missed): Road to Paradise and its sound straight out of the 80s, and Juste An Echo, a ballad that could be catchy if the production and its guitar solo worthy of Queen didn’t spoil it.

 There are still a handful of more nervous pieces, which sound typically Restless. The group seemingly had fun covering Elvis (His Latest Flame and Guitar Man), on which Mark Harman is very comfortable. Added to these two songs are Nowhere To Go, which is close to what the group recorded on Beat My Drum, Going Back, and I Go Wild. The latter, although not great, is compelling. For the rest, Figure It Out is mainly composed of ballads. We go from the Presleyian Shopin Around and its Jordanaires-style choirs to Still Waiting, which leans towards the Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly, even if it is not entirely successful. Likewise, Empty Hands and Better Than Nothing are undeniable successes. The album ends with the excellent Memoir Blues with its jazz-for-the-wee-wee-hours atmosphere.

So if you’re expecting another version of Why Don’t You Rock, you’re likely to be disappointed, but you’d be missing out on some excellent ballads, and when you think about it, there are so few bands doing them ( and who do it well), you would be wrong to deprive yourself.


Restless live in TokyoRestless – Live in Tokyo 1989

Foot Tapping Records
Intro-Ghost Town / People Love A Show / Radar Love / All By Myself / Roll Your Monkey Maker / Vanish Without A Trace / That’s Alright / Neutron Dance / Ice Cold / 16 Tons / Baby Please Don’t Go / Edge On You / Money Honey / Little Pig / Long Black Shiny Car / Mr. Blues

This album, with the Sharks‘ Live in Japan and Frenzy‘s Live in Japan tends to make me believe that the best live albums are recorded in Japan with Steve Whitehouse slapping the double bass. If the Meteors Hell in the Pacific could easily prove me wrong on the first point, the Blue Cats’ On A Live Mission certainly confirms the second.
In 1989 Jeff baily left Restless and the band considered calling it quit. But with a tour of Japan scheduled, Ben Cooper and Mark Harman decided to hire a temporary bassist, namely Steve Whitehouse, to honor the booking. As Mark said in an interview to Deathrow “If Steve had said no, then if would have almost certainly been the end of Restless. Thankfully he said yes and after five minutes of rehearsing we went to Japan.
The result as I said is an excellent live album with a surprinsigly tight band – considering the condition this line-up embarked to the tour – that plays all the classics (you can check, they’re all here) with carefully choosen covers and more unusual stuff like People Love A Show, a song that previously appeared on the b-side of Ice Cold.
Recorded by Pete Gage and mastered with the help of Alan Wilson you can’t go wrong in term of sound. Most of all this recording perfectly completes the other live albums released by Restless.
The choice of Whitehouse proved to me a pretty good one since the band recorded three studio albums, including the excellent Movin’ On, with him.


Restless – Beat My Drum

The Madhouse Recording Co. ‎– NUTA LP 001
Radar Love – Neutron Dance – Beat My Drum – Do What I Do – London Boy – New Orleans – Dance With The Devil – Get It While You Can – Tumblin’ Down – Big Wheel – Crossed Line – Ain’t Got You – Just Can’t Take It

In late 1987, Mick Malone left Restless, and the band was back to a trio again. It didn’t weaken the group, and the following year, Harman, Cooper, and Baily were back with a vengeance with Beat My Drum.
Maybe they thought that after the heavy produced After Midnight they had something to prove, but it found Restless in fine form.
Beat My Drum sounds like a perfect mix of the band’s first three albums. You can find the neo-rockabilly of Why Don’t You Just Rock? on Do What I Do, the modernity of Do You Feel… on Get It While You Can and the pop edge of After Midnight in their covers of Radar Love and Neutron Dance. But most of the time, helped by the clean production of Pete Gage, all these influences merge to create a unique style that will be Restless sound in the forthcoming albums.


