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Juvies (the)

Published on 23 June 202423 June 2024

Reviews

The Juvies – Playin’ Hookie

Rage Records Rage LP 106 [1990]
Blackboard Jungle – Alligator Shoes – No Way Out – Breakin’ It Up – Gotta Run – Playin’ Hookie – Jukebox Jill – Sunset This Morning – On The Road – Into The Fire

The Juvies, from Yorkshire, formed around 1984 with Darren Juvie, aka Darren Pawson (vocals and guitar), Mitch (drums), and Gary Brooks (double bass). Like Fractured, with whom they share more than one thing in common, The Juvies released only one too-short album in 1990 before disappearing two years later.

That a band of this quality leaves only these ten songs as a testament to their talent, while groups like the Rockats (the Dutch Psychobilly group) managed to release three albums definitively proves the non-existence of any Rock’n’Roll gods (sorry, guys, nothing personal).

The album starts with a strong punch in Blackboard Jungle, a track that bridges the virtuosity of Restless and the edginess of Batmobile. The next piece continues in a similar vein, with a pulsating rhythm and a double bass line reminiscent of Rumble In Brighton, leading to a clear and precise guitar explosion.

No Way Out has a strong rhythm and a disturbing atmosphere, characterized by haunting guitar riffs and intense vocals, which deviates a bit from the usual genre standards. Jukebox Jill is a brilliant demonstration of Neo-Rockabilly at its best, with its upbeat rhythm, galloping guitar, and nervous vocals. The Juvies take the melody from Got My Mojo Working and transform it into Sunset In the Morning. This is not a mere copy but a brilliant adaptation, as the trio changes the lyrics and creates a new genre that could be defined as Neo-Rockabilly-Blues.

On the Road combines a welcome country touch with high-end neo-rockabilly. Breakin’ It Up features a mix of neo-rockabilly, dancing rock ‘n’ roll, and doo-wop harmonies. This diverse blend is also evident in Playin’ Hookie, with an unexpected guitar solo reminiscent of the best Nitros songs. The band’s ability to transition between different musical atmospheres is highlighted in Gotta Run, a powerful rock song with a distorted guitar. The album concludes with the wild Into The Fire, demonstrating the band’s comfort in exploring diverse musical styles.

The album is produced by Darren Pawson, the band’s singer-guitarist, and Roger Tebutt (Happy Drivers, Long Tall Texans). They find the perfect balance between instruments and how to highlight each tunes. We mainly notice the care taken with the guitars’ sounds and textures, which gives a varied and constantly surprising album. In short, this far-too-short album is a success from start to finish.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Barnshakers

Published on 10 June 202411 June 2024

Reviews

The Barnshakers – Standing Room Only

Goofin’ Records GRCD 7000
Got The Bull By The Horn – Where There’s A Will – Standing Room Only – Beggar’s Blues

It’s always good to hear new material from the too-rare Barnshakers, even if it’s only for four far-too-short tunes. The group has a new drummer and now performs without a piano (which was also the case on their previous single, if I’m not mistaken.) Apart from that minor change: the Barnshakers continue to be the best Rockabilly and Boppin’ group from the European continent.
The group delivers a strong performance with an excellent cover of “Got The Bull By The Horns,” which is more similar to Hugh Barrett’s version than to Johnny Horton’s. The tension in the song and its late 50s/early 60s arrangement perfectly suits the group. This is followed by a cover of a Dave Dudley song, “When There’s A Will ,” which takes the group towards more country music. The same can be said for “Standing Room Only” (Johnny Sea), which sounds like a Johnny Cash song from the mid-1960s. The last song, and the only original composition, is more in the spirit of Charlie Feathers. This is not particularly surprising considering that Vesa Haaja also recorded an album dedicated to Charlie Feathers with the Hi-Fly Rangers, his other group.

The Barnshakers ‎– Whiskey River / Hollow Grave

Goofin’ Records ‎– GRSI 224 [2012]

Another excellent single released by the Barnshakers. The A-side is a cover of Johnny Bush’s Whiskey River, also a hit for Willie Nelson. They deliver a superb muscled-up version with powerful slap bass and intense vocal by Vesa.
The flip is an excellent Rockabilly with harmony vocals, typical of the style of the band.

