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Ramblin Bandits (the)

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The Ramblin Bandits – On A Hill

Rhythm Bomb RBR5841 [2016]

Why Why Why – Gamblerman Blues – Going Places – Rock Bop Bop – Bankrobber Joe – Ghetto Bash – Knock Knock – On a Hill – Painkiller – Shoot Shoot – Talk Dirty – Wasted Time – Bahama Mamma

The Ramblin Bandits come from Denmark. They are Lasse Eriksen on double bass and vocals, Michael Skandov on drums and Andre Preuthoun on guitar whom, some may remember as the formar guitarist of the Wild Wax Combo.
Led by the powerful voice of Eriksen that reminds me of Sonny Burgess, they rip through a set of self penned songs not for the faint at heart. Their own brand of modern Rock’n’roll shows a bit Johnny Cash influences (Gambler Man Blues) and some rockin’ blues too (Going Places)
On the most traditionnal side, one will find Shoot Shoot and on the other end of the rockin’ spectrum there is the punk sounding Parksville.
All through the album the influences of Link Wray, Billy Lee Riley and Johnny Burnette dominate but they totally assimilited them to create their own Ramblin’ bandits sound.
A solid slice of Rockin’ music.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Spo-Dee-O-Dee

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Spo-Dee-O-Dee . The Many Sides Of

The Many Sides of Spo-Dee-O-Dee

Rhythm Bomb Records
Crazy For My Baby – Love Struck Baby – Don’t Go Pretty Baby – It Breaks My Heart – Why Did She Have to Go – I Wish You Would – Tell Me Who – Thunderbirds- Let Me In – Miss Blue Eyes – I Ain’t Got You – (i’m Gonna) Paint This Town – Pride and Joy – No More Crying the Blues – Such a Long Way

I must admit that I made a mistake and that I underestimated the “Spo-Dee-O-Dee”german band. Why? Sometimes it’s hard to explain. An average gig years ago, a not that convincing EP I bought once and you kinda “forget” a band and then one day you say to yourself ” What the hell is Spo-Dee-o-Dee doin’ today? Why had I lost them from my sight?” A new album was the perfect opportunity to study again the case. And then, it’s the smack! “Why were you so stupid?”. This “Many Sides Of” is quite simply impressing, mind-blowing, in a word : brilliant !
Since 1994 their line-up changed quite a bit and today it’s a brand new four musicians band where remain from the past Andy Warner and Ralf Sommer. (the two others are Ike Stoye from Ike and the Capers and Gregor Cast from Jesse Al Tuscan’s Lumberjacks).
For that album they are helped by other guys (piano, backing vocals, second lead guitar) cause that one is their most varied album to date. The name suits perfectly cause it’s just like a cruise through all the different fifties rockin’ musics : from the rockabilly of “Crazy For My Baby” (a composition perfect as a Johnny Carroll’s) and Alton and Jimmy’s “No More Cryin’ The Blues” and even an hidden bonus track (“Go Little Go Cat” much much wilder and primitive than the Four Teens original on Challenge) to white rockers as “Lovestruck Baby”, “Let Me In”, “Pain’t This Town” and the classic Danny Boy’s “Don’t Go Pretty Baby” with sax, piano and handclappins. You’ll also find some teenage sounding as “Why Did She Have To Go” (Rick Nelson could have sung that one) even italo doo-wop (“Such A Long Way” from Carlo and the Belmonts), Elvis style (“Tell Me Who” with a different take at the end which is for me twice better!), a strollin’ instrumental (“Thunderbird”), a Carl Mann’s Sun soundalike (“Miss Blue Eyes”) and some strong rockin’ blues (Billy Boy Arnold’s “ I Wish You Would”, Jimmy Reed’s “I Ain’t Got You” and Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Pride And Joy” yes you read it right!)
Guys, if one day you read that review would you please forgive me for not having trusted in you! I swear that from now I will listen to all your past and future albums. Cross my heart and hope to die!!
David “Long Tall” Phisel

Star Mountain Dreamers

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star mountain dreamersThe Star Mountain Dreamers – Greetings from El Paso