Restless - Live at the Klub Foot
Restless – Live at the Klub Foot

Restless – Live at the Klub Foot

Trophy Records TR002
Roll Your Money Maker – Fools Gold – Last Chance Baby – Baby Please Don’t Go – Bottle On The Beach – Long Black Shiny Car – Girl On Death Row – Live A Lie – Ghost Town – Ice Cold – Edge On You – Love Me – Mr Blues

Recently Alan Wilson (of Western Star and the Sharks fame) found a box full of tapes recorded at the Klub Foot, the mecca of Psychobilly and Neo-rockabilly in the mid-80’s. These tapes needed to be restored and cleaned, a very costly process and two of these shows (Batmobile and Sting Rays) were released on Anagram/Cherry Red Records. Sadly the sales weren’t enough for the label and they called it quit. Knowing he had history in his hands, Wilson created a sub-label to his own Western Star to keep on releasing this stuff.
The second release in the serie concerns another well established name on the scene: Restless. I don’t think it’s possible to find someone who doesn’t like Why Don’t You Just Rock? or Do You Feel Restless? They made a name on both rockabilly and psychobilly scenes. When this gig was recorded in September 1984 they were at their finest, the line-up being original members Mark Harman on guitar and Ben Cooper on drums plus bassist Jeff Baily and, freshly recruited, Mick Malone on second guitar. The quartet plays killer tunes one after another (with the exception of the Phantom’s Love Me which doesn’t fit them well – sorry Mark you’re not a wildman). This set even features an original that never appeared on a studio album and written by Malone.
Buy it at Western Star


Restless – Ice Cold

Restless Ice ColdABC – ABCS 013T [1987]
Ice Cold (The 1987 Remake) – The Hunt Goes On / Stranger – People Love A Show

In March 1987, the four-piece line-up of Restless recorded a new version of Ice Cold. It’s a very different than the one you can find on their debut album. This new version has little to no connection with Rockabilly except for powerful slap bass. It’s almost a brand new song. The tempo is slower, the drum production is more massive, and there’s a slight variation on the melody. The result is surprising at first, but quite addictive.
The Hunt Goes On is an excellent modern-Rockabilly with once again a superb double bass part by Jeff Baily. The weak point is maybe the drums sound that betrays the date of recording.
Let’s put it frankly, Stranger has nothing to do with Rockabilly. It’s in the straight line of the material recorded by the band for After Midnight, but, on the other hand, this is probably one of Restless unsung gem.
Back to modern Rockabilly in the pure Restless style with People Love A Show. This one, with Ice Cold, was also released as a single.
Despite what have been said about this period of Restless, it was one of the band’s most creative peak; this 12” EP, featuring songs that weren’t available elsewhere, proves it.


Restless – Just A Friend

Restless just a friendABC – ABCS 012 [1986]
Just A Friend – The Girl Invisible

Just A Friend, the A-side comes from After Midnight. It has a 80’s pop meets jazz sound that one could find find in some bands of that era. It’s clean and features as usual a superb solo by Mister Harman. The Girl Invisible first appeared on the B-side of the Vanish Without A Trace ep. It’s one of the band’s best modern rockabilly effort.


Restless - After Midnight
Restless – After Midnight

Restless – After Midnight

ABC [1986]
What Can You Say – Somebody Told Me – Do You Really Need To know? – Trouble rides A Fast Horse – Bye B B By By Bye – How Can I Find You? – You Lose – After Midnight – Dark Blue Sea – The Face – Just A Friend

Back in college, thanks to a friend, I discovered Restless chronologically. I was blown away by Why don’t you just Rock? and amazed by Do You Feel… After that, Paul Harman left the band, which was joined by Jeff Baily on double bass and Mick Malone on second guitar. This line-up released Vanish without a Trace, one of my all-time favorite modern Rockabilly recordings.
Then, the quartet released After Midnight. I was young and dedicated to Rockabilly body and soul. I didn’t understand it and, you know how you are when you’re a teenager, I felt betrayed. Did Restless sell out? Nevertheless, I kept on buying Restless records, and the following albums were, to my relief, more to my tastes.
Now years have passed, I’m older – my quiff is far long gone – and, I hope, wiser. I decided to revisit After Midnight. And I was pleasantly surprised. More than that, it’s actually an excellent album. Sure, if you expect Why Don’t You Just Rock part. 2 you’ll be disappointed, but if you approach it with an open mind you’ll be rewarded with solid melodies and some of Mark Harman’s best guitar parts (listen to the way he jumps on the solo of the title track for example.)
The band also had the ambition to go beyond the Rockabilly label. After Midnight featured more adventurous songs in terms of melody and arrangements, hence the presence of horns, accordion, synths, and keyboards of all sorts. So, yes, maybe they pushed it too far at places, and the production, especially now, seems dated, but you can’t blame an artist for having the will to create.
In 1990, Madhouse reissued the album under the title Kickin’ Into Midnight. It is a remixed version without the horns and most of the arrangements. It’s quite good, maybe more rockin’, but to be honest, I wonder if I don’t prefer the original mix. Anyway, it’s good to have both.
So if you think that anything that Elvis recorded after the Army was crap, you can live without that album, but if you’re curious, open to new melodies, and not too allergic to the production sound of the ’80s, you’ll find plenty of good things.