The Barnshakers – Twenty One

Goofin Records GRCD6130
Twenty-One – Come On – Bop Bop Ba Doo Bop – Have A Ball – Knock Knock Rattle – Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby – Yah! I’m Movin’ – Wiggle Like A Worm.

Very good mini cd from the Barnshakers, one of the best, if not the best european band in activity made of one studio track and seven live recording. The studio track “Twenty One”, a Vesa Haaja’s own, is an immediate addictive song with its great vocal and lead guitar part and the piano support. This song proves how right they were to add a piano in their line-up. The live show, with the exception of “Wiggle Like A Worm” is made of covers and songs that were never recorded in the studio by the band. This gives another interest to this record to hear them playing classic songs by Wynn Stewart (Come On), Lew Williams (Bop Bop Ba Doo Bop) and Carl Perkins (Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby). The set ends with a frantic Vesa singing and screaming on “Yah! I’m Movin’” and “Wiggle Like A Worm” with Lester playing Burlisonnian licks. By far the best cut of this record. An advice, if you want it, you should hurry as the cover states it’s a limited release…

The Barnshakers – The Single album

Goofin Records GRCD6126 {2004}
She Done Quit Me – So Doggone Blue – Big Sandy – Ooh’ Baby -Complicated Fool – Who’s Gonna Be The Next One Honey – When I Take My Sugar To Tea – Take One – Wiggle Like A Worm – Choo Choo’s Coming Back – Desperate Santa – Santa’s Got A Brand New Steel Pedal – Hocus Pocus – Gone A-Rockin’ – You’re The Cause Of It All – Tell My Baby I Love Her – Move On – What’cha Gonna Do – Boppin’ In Roswell – Raining In My Heart – What’cha Doin’ To Me – Lotta Lotta Women

It’s a good idea to issue all the Barnshakers singles on one cd as some are not that easy to find. You can also see the evolution of the band through the years from the rockabilly of the beginning to the addition of a piano player and the touch of boogie of today. The first single shows what a good songwriter Jussi Huhtakangas (aka Lester Peabody) is, too bad he doesn’t write more songs. Vesa, the lead singer and main writer wrote my two favourite songs on the cd issued from the Xmas single «Desperate Santa» and the great «Santa’s got a brand new pedal steel». You got some covers too and a song penned by Shaun Young. So what could you ask for more ? Unissued material ? You’ve got it, two new songs recorded in 2004. So I guess you understood this record is a must have for all Barnshakers and rockabilly fans everywhere.

The Barnashakers – Complicated Fool

Goofin’ Records – GOOFY 546 [1994]
Complicated Fool – Whose Gonna Be The Next One Honey / When I Take My Sugar To Tea – Take One

This superb EP opens with Complicated Fool, a superb Rockabilly tinged with Hillbilly, which is a composition by Vesa Haaja, the singer of the group. Peabody’s guitar and Haaja’s vocals, capable of alternating Rockabilly tension, Hillbilly style and the softest crooning, are the two elements that jump to the ears first. Still, one should not forget the rhythm section. Mika Liikari (double bass) and Mike Salminen (drums) are Europe’s answer to the rhythm section that Bobby Trimble and Wally Hersom of the Fly-Rite Trio formed.
Next comes a cover of Whose Gonna Be The Next One Honey (Hal Goodson & the Raiders in 1957). The Barnshakers’ version is very close to the original, although softer, thanks to Haaja’s fabulous singing.
The first track on side B is a cover of When I Take My Sugar To Tea, a song from the early 1930s, made popular by artists as talented as the Boswell Sisters, Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole, to name a few. The Barnshakers approach their version by adding a Gene Vincent touch, reminiscent of him when he covered standards such as Up A Lazy River or Peg O My Heart. The rhythm is subtle, Vesa croons and the guitar part is sparkling.
Speaking of guitar, the last piece is a cover of Take One, Phil Baugh’s very jazzy instrumental. It is a tour de force and a demonstration of Lester Peabody’s know-how.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Barnshakers (left to right: Mike Salminen, Vesa Haaja, Mika Liikari, Lester Peabody).