Uranium Rock Records UR-104 [2005]
Rhythm Bomb RBR5628 [2018]
Used To Be My Woman – Hound Like Me – Sippin’ Syrup – Where’ve You Been? – Devil Moon – Can’t Catch & Handle – Texas Rose – She Drives Me High – You Send Me To Heaven – Where’d You Learn Them Things? – Rockin’ Bandit – Tu Corazón.
The fine folks at Rhythm Bomb records had the good idea to reissue the Star Mountain Dreamers.
The Star Mountain Dreamers are a californian chicano band who delivers a frantic brand of rockabilly with guts and nuts : A «no time to spare» music that will hit you right in the middle of your stomach like an uppercut and will let you groggy. Tony howls and growls like a beast, Danny hammers his drums like a blacksmith, Fred makes his guitar sometimes purr then hiccough and vomit a hellfire spurt of notes while Lloyd (the rockin’ Lloyd Tripp!) copulates like a frenzy with his double bass. I’m over emphasizing? Not at all, my dear; the first title «Used to be my Woman» will give you a brief survey to what I’m saying. Wait a minute, don’t stop listening to your recorder, there’s more to come. «Hound Like Me» is devastating and will take the shit out of you!! To cure your ill, here’s some «Sippin’ Syrup» but it won’t help you at all: you’re definitely an «SMD» junkie wantin’ more and more. And these guys are gonna give you what you’re waitin’for till you’re gasping for breath. Even when you think you’re gonna find some rest («Can’t Catch and Handle») they’re gonna fool you and you’ll find yourself jumpin’ around like a crazy jack- in the- box. They’ll «drive you high» and «send you to heaven» and you’ll ask yourself «Where’d they learn them things?». I tell you, these guys are real «rockin’ bandits»(ten bucks for the bloke who find the trick!). No doubt about it folks: that first album is the real thing!
David “Long Tall” Phisel

Kokomo Kings (the)

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The Kokomo Kings – Too Good To Stay Away From The Kokomo Kings – Too Good to Stay Away From

 

Rhythm Bomb – RBR5848 [2017]

Too Good To Stay Away From – The River Turned To Steam – The River Turned To Steam – I Can’t Go Home Looking Like This – She’s Stealin’ Candy – Pillow Of Gold – When I Tried To Think – Girl From The Moon – I’m Your Plumber – Silicone Brain – Standing In The Cold Rain – A Wasted Day Is Forever Lost – You Need A Little Dirt (To Make The Grass Green)

Our favorite bluesmen from Scandinavia aka The Kokomo Kings  are back, not only with a new album but also with a new singer since Harmonica Sam more or less retired from the road. But don’t worry, the new boy Martin Abrahamsson perfectly fills the void and Sam is still present on this this album, singing three songs and playing harmonica too.

Well, what can I say about this band that you don’t already know ? The twelve songs, all originals written by bassman Magnus Lanshammarn, are all excellent with clever lyrics (I’ve seen her picking pockets in the welfare line / Stealing from the poor makes her feel fine / Tonight she’s going out for a special treat / Gonna feed the neighbour’s dog with poisoned meat) or more profound (You make in a day what you spend in a year (…) It doesn’t matter how much you have in the bank, you’ll die when you get too old.)

The music is top notch and groovy as hell, a perfect blend of Louisiana blues, swamp rock, Chicago blues and a dash of Rock’n’roll here and there.
This excellent album comes in a beautiful gatefold sleeve perfectly illustrated by Henrique San.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Nut Jumpers

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nut jumpers

nut jumpersThe Nut Jumpers – Boogie In The Shack

Rhythm Bomb RBR5879 [2018]
Woah Oh Ho – Set Me Free – Love Truck – My Pearly Doll – Boogie In The Shack – Pandit – Cʼmon, Cʼmon – Blow Your Top – Catholic Boy – Gonna Stand My Ground – No Good, No Good – Keep A little Place – Nut Jump
The Nut jumpers is a new band formed by well known figures on the rockin’ scene, namely Helen Shadow, Ricky Lee Brawn and Jake Calypso.
Together or separately their names were associated with the Queen B’s, the Blue Ridge Rockets, the Johnson Family, the Big Six, the Stargazers, the Space Cadets, the Shooting Stars, Hot Chickens, Mystery Train and a couple more that I forget right now! Quite a pedigree!
Recorded live, their debut album is everything one could and should expect from a Rock’n’roll album. It’s wild, raw, agressive, threatening, uncompromising and short. No time to lose, it’s a concentrate shot of Rock’n’roll straight to your ears.
Each member penned songs and both Calypso and Shadow sing which brings a lot of styles and variety to the final result.
Calypso’s voice is perfect for that kind of weird stuff and the Rockabilly material. It’s perfectly completed by Shadow’s unique tone that I’m crazy about since I first heard her cover of “I did what I did for Maria” on the Queen B’s album. Talking about signature sound, Ricky’s way of mistreating his snare is also immedately recognizable and provides a solid backbone to all this rockin’ mayhem.