Do You Feel RestlessRestless – Do You Feel Restless?

Nervous Records NERD015 [1984]
Bottle On The Beach – Here I Am – Fool’s Gold – Down At The Swamp – Alabama Jailhouse – Prisoner Of Love – Sob Story – Crack Up ‘n’ Fall To Pieces – 16 Tons – Baby Please Don’t Go – Here I Am (dub version) – Sweet Surprise

Released in 1984 on Nervous records, Do You Feel Restless is the second full-length album from the British trio. It sounds like the modern counterpart of their debut album, with songs that Nervous could have judged too adventurous to be included on their debut album. Ben Cooper, the drummer, takes the lion’s share in terms of songwriting with seven songs out of twelve (the cd reissue features fifteen songs.) The other tunes are covers (Alabama Jailhouse, Baby Please Don’t Go, Sixteen Tons), and one song penned by Mark Harman (Bottle on the Beach) and another by the whole band (Crack Up And Fall to Pieces.)
While Why Don’t You Just Rock remained in the boundaries of Rockabilly with very few modern elements, Do You Feel Restless explore new territories. It flirts with Psychobilly at places, adds a touch of Reggae (Here I Am), and thus creates a new brand of modern Rockabilly that will be their trademark in the following years.


Restless - Why Don't You… Just rock!
Restless – Why Don’t You… Just rock!

Restless – Why Don’t You Just Rock

Nervous records Ner004 [1982]
It’s A Scam – Ice Cold – Why Don’t You Just Rock! – High Time – Last Chance Baby – Tag Man Tag – Long Black Shiny Car – Face In My Gin – Yellow Cab To Midnight – Morning Comes Slowly – Black Cat – Travellin’ – High Time 2* – Later* – That’s Alright* (*cd only)

Restless debut album, Why Don’t You Just Rock, was like a lightning in a bottle. The band had it all: the songs (mostly penned by singer and guitar player Mark Harman), the talent (with Harman’s guitar everywhere but also a tight rhythm section made of his brother Paul and Ben Cooper on drums)  but also the freshness and some form of carefree attitude that you have when you’re a teenager and you play that kind of music. Thus, they brought something new to the genre, making a lively album that rocks, bops, swings and rolls. A 80’s equivalent to Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps (a huge influence on the band).
There’s no need to do a song by song review, each number here is almost a classic: the title track, Ice Cold, Yellow Cab to Midnight, High Time (with its crazy jazzy guitar), Long Black Shiny Car. Unlike many they’re not afraid to play a ballad (Morning Comes Slowly) seriously.
And if you still need to be convinced, just count the numerous band this particular album influenced. They are legions. Restless, with Why Don’t You Just Rock, almost define, with the Blue Cats and a couple more bands, what neo-rockabilly is.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Restless
Resless (Mark Harman, Paul Harman, Ben Cooper)
Resless (Mark Harman, Paul Harman, Ben Cooper)
Resless (Mark Harman, Paul Harman, Ben Cooper)

Red Velvet Trio

The Red Velvet Trio – Million Tears

Tombstone Records TOMB-CD 2007 [1992]
Million Tears – Wild Boy – Crazy Night – Miriam – Hairy Upperlip Song – Ugly Twins – Ringelingeling – That’s Enough – Wheelchair Boogie – Bad Breath – I Want You Now – What Can I Do

Red Velvet trio

If you dig your Neo-Rockabilly with a jive beat, look no further; the Red Velvet Trio is the band for you. This German trio, Led by Claudius Wolke (ex-Magnetics) on vocals and double bass with Markus Wietholt on drums and Marcus Rettig on guitar, rips through a set of twelve originals that are sure to please fans of Restless and the Ringlets Trio. The setlist is very well-balanced, alternating tempos, melodies and styles, going from the wild Neo-rockabilly of That’s Enough to the Jazzabilly of Ringelingeling. The production is flawless, and each instrument is perfectly highlighted.