Brian Setzer

Published on 3 June 20243 June 2024

Reviews

Brian Setzer – The Devil Always Collects

Surfdog Records – 90869-1 [2023]
Rock Boys Rock – The Devil Always Collects – Girl On the Billboard – The Living Dead – What’ll It Be Baby Doll? – Black Leather Jacket – She’s Got A Lotta…Soul! – Play That Fast Thing (One More Time) – A Dude’ll Do (What a Dude’ll Do) – Psycho Suzie – One Particular Chick

In an interview given to promote his new album, Brian Setzer declared that he had written more than thirty songs to keep only the best, namely the eight that make up The Devil Always Collects, to which he added three covers.
The result is an album that is rich and varied but nonetheless coherent.

The album begins with Rock Boy Rock, a whole program in itself. On this song, Setzer does what he does best: he takes a classic rock’n’roll structure (here, the tune is reminiscent of Gene Vincent and his guitarist Cliff Gallup) and, while combining classicism and modernity, transforms it into a timeless tune.
The album’s title track opens with a frantic Johnny Kool-style riff, but the song takes a new direction when the quasi-gospel choruses kick in. We dream of a Setzer/Reverend Horton Heat duet on such a song.

Setzer had already dabbled with Country-rock with 59 in 2001 (Ignition). This time, he returns to it by covering Del Reeves’ The Girl On The Billboard. He does perfect justice to the song, helped by the round and warm bass of Jimmie Lee Sloas. The Living Dead is also a cover, although lesser-known (the song was recorded in 1961 by Jim Burgett). The original version was already excellent and quite weird, but Setzer takes the song even further by adding to the “B horror movie” vibe, an arrangement that gives the song a “James Bond movie song” feel.

There are, of course, typically Setzerian Rockabilly tunes instantly recognizable, such as What’ll It Be Baby Doll? Or A Dude’ll Do (What a Dude’ll Do) (the latter, so Setzerian that it resembles Cock-A-Doodle Don’t). With Black Leather Jacket, Setzer seems to reconnect with the style of his solo albums from the 1980s, Live Nude Guitar in particular. We often border on bad taste, but strangely, the energy, the rhythm and the song manage to get the point across, and the song quickly becomes addictive.

She’s Got A Lot Of Soul is probably the weakest track of the set. His kind of Soul with horns struggles to convince, and the whole thing seems very artificial. It’s a shame since the song, which sounds a bit like Who Could Really Love This Car But Me, would benefit from being recorded with a bluesy, dirtier and rougher sound. Let’s move on quickly to Play That Fast Thing. Written by Nick Lowe and initially recorded by Rockpile (a group that included Nick Lowe and legendary Stray Cats producer Dave Edmunds), it can be seen as a nod to the Stray Cats’ early days in London and a tribute to Dave Edmunds.

Psycho Suzie sounds like a powerful, big-sounding version of Blast Off with a great country/rockabilly-inspired solo. The album closes with One Particular Chick, which could be described as Jazz-noir for lack of a better term. This piece, if we imagine it with the Brian Setzer Orchestra, would have its place on the excellent (and vastly underestimated Lonely Avenue).

There you have it: in just eleven almost-perfect pieces, Setzer offers an album that sounds both modern and current but also like a retrospective of his career, revisiting the styles and the best moments of some of his key albums.

Available here.

Brian Setzer – Gotta Have The Rumble

Surfdog 68102 [2021]
Checkered Flag – Smash Up On Highway One – Sytack my Money – The Wrong Side Of the Tracks – Drip Drop – The Cat With 9 Wives – Turn You On, Turn Me On – Rockabilly Riot – Off Your Rocker – One Bad Habit – Rockabilly Banjo