On the more garage side of things, you’ll find “Set me Free”, think about the Kinks meet Billy Childish, and the two instrumentals. “Pandit” has a strong Link Wray/Dick Dale vibe while “Blow Your Top” is the musical equivalent to a locomotive moving full steam ahead with no one to drive or stop it.
Many strange images popped in my mind while listening to this album. The weirdest being generated by Calypso’s My Pearly Doll. I thought “Woah! This is how Buddy Holly would have sounded if he had recorded a tune just after his fatal plane crash.”  Sounds creepy? Listen to the song and we’ll talk about that later. Still in the Rockabilly style you’ll find “Catholic Boys”, with slide and a Diddley beat, and “No Good, No Good” with cowbell and a similar riff to Dale Hawkins’ Suzy Q.
There’s also plenty of blues influenced stuff that either reminds of Elmore James or Jimmy reed but with a dirtier sound and a punkish attitude. In betweeen they find time to include a gospel/chain gang song simply backed by handclaps and foostomps a more countryish number with “Keep A Little Place”.
It’s very pleasant and highly enjoyable to have bands like the Nut Jumpers that are here to have fun and don’t give a damn about styles and genres (and purists) and mix them all to create their music. After all that’s how rock’n’roll was born.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Benny and the Fly-by-niters

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Benny and the Fly-by-niters - Watch Yourself

Benny and the Fly-by-niters - Watch Yourself
Benny and the Fly-by-niters – Watch Yourself

Benny and the Fly-by-niters – Watch Yourself

Rhythm Bomb Records RBR 5837 [2016]
Next Time I’ll Listen – Crazy Crazy Baby – Take Off Mama – Bennny’s Bop – Can’t Get Along – The Blues Is A Feeling – Texas Bound – Watch Yourself – Pork Chops – Drink It Up – Mina’s Blues

 

Australia’s Benny Peters returns with a brand new album nearly ten years after the excellent Hey Now!  Whereas Be Good or Be Gone and Hey Now! had been recorded at Fort Horton with an agregation of the finest Austin musicians,Watch Yourself sees benny return to Australia (Ignition Studio in Melbourne) and some of the Fly-by-niters who play on this platter (Attilio Vecchio: double bass; Andrew Lindsay: drums; Dean Hilson and Alex Howroyd: saxes; James Black: piano) were already present on his debut album back in the early 2000’s.

If you’re looking for fifties sounding Rhythm’n’ blues and Jump Blues, look no further, Peters is one of the very best at this game (and by best I mean there are only two or three bands who actually can seriously compete with him). Everything here is near perfect, the sound – you’d swear you listen to late forties/early fifties recordings – the playing, the arrangements, the songs (all originals) and to top it all, Benny’s voice. The band is tight and has plenty of room to let the talent of each individuality shine.
In addition to the genres already mentionned, the menu is spiced with some hot Rock’n’roll (the Little Richard influenced Crazy Crazy Baby), blues (the Blues is a feeling) and some Be Bop can be heard on the two instrumentals Benny’s Bop and Mina’s Blues (penned by saxman Dean Hilson).

Recommended if you like: Pee Wee Crayton, Tiny Grimes, Gatemouth Brown…

Benny And The Fly-By-Niters ‎– The Many Sides Of
Benny And The Fly-By-Niters ‎– The Many Sides Of

Benny and the Fly-by-niters – the many sides of…

Rhythm Bomb Records RBR 5836 [2016]
Straighten up Mama-  Two Dollar Woman – Wolfman – Wild Cherry – The Way You Do – Jet Propelled Daddy – Benny’s Bounce – If You Ever Get Lonesome – Party Like Never Before – You Ain’t Puttin’ Out Nothin’ but the Lights – Be Good or Be Gone – She Knocks me Out – Huckle Boogie – Wonder When You’re Coming Home – Hey Now – Tell me Pretty Baby- Let’s Rock and Roll – Hammerhead – Loosen Up – RM Blues

 

 

Not only Rhythm Bomb had the good idea to release Benny and the Fly-by-Niters’s brand new album (Watch Yourself), the label also gathered some of the combo’s best sides from their now hard to find previous albums (Jet Propelled Daddy, Be Good or Be Gone, Hey Now) to release a 20 track jump bomb. All killers, no fillers (no wonder if you take a look at the musicians involved, Andrew Lindsay, Matt Farrell, Preston Hubbard, Jonathan Doyle, Murph Motycka, Dean Hinson, Damien Llanes etc.) This compilation is the perfect companion to Benny’s most recent album.

 

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

 

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