The Red Velvet Trio – Let’s Dance, Let’s Dance

Tombstone Records TOMB-CD 2017 [1992]
Friendship – Got Me, Got You – It Only Depends On A Moment – Pretty Faces – Rockin’ Guitar – Travellin Around The World – Looser All Down The Line – Hanging Jugs – Farmer Boys – Three Leg Man – Don’t Play With Me – How To Loose

Red Velvet Trio

The second album by the Red Velvet Trio takes more or less the same ingredients as their debut album. But who will complain when it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. The set list mixes fast Neo-rockabilly akin to Restless with mellower tunes in the style of the Keytones (It Only Depends On A Momen) or the Ringlets Trio, more moody songs in between (Traveling Around The World) and some jazz chords thrown in for good measure (Farmer Boys).Once again, the musicianship is top-notch throughout, and the production is outstanding.

The Red Velvet trio on Spotify.

Various Artists – Live At The Big Rumble

Various Artists – Live At The Big Rumble

Nervous Records – NERCD 066 [1991]
Atomics: I do declare – Restless: New Orleans – Restless: Shake Your Moneymaker – Lost Souls: Devil in Disguise – Lost Souls: Prisonner of Love – Mad Sin: Moonlight Shadows – Mad Sin: Walltown Kid – Razorbacks: Hot rod man – Boozy: Boozy – Los Renegados: Soy un renegado – Cyclone: Bates motel – Cyclone: Cyclone Shock – Nekromantix: Alice in Psycholand – Nekromantix: Motor Psycho – Numbskulls: Psychophobia – Demented Are Go: Anal Wonderland – Dypsomaniaxe: Bad Habit – Coffin Nails: Loose Woman – Skitzo: Empty Room – Spellbound: Legend of the Past

Live at the Big Rumble

Live At The Big Rumble presents some bands recorded live at the 2nd Big Rumble in October 1990. The whole thing is uneven. Nevertheless, it offers some interesting moments.
The Atomics is an American band playing energetic Neo-rockabilly. Although convincing on their albums, their live performance here is quite messy.
The Razorbacks, another group from the United States, play a supercharged cover of Tex Rubinowitz’s classic Hot Rod Man.
Los Renegados mix their Neo-Rockabilly with a touch of Hillbilly for a fairly average result.
Boozy came from Belgium and was one of many bands that seemed more interested in partying than working on songs and recording albums. This is felt in their performance, which is confused and musically poor.
Restless lives up to its reputation. Always professional and at the top musically, the group, then with Steve Whitehouse of Frenzy on double bass, played two perfect versions of New Orleans and Shake Your Money Maker. Faced with such a performance, one can just regret the absence of Long Black Shiny Car or Ice Cold.
The Psychobilly from Lost Souls is fast and powerful. They’re one of the only bands on this compilation to sound better live than on the album.
This is unfortunately not the case with the Cyclone. Both songs are excellent, but the sound is confusing and can’t fully convey the album’s energy. On the contrary, Mad Sin, still a trio at the time, displays impressive energy. Even more impressive, Nekromantix perfectly reproduces the arrangements and the power of two songs from their second album. 
Dypsomaniaxe was formed by four colourful girls with impressive quiffs who played a fast, quite crazy, outrageous, exuberant, and fun Psychobilly. Everything to seduce! I would have easily exchanged half of this album for five or six more tracks of them. 
Much in better shape than on Link’s Live and Rockin’, the Coffin Nails launch into an epic five-minute version of Loose Woman, full of fun and humour.
If Skitzo’s performance is of interest, it is not musical but historical. It was the last concert given at the time by the group. It’s powerful, with a fairly marked Punk influence, although not as noisy as one might fear. However, the whole thing lacks a little accuracy and coherence.
Numbskulls play that brand of Psychobilly with a heavy Punk influence that I’m not too keen on. That said, they play it well.
Demented Are Go are in great shape, as demonstrated by the always very subtle Anal Wonderland. The pleasant surprise comes from Spellbound, whose version of Legend Of the Past is superior to the studio version.
Ultimately, this compilation is a strange catch-all between wild Psychobilly and Neo-Rockabilly, established groups and other more amateur ones, which makes us regret the absence of groups present during this edition (Quakes, Nitros, Polecats).