Brian Setzer has a new album out after six years of silence (well, not really, since he reformed and toured with the Stray Cats during this time.)
This new album is produced by Julian Raymond, whose credits include, among others, Cheap Trick and Glenn Campbell. One could fear that having someone coming outside the Rockabilly/Rock’n’Roll circle could not work. But to the contrary, I find that it forces Setzer to reinvent and challenge himself. Also, Setzer didn’t call back his usual crew but chose to play with session men, namely Victor Indrizzo on drums and David Roe Rorick on bass. Rorick toured with Johnny Cash and played bass on John Mellencamp, Dwight Yoakam, and Billy Joe Shaver’s albums. Indrizzo recorded with Sheryl Crow, Meat Loaf, Depeche Mode and Boyzone (ouch! I can hear some Rockabilly teeth cringe from here).
Against all odds, this eclectic mix works fairly well.
Co-written with Slim Jim Phantom, Checkered Flagg features heavy pounding drums and a menacing riff. Not the most original nor the best of the set, so it’s good to have it as an opener so that you can fully enjoy the rest of the disc. Smash Up On Highway One is far more original, a wild tune, with a riff inspired by Dick Dale. Stack My Money is pure Rockabilly gold and proves if needed that Setzer’s bag of rockabilly licks is bottomless.
The Wrong Side Of the Track is one of the highlights of the album. The melody reminds me of Ghost Radio, Setzer’s collaboration with Joe Strummer. But Setzer totally turns the song into something different by adding strings, and the result wouldn’t be out of place on Songs From Lonely Avenue. Drip Drop is more lighthearted, even though the singer laments about lost love, and when you didn’t expect it, bam!, a stunning Rockabilly solo. The Cat With 9 Wives is pure Swingabilly with Setzer’s guitar all over the place. What happens when you mix Hot Rod music with Bo Diddley’s Who Do You Love? The answer is Turn You On, Turn Me On. Despite its name, Rockabilly Riot is almost Punkabilly. It’s a full-throttle rocking charge. One Bad Habit sounds like an outtake from Ignition, and as usual, Setzer’s solo takes you to places you’re not used to. Both Off Your Rocker and Rockabilly Banjo were penned in collaboration with Dibbs Preston of the Rockats. I was thrilled to see two of my favourite artists collaborate. Off Your Rocker is different from the Rockats song of the same name. It’s a middle paced rocker featuring female backing vocals, and Rockabilly Banjo is, of course, a banjo-led ditty also featuring Paul Franklin on pedal steel guitar.
Setzer delivers a superb album, supported by a solid set of originals and a perfect production. Not for the purists, but they already know that, but more for those curious to see how you can add modern ingredients in a 70-year old genre.

Brian Setzer – Rockabilly Riot! Live from the Planet

Surfdog 253147 [2012]
Ignition – ’49 Mercury Blues – This Cat’s On A Hot Tin Roof – Drive Like Lightning (Crash Like Thunder) – 8-Track – Slow Down / Folsom Prison Blues – Put Your Cat Clothes On – Blue Moon of Kentucky – Pickpocket – Rumble in Brighton – Runaway Boys – Cry Baby – Great Balls Of Fire – Red Hot – Seven Nights to Rock

Though his recent studio albums vary in quality, Brian Setzer remains one of the top rockabilly acts when on stage. His latest live album, recorded during a tour that took him, two drummers (including Slim Jim Phantom), tow bassists and a pianist from Europe to Australia with Japan and North America in between is another proof, if needed that he’s still the king of modern rockabilly.

The first good surprise comes from the set-list. Setzer has dropped songs like Stray Cat Strut, Gene & Eddie and Rock This Town to make room to rare covers (Great Balls Of Fire, Seven Nights To Rock) or lesser played songs like Cry Baby or 49 Mercury Blues, the latter in a trio version way more powerful than the studio version with the Orchestra. Two songs from his latest release (Instru-Mental) are also included and though I had major reserves about the studio versions, they take all their sense on stage (partially due to the excellent recording work). the other good surprise is simply the performance. You have to go back to Ignition in 2001 to find him in such a good form. The band is tight and Setzer’s playing is inspired and creative and what you hear is a band that works together, not a singer/guitarist and a backing band. This is particularly audible on Slow Down/Folsom Prison Blues on which you can hear the pleasure that Setzer has to trade licks with Kevin McKendree on acoustic guitar. An excellent album from start to finish, more than that a lesson of Rock’n’roll.
Rock This Town, Stray Cat Strut, Sexy & 17 and Fishnet Stockings are available in mp3 format.

Brian Setzer – Setzer Goes Instru-Mental

Surfdog 233291 [2011]
Blue Moon Of Kentucky – Cherokee – Be-Bop-A-Lula – Earl’s Breakdown – Far Noir East – Intermission – Go-Go Godzilla – Lonesome Road – Hillbilly Jazz Meltdown – Hot Love – Pickpocket

Well, fine, Brian Setzer is a damn good picker but how I wish I could have loved this album more. This is not bad but it just sounds like a missed opportunity.

Some songs are just quick reworking of classics that Setzer plays for years and really don’t bring anything to his glory. Seriously who wants to hear another version of Blue Moon Of Kentucky or Be Bop A Lula, even by Brian Setzer? And when he picks his banjo you can expect something new, why not a real bluegrass number with mandolin or dobro or whatever. Instead of that what you have is a clean (in the sense of “sterile”) version of Earl’s Breakdown a song he plays live since 1983. Cherokee is a bit better but reveals the major flaw of the album: its production. The sound is way too clean, totally disembodied and for the most part evokes a cd one can find with guitar methods. And the lack of interaction between the rhythm section and the solist doesn’t help either. Let’s quickly forget Go-Go Godzilla that sounds like a self-parody to concentrate on the few good numbers of the albums. “Far Noir East” seems to have been written for the Brian Setzer Orchestra album “Songs From Lonely Avenue” like a cross between Harlem Nocturne and the Stray Cats little known jewel Jade Idol. Intermission is really jazzy, with a strong Charlie Christian feel and a guest vibraphonist and you regret that there aint no more guests on this album to enhance the final result. For example Lonesome Road is really good too, more or less in the Jimmy Bryant style and it’s too bad that there is not a guest steel guitar on that tune (or why not, Setzer on both as we all know that he plays steel too). And though enjoyable, the remaining songs seems to have been improvised on the spot around a single riff.
It seems that this is not this time that my dream to hear him do an instrumental album with a small jazz combo will come true.

Brian Setzer – Red Hot & Live

Surfdog Records [2007]
Red Hot – This Cat’s On A Hot Tin Roof – Get It Off Your Mind – Slow Down – Put Your Cat Clothes On – Take A Chance On Love – Broken Down Piece of Junk – Peroxide Blonde (In A Hopped Up Model Ford) – Tennessee Zip – Mini Bar Blues – Runaway Boys – Stray Cat Strut – Rocket Cathedrals – Fishnet Stockings – Rock This Town – Gene & Eddie

To be honest, although I’m a huge Setzer fan I didn’t really know what to expect with this live album recorded in 2006 in Japan with Robbie Chevrier on piano, Ronnie Crutcher on bass and the great Bernie Dresel on drums.
On one hand the idea of an album made for one third of Setzer classics heard many times before on live records (both official and bootlegs), one third from the pleasant but not very original “Tribute to Sun Records” and the remaining third from the highly disappointing “ 13” had nothing to excite me.
On the other hand I was more than curious to hear those classics played with a new arrangement with piano or a second guitar (a configuration not used by Brian Setzer since The Knife Feels Like Justice era 20 years ago) and maybe the tunes from “ 13” would sound better on live than on the studio takes.
And I must admit that once again, Setzer caught me.
This album is nothing less than excellent. It manages to capture perfectly the excitment of the live performance, and it’s amazing how much a piano or a second guitar can change the sound compared to the trio format. The sound is full and pure rock’n’roll. The Rockabilly/Sun tunes are all excellent with sparkling guitar and real rockabilly piano courtesy of Robbie Chevrier. What could sound sterile on record takes here its real dimension, one of the best exemple being “Put Your Cat Clothes On”. The songs from “ 13” sound raw and good when they are played live with this this line-up, especially the glam “Rocket Cathedrals” (do I hear a electric bass on this one?) and the instrumental tour de force “Mini Bar Blues” quoting Les Paul and Jimmie Bryant.
But the real surprise to come from this album is the way they inject new life in those classics that are “Stray Cat Strut”, “Runaway Boys” (one of the best version I heard and believe me I have quite a few bootlegs) and “Rock This Town” which starts like a good ol’ boogie woogie to quickly evolve into a pure rock’n’roll gem.
This album proves (if needed) that when he doesn’t waste his talent in Christmas albums or pre-marketed album for Japanese audience, Setzer can rock like nobody else.

Brian Setzer – Rockabilly Riot Vol. 1 A Tribute To Sun Records

Surfdog Records 44068-2 [2005]
Red Hot – Slow Down – Real Wild Child – Rockhouse – Put Your Cat Clothes On – Lonely Weekends – Get It Off Your Mind – Just Because – Glad All Over – Flatfoot Sam – Rock N Roll Ruby – Blue Suede Shoes – Tennessee Zip – Mona Lisa – Peroxide Blonde (In A Hopped Up Model Ford) – Get Rhythm – Stairway To Nowhere – Boppin’ The Blues – Rakin’ & Scrapin’ – Sweet Woman – Flyin’ Saucers Rock N Roll – Lonely Wolf – Red Cadillac & A Black Moustache