The Radioactive Kid

Dave Phillips and the Hot Rod Gang

Dave Phillips and the Hot Rod Gang - Wild Youth
Dave Phillips and the Hot Rod Gang – Wild Youth

Dave Phillips and the Hot Rod Gang – Wild Youth

Rockhouse [1982]
Wild Youth – She Will Come Back – 56 Boys –  Tainted Love – Love Me – My Turn – On The Move – One And Only – Flea Brain – Should I Ever Love Again – Summertime – Baby Blue – Just Can’t Believe – Wow

Having left the Blue Cats in 1980, Dave Phillips took some time off before forming his own band. Still with Gene Vincent in mind he named his new band the Hot Rod Gang after the 1958 movie featuring the screaming kid. The first line-up consisted of John Day and Ray Thompson on guitars, Rob Tyler on drums and of course Dave Phillips on double bass and lead vocals. But it’s the second line-up with Mark Harman from Restless on guitar replacing both Day and Thompson that entered the history of modern rockabilly. Harman was the perfect choice, his fast Gallup influenced licks being the perfect complement to Phillips. The trio recorded Wild Youth in late 1981 and contrary to what the cover reads it’s Tyler on drums and not Andrew Wrightson who was the band’s driver (even on the cd reissue features the mistake).
One can suppose that the label (Rockhouse for both) acted with Phillips the same way he did with the Blue Cats’ second album (with Clint Bradley) hence the presence of many familiar cover in a more traditional style (Flea Brain, Summertime, Baby Blue and the Phantom’s Love Me sung by Harman). But there’s enough modern stuff to make of Wild Youth a benchmark in Neo-Rockabilly history, the best known being their cover of Tainted Love. It’s an instant classic that will have a lasting influence on many young bands.
Essential to any decent collection.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis


Dave Phillips – Rockhouse Mini L.P. Collection

Rockhouse Records – MLP 8420 [1985]

Brand New Beat – The Fun Of It – In My Dreams – So Now You’ve Lost her – You Don’t Want to Know – The Trip

Dave Phillips

I said it before and I’ll say it again, mini lp are often the best support for Rockabilly. It’s short, every number counts and there’s no place for fillers.
Dave Phillips’ mini lp for Rockhouse is the perfect exemple of that statement.It’s almost perfect and dare I say, even better than his debut solo album.
Once again one can hear the influence of Gene Vincent, with the covers of Brand New beat (imagine Vincent revisited by Restless of vanish Without A Trace period) and In My Dreams which is probably the weakest song of the album (but to his discharge it’s hard to compete with Vincent on that type of song.)
The four remaining tracks are originals. You Don’t Want to Know features Mark Harman of Restless (and former hot Rod Gang member) on guitar and is a rockin’ ballad with once again the shadow of Gene Vincent over it.
So You’ve Lost Her is a medium rocker while the Fun of it is a fast neo-rockabilly with breaks later covered by French band the Happy Drivers on their debut album and the Trip is Worth th eprice of the album alone. This fast modern rockabilly number (with a dash of psychobilly) is a modern masterpiece.

Dave Phillips – The Best Of

Rockhouse records ROCKCD8603
Tainted love -’56 Boys – Wild youth – She will come back – Love me – On the move – It was free – The trip – Every walk of life – I saw her standing there – Sunshine girl – So now you lost her – The fun of it – Brand new beat – I’m gonna die – I’m driving home – Boogie up roar – Pink thunderbird – Cat man

If you don’t have any of the solo albums of Dave Phillips or the Blue Cats (which is, in my opinion, a shame), you should definitely acquire this best-of album.
It covers the “Rockhouse years” of the fame double-bassist, with songs from the first Blue Cats album, the studio recordings (including the hit Tainted Love) and two live songs lifted from the Live at the Rockhouse compilation album.
It also shows that Phillips always had the best musicians to back him, Rob Tyler on drums and aces like Mark Harman, Paul Gaskin and Mick Malone on guitar.


Dave Phillips – Understatements

Kix 4 U Records ‎– 4U 3334
Rescue – Desert Town – Every Walk Of Life – Next Stop – Night Life – Paradise For The Children – The Trip – Room At The Top – Sunshine Girl – I Saw Her Standing There – Dancing Shoes – The Fun Of It!