Brian Setzer - Rockabilly Riot a Tribute to Sun records — Brian Setzer – Rockabilly Riot a Tribute to Sun records

Brian Setzer’s idea for this album is simple, and lays in the title, it’s a tribute to the greatest rockabilly label, the one that started it all: Sun records.
One can wonder what the use of recording such a record, especially with tracks like Blue Suede Shoes, Boppin’ the Blues, Just Because and Red Hot. Setzer claims that he made it to introduce these songs to a new generation. Well, this is a noble cause, so let’s give him credit for that, and we know that he didn’t make it for money, NOBODY makes money with rockabilly.
The recording itself is very good. What you have is a very inspired Brian Setzer, and if you want to compare to another all cover album it’s far better than Stray Cats’ Original Cool. His voice is very strong and it goes without saying that his guitar play is top notch. Though the fans of his flashy style could be deceived, Setzer serves the songs rather than his own glory. He’s perfectly supported by Mark Winchester on double bass and Bernie Dresel on drums (the best rhythm section Setzer ever worked with) and Kevin McKendree adds a solid pumping piano to the ensemble. Even the Jordanaires join in on a couple of songs. They remain very faithful to the original versions which is both a strenghth and a failing. Sure there’s no betrayal, and if you dig the originals you’ll like Setzer’s but in the end this album lacks of originality (which is often the case with tribute albums). At leats it proves that Rockabilly and Rock’n’roll are the kind of music that Setzer plays the best.

Brian Setzer – Nitro Burnin’ Funny Daddy

Surfdog Records 44022-2 [2003]
Sixty Years – Don’t Trust A Woman (in A Black Cadillac) – When The Bells Don’t Chime – That Someone Just Ain’t You – Rat Pack Boogie – Ring, Ring, Ring – Drink Whiskey And Shut Up – Smokin” n Burnin’ – Wild Wind – St. Jude – To Be Loved – When The Bells Don’t Chime (banjo Mix)

Recorded with Johnny Spazz Hatton on bass and Bernie Dresel on drums and released just after the fabulous Ignition, Nitro Burnin’ Funny Daddy came, at first, as a disappointment. Only years later, I gave this album a second chance, and boy, was I right to do so. Nitro Burnin’ Funny Daddy deserved to be rediscovered.
The first two tracks, Sixty Years and Don’t Trust A Woman, sound like Live Nude Guitar with a hint of ZZ Top blues in the guitar for the former. Setzer also achieved a similar sound with songs like Can’t Go Back To Memphis on Choo Choo Hot Fish. More or less in the same vein is Drink Whiskey and Shut Up. This tune, propelled by a powerful jungle drum beat, wouldn’t be out of place on a George Thorogood album.
When The Bells Don’t Chime is a country song with a sixties feel and lovely harmony vocals. One can find two versions of this song; the second one puts the banjo to the fore, giving the song a more bluegrass feel.
That Someone Just Ain’t You dates from the early ’90s. The Stray Cats demoed the song for Let’s Go Faster, but it never was recorded for the album. It’s nice to have it resurrected, for it’s an excellent Doo-wop inspired song like the Stray cats could do.
Rat-Pack Boogie is an instrumental, with Setzer demonstrating his massive talent on the fretboard, mixing Jazz, Country picking and Rockabilly all into one song.
Ring Ring Ring is a perfect example of Setzer’s brand of Rockabilly, similar to Slip Slip Slippin’ In. Smokin’n’ Burnin’ sounds like Carl Perkins’ Matchbox revisited by the 68 Comeback Special. Not very original, but terribly efficient. Wild Wind is a slight adaptation of Frankie Laine’s Cry of the Wild Goose, a cinematic tune that creates pictures of wide-open spaces in your mind. It would have been a perfect tune for a western.
The next tune, St. Jude, is the album’s weak point. This gospel-tinged number is way too much, both musically and lyrically. Fortunately, To Be Loved, a cover of a Doo-Wop tune by the Pentagons is way better.The Japanese version features a bonus instrumental titled Jumpin’ at the Capitol with Tony Garnier (Robert Gordon, Bob Dylan) on double bass, Greg Bissonette on drums and Sid Page on violin. It’s a hot Jazz tune with echoes of Gypsy Jazz. Also, a two-Cd edition exists with Setzer singing Sinatra’s Luck Be A Lady backed by the Brian Setzer Orchestra on the second CD.

Brian Setzer ‘68 Comeback Special – Ignition!

Surfdog SD67124-2 [2001]
Ignition – 5 Years, 4 Months, 3 Days – Hell Bent – Hot Rod Girl – 8 Track – 59 – Rooster Rock – Santa Rosa Rita – (The Legend Of) Johnny Kool (part 2) – Get Em On The Ropes – Who Would Love This Car But Me – Bue Café – Dreamsville – Magualena

After releasing four albums with his seventeen-piece big band, Brian Setzer decided to return to basics in 2001. He put his guitar back at the center of the stage with his new trio, the 68 Comeback Special. The title is a nod to Elvis Presley, and like the King’s show, it is a return to the guitarist’s roots. Backed by the rhythm section of the orchestra, including Mark Winchester (Planet Rockers) on double bass and the lively Bernie Dresel on drums, Setzer delivers an album that sounds like a Rock’n’Roll party, his best work since the debut album of Stray Cats twenty years earlier (although all albums linked to Brian Setzer are essential). John Holbrook, who had previously collaborated with the guitarist on the successful “Dirty Boogie,” once again managed to capture the group’s raw energy in the studio without taming it. The theme is a simple and proven recipe: girls and cars.
The album starts with the title track, a powerful explosion of sound. If any song can be described as Hi-octane Rockabilly, it’s this one. Setzer takes you on a thrilling ride, relentlessly pounding until you’re knocked out (the piece even lasts three minutes, just like a boxing round.) Thankfully, the following song, “5 Years, 4 Months, 3 Days,” gives you a chance to catch your breath. It’s a blend of country rock with a sixties vibe, featuring a fantastic baritone guitar solo and plenty of twang. The break is short-lived as “Hell Bent” overwhelms the listener with intense and menacing guitar. The rhythm section is just as wild, and Setzer’s performance seems to channel the spirit of Reverend Horton Heat, delighting all. The next song, “Hot Rod Girl,” is more traditional in style but still incredibly effective.
In a more traditional style, 8-Track features the upbeat train-beat rhythm of Bernie Dresel. The song is a mix of Rockabilly and joyful Hillbilly, with some yodeling and a brilliant guitar part. “59” is a reflective tune in a more country-rock style that could have been sung by Robert Gordon.
Setzer shows his confidence in his rhythm section by letting Mark Winchester perform “Rooster Rock,” a song he wrote. This song brings out a classic vibe similar to Gene Vincent’s Blue Caps, but with a more modern touch, which is Setzer‘s trademark.
With its Spanish guitar and lyrics, Santa Rosa Rita sounds like a modern counterpart to Marty Robbins’ El Paso. (The Legend Of) Johnny Kool (part 2) is perhaps the weakest track on the album due to its lack of originality, but it remains very effective, and I challenge you not to scream “Johnny Kool” with the record on the chorus.
We continue in the same vein with the energetic Get’ Em On The Ropes, which sounds downright Punk and evokes the Clash (besides, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the title sounds almost like Give “Em Enough Rope). Speaking of Clash, we find Joe Strummer, who had already collaborated with Setzer on Guitar Slinger, as co-writer of the bluesy Who Would Love This Car But Me? which allows the guitarist to play slide, something he hadn’t done since You Don’t Believe Me on Gonna Ball. Blue Café was initially written for Hot Rod Lincoln and was released on the Lee Rocker-produced album of the same name. It is another very good bouncy Rockabilly that highlights Winchester’s double bass. The penultimate song on the program, Dreamsville, is perhaps the album’s hidden gem. It adds to the collection of superb slow songs by Setzer, and we know that the man is more than talented at this game (I Won’t Stand In Your Way, Sammy Davis City). Doo-Wop backing vocals (by the Brianaires) complete the song. It would have deserved to be placed in the middle of the setlist.
The album closes with the instrumental Malaguena, a stylish mix of Mexican inspiration and Dick Dale-style sound. Overall, if you wrap these 14 Hot Rod songs in a superb cover, you have a perfect record from start to finish.