Following the success of Tainted Love, Bert Rockhuizen of Rockhouse/Kix4U pushed Dave Phillips to add even more modern elements on Understatements.
Hence, despite having good melodies, most of the album is made of pop/new wave-influenced music with a modern production that has little if nothing in common with Rockabilly.
Nevertheless, a bunch of great self-penned Neo-Rockabilly numbers (The Trip, The Fun of it, and the Beatles influenced Next Stop) and two good rocking covers of the Beatles’ I Saw Her Standing There and Buzz & the Flyers’Every Walk of Life, save half of the platter.


Dave Phillips and the Hot Rod Gang – Look Out!

Bank Of Troy Recordings ‎– AR-92-1-33, My Way Records ‎– WAY LP 1223 [1992]
New Job – Git It – Goin’ Up The Country – It Was Free – She’s A Woman – No Comeback – Joy Ride – Ain’t That Good News – Handsome Johnny – Linda Lou – A Soft Growl – It’s Murder On The Streets

After going too deep into the musical experimentation with “Understatements” his previous album, Dave Phillips wisely chose to return to what he does best: ROCK! And what a better band than the original Hot Rod Gang (the faithful Rob Tyler on drums and Mark Harman as well as Paul Gaskin on guitars) to help him?
The result is a superb twelve track album. Some tracks a pure neo-rockabilly (almost Psychobilly for “It’s Murders On the Streets”); others are more traditional sounding. As usual with Phillips, there’s special care to write melodic songs (or cover songs with strong melodies), and he’s attached to add a variety of instruments (piano, harmonica, flute) to explore styles and moods. There’s even a slow, which is always a good point!
The only low point being the drawing on the cover.

Available here.


Dave Phillips and the Hot Rod Gang – Good Thing

Fury Records F3035 [1995]
Good Thing – I’ve Just Seen A Face – Rollin’ Danny – Teenage Partner – Here Comes The Night – Linda Lu (Live Recording)

Recorded in 1995, Good Thing features Rob Tyler on drums and Darrel Higham on guitar. This mini-album features six covers. Next to the now mandatory Beatles cover, there are songs from Fine Young Cannibals, Gene Vincent, Hank Noble, and Ray Sharpe.
Good Thing, the song, captures the same vibe as Tainted Love. Phillips is as usual extremely at ease when it comes to singing Gene Vincent his idol, and both Here Comes the Night and Linda Lu rock (the latter being recorded live.) Surprisingly, they do not convince with their cover of the Beatles, which is usually one of their strong points.
The whole atmosphere is very laid back, and it benefits to the final result.


Dave Phillips and the Hot Rod Gang – I Lost My Beer

KEiL-Records – V.07-21-009 [2021]
I Lost My Beer! / I’m Gonna Toss My Cookies

Dave Phillips

After a break of a quarter of a century, Dave Phillips returns with a brand new single (but a little bird told me there’s more in the pipeline). Some bands grow older, and often not for the best, but Dave Phillips has matured. I try as much as possible to avoid the overused comparison with the wine, but if you allow me just one exception, let it be for this single.

Backed by the excellent Mark Twang on lead guitar and Pete Deville on drums and superbly recorded, Dave Phillips proposes two original songs, thematically centred around beer (before and after). This man knows about essential things in life. This kind of lyrics evokes the likes of Slim Gaillard or Louis Jordan. Actually, the music is also a variation around their music, a brand of swingin’ Rock’n’roll or a brand of Jump/Rhythm’n’Blues without horns. The trio is very impressive by its cohesion and how they complement each other. Philips and Deville infectious groove allows Twang to jump and gallop (and sometimes he “gallups” too) over the fretboard. The final result is delightful, though having only two songs create a lot of frustration. It’s a strictly limited release (only 444 copies), so grab a copy when you can.
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Dave Phillips & the Hot Rod Gang – The Big Wheel Of Life

The Big Wheel Of Life – Raining In My Heart – Bad Boy – Shut The Truck Up – Rain – I’m Gonna Catch Me A Rat – My Oh My – I Lost My Beer – Cat Man – No Moon At All – I’m Gonna Toos My Cookies – All You Need Is Me – Man Of Constant Sorrow

Dave Phillips & the Hot Rod Gang - The Big Wheel Of Life

The fact that a man like Dave Phillips, who plays this music for more than 40 years, still manages to surprise me gives me incommensurable joy. And boy, did he surprise me with his latest album (pleasantly, that goes without saying).
His latest collection of songs recorded with Mark Twang and Chris Bergström on guitars, Pete Deville and Patrik Staffansson on drums and a pianist (whose name escapes me right now, sorry) would show many newcomers how to play that music.
The album opens with Dave’s The Big Wheel Of Life: first track, first classic. The early 60s country feel fits the lyrics perfectly, and Dave’s voice which has gained in depth and maturity and, dare I say, now shows some vulnerability is perfect for this style. No wonder the song gave its title to the album. Phillips penned three other tracks for the album: Shut The Truck Up, a mid-tempo Rockabilly with piano and backing vocals, I Lost My Beer, and I’m Gonna Toss My Cookies. Both were released as a single on Keil Records. I Lost My Beer sounds as if Louis Jordan or Slim Gaillard had played Rockabilly, and by listening to Toss My Cookies, it seems that Phillips finally found his beer and had one too many, and the result gives a hilarious song.
There are also a few covers. It wouldn’t be a Dave Phillips and the Hot Rod Gang album without a Gene Vincent song. Rejoice, my friends; this one contains two: I’m Gonna Catch Me Rat and Catman. There are just some subtle changes if you compare their version of Catch Me A Rat to the original: the piano part, some jazz chords here and there, and a little difference in the groove, but that’s enough to transform it into something really new. Regarding Catman, the result is equally impressive. The rhythm section and the guitar rock as hell, while the piano forays into jazz territories and brings a whole different colour to the song. Buddy Holly’s Raining In My Heart is superbly served by Phillips’ melancholic voice, whereas Larry Williams’ Bad Boy changes the mood. The song is turned into a desperate bluesy tune with a Diddley beat and two superb twangy/burlisonian guitar solos to boot.
There are also tunes that you wouldn’t usually find on a Rockabilly album. But that’s where Phillips is clever and is more attached to the quality of the song and the melody rather than sticking to a specific genre. My, Oh My comes from one of Leonard Cohen’s latest albums and, once again, fits Phillips’ voice perfectly. King Cole’s No Moon At All falls halfway between jazz (the piano) and Gene Vincent (the guitar). The same goes for Morrissey’s All You Need Is Me, one of the album’s highlights. Rain was initially done by Jose Feliciano. Phillips keeps the beautiful melody but muscles the song, and Twang adds an outstanding solo. Superb!
Contrary to some (don’t insist I won’t give names), ageing doesn’t seem to be a problem for Phillips. With a newfound voice, solid originals and still that open-minded approach, his latest album could possibly be his best. But please, Mr Phillips, don’t make us wait too long for the next one.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Read our in depth interview with Dave Phillips here.

Catmen (the)

Catmen - Cutting through the red tape
Catmen – Cutting through the red tape

The Catmen  – Cutting Through The Red Tape

Nervous Nerdcd060 [1990]

She’s The World ~ It’s Too Late ~ I Keep Thinkin’ Of You ~ Why Would I Lie ~ Gone Ridin’ ~ I Still Can’t Get Away ~ I’ve Lost The Race ~ I Need You Tonight ~ I’m Gonna Make Her Mine ~ Loving You ~ You Turn Me On ~ I Think She Will ~ Little Devil ~ I Can’t Go On ~ I Can’t Live Without You ~ I’m Still In Love With You.

The Catmen, were a neo-rockabilly trio from Holland that played a very smooth kind of melodic neo-rockabilly. Cuttin’ Through the Red Tape was their second album. Their music could be best described as Restless meets Chris Isaak even if their singer isn’t as good as the Californian boy, but their rendition of Gone Ridin’ is quite good. They worked hard on the melodies and vocal arrangements too helped by Pete Gage in the producer’s seat. Mark Harman of Restless plays guitar on two tracks. Not bad but like many album, they should have reduced the number of songs to concentrate on the superior material and avoid repetition (16 songs of lost love are way too much).


The Catmen – Catmen

catmenNervous Nerdcd044 [1989]
Tell Me – There’s A Girl In My Heart – Who Was She? – Be Good To Me (Hold Your Love) – Glad To See You Baby – Will You Stay – The Running Man – Lost Without You – She’s Drivin’ Me Mad – My Little Girl – Tonight – Trivialities

The Catmen were a neo-rockabilly trio from the Netherland with Bernard Verheij on guitar and lead vocals, Robert Woudman on double-bass, and Paul Dookernamp on drums.
They play a very original brand of neo-rockabilly with a pop side axed on the melodies. One could relate them to the Vanish Without A Trace/After Midnight era of Restless. The songs are good; the musicianship is solid; it’s just too bad that the vocal is a bit approximative and sometimes slightly out of tune.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Tin Cans

 

The Tin Cans – Back For More

Tin Cans

PART-CD 6101.002 [2021]
The Time Is Right – Boppin’ On – Lost In Swamp – Illusive Love – You Drag Me Down – Anyway – Sound Of The Highway – Free As A Bird – Poor Man‘s Blues – Ship Of Lost Souls – I Need To Know – The Girl Next Door – Please Mr Postman

The Tin Cans return with a brand new album, full of original material except for The Marvelettes’ Please Mr Postman. The band consists of Claudius Wolke (ex-Magnetics) on double-bass and lead vocals, Sebastian Glenz (Scannerz) on guitar and Martin Putela (The Cambles) on drums.
The first song, The Time is Right, is pure Neo-Rockabilly gold, with a haunting guitar riff, in the style of RestlessVanish Without A Trace. Mark Harman influenced quite a few guitar players, but Sebastian „Semmel“ Glenz is, without a doubt, one of the best. Boppin’ On is more traditional, with a slight boppin’ Hillbilly edge.
Lost In the Swamp is a great and powerful country-rocker that finds the band sounding like the Planet Rockers. The next song, titled Illusive Love, is a highly melodic rock’n’roll tune propelled by a solid double bass. In the same style, you’ll find I Need To Know, with harmonies. Back to pure Neo-rockabilly (can Neo-Rockabilly be pure, hum, that’s a good question) with You Drag Me Down, followed by Anyway, which is more in the boogie blues vein as is Poor man’s Blues in the second half of the album.
Sound Of The Highway is one of the best cuts of the album. One could describe it as country-rock meets British Rock’n’roll à la Johnny Kidd. Free As A Bird pursues in the Country vein, but this time, it’s a western ballad, with another fine picking part from Semmel. Ship Of Lost Souls is a fast neo-Rockabilly tune, maybe not the most original of the set, but very efficient.
With its Beatles-tinged melody, fast rhythm and beautiful harmonies, The Girl Next Door made me think, “Wow they sound like a German Neo-Rockabilly answer to the Bellfuries.” Even Wolke’s voice reinforces this feeling. Really, really great! The album ends with Mr Postman (also covered by the Fab Four, by the way), turned into a ska number. And it works.
All in all a very pleasant album, warmly recommended to anyone who likes Restless, Dave Phillips, the Blue Cats, or simply has good taste in music.

Buy it here.

The Tin Cans – Unbreakable

Tin Cans

Mad Drunken Monkey Records MDMO15 [2012]
I Got The Rhythm – From One To Four – From The Bottom Of My Heart – Turn That Music Down – Once Again – Searching For You – Go Buddy Go – I Wanna Know – Crying Shame – Please Come Back – This Is It – Letter Of Goodbye – High On Rock ‘n’ Roll – That Day Went To The Devil – Lady Of Leisure – Brave Rockin’ Heart
Formed in 1996, the Tin Cans are now firmly established as one of the top Neo-rockabilly band in activity today. To tell you the truth with Unbreakable their sixth album, they probably release one of the very best albums of the genre. With 15 self penned songs it’s a rare case of all-killer-no-filler record. Yes sir! Here you’ll find superb musicianship from the strong rhythm section to the hot guitar of Semmel. The Tin Cans doesn’t seem to care about the musical trends that come and go on the rockin’ scene they play their own vision of Rockabilly and album after album like a joiner who sands down a piece of wood to obtain the perfect curve, they refine their vision. To achieve this they use elements of 50’s rockabilly mixed with 80’s neo-rockabilly, a bit of country twang, a touch of ska, all of this played with a 21st century feel. A brilliant that comes in a nicely designed digipack.
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Fred “Virgil” Turgis