Brian Setzer – The Knife feels like Justice

EMI [1986]
The Knife Feels Like Justice – Haunted River – Boulevard Of Broken Dreams – Bobby’s Back – Radiation Ranch – Chains Around Your Heart – Maria – Three Guys – Aztec – Breath Of Life – Barbwire Fence

In 1984, Setzer came to a point in his career where he felt too limited with the labels “Rockabilly” and “Guitar Hero” sticked to him. He wanted to show and prove he was more than a Grestch guy who sings about Cadillacs an Pin-Ups. With a more ambitious vision in mind he parted way with the Stray Cats and reinvented himself as a heartland rocker (on a side note it was also the beginning of the mullet period). He was helped in this process by Don Gehman the man behind the sound of John Mellencamp’s Scarecrow and, according to his own words, by a “real band” (understand two guitars, a full drumkit, a keyboard and an electric bass) including members of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp) and Tommy Byrnes who was for a brief period the fourth Stray Cats.
After an apparition at the first Farm Aid, the debut album from the “new” Setzer was released in 1986. If the result is not entirely convincing and really sounds dated by moment (especially that typical 80’s drums sound), the curious and open-minded listener will find a couple of good things.
The title track opens brillantly the disc and sets the pace (though the lyrics are still obscure to me). “Bobby’s Back” is a dip into R&B (via MTV) and was already present in the Stray Cats setlist in 1984, as is “Barbwire Fence” another highlight of the album. “Radiation Ranch” is a solid rocker based upon a simple but efficient guitar riff, later recycled to write “Drive Like Lightning (Crash Like Thunder)” more than ten years later.
But the real good surprises come from “Aztec” (co-written with Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell) and “Maria” (another collaboration, this time with Steve Van Zandt) both with a strong social comment revealing a new side of Setzer. Even though some stuff is just average, the whole album remains coherent. But Setzer didn’t pursue in this way and without a clear vision of what to do of his “freedom” (without a pre-definite musical genre) he oriented himself toward FM rock on the catastrophic “Live Nude Guitar”, but this is another story.

Brian Setzer – Live Nude Guitar

EMI Manhattan [1988]
Red Lightning Blues – Rockability – Rebelene – Nervous Breakdown – Every Tear That Falls – Temper Sure Is Risin’ – When the Sky Comes Tumblin’ Down – She Thinks I’m Trash – Love Is Repaid by Love Alone – Rosie in the Middle – So Young, So Bad, So What – The Rain Washed Everything Away

After The Knife Feels Like Justice failed to convince the audience (but was he really convinced himself?), Setzer knew he had to return to familiar territories. He dropped the second guitar and the keyboards and reduced the line-up to a power trio. With the faithful Tommy Byrnes switching on bass and Jerry Angel on drums, Setzer put back his guitar up to the fore. If he couldn’t be considered as a serious songwriter, he could still play the rocker card.
Ironically, if Setzer left the Stray Cats in 1984 to be free from the Rockabilly image, it appeared that he didn’t know what to do with that newly acquired freedom. If its predecessor showed some coherence, trying to follow the steps of John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen, Live Nude Guitars is a collection of songs that go in every direction possible. For better and mostly for worse.
Things begin not that bad with Red Lightnin’ Blues (a heavy rocker) and Rockability that could have been a Stray Cats track. Rebelene is still good though a bit wasted by the production. On Nervous Breakdown, Setzer sounds like a parody of himself. How Setzer, who claimed his love for Cochran everywhere, can miss this cover? It’s beyond me.
Every Tear is even worse; it’s one of the worst songs of the album: a pop ballad with an awful FM production.
Temper Sure Is Risin’ gives you hope. It’s not great, but it’s a boogie-rock with a hot guitar solo and Bruce Willis on harmonica.
But these hopes vanished instantly with When the Sky Comes Tumblin’ Down. It’s not enough that the song is terrible, but the production is awful, and the synthesizer horns nearly made my ears bleed.
Once again, the terrible production waste the few qualities one could find in She Thinks I’m Trash.
Love Is Repaid By Love Alone is a good song. It’s too much on many aspects (the strings, Setzer who tries to put as many notes as he can) but, somehow, it works.
With just a light guitar and an accordion, Rosie In the Middle seems a bit out of place. It’s without a doubt the best song of the album, and one can regret that Setzer didn’t go more in that direction for that record. But it’s not enough to save Live Nude Guitar. Especially when it’s followed by So Young So Bad, So What (can you do something more cliché? I don’t think so.) and The Rain Washed Everything Away. After all these years I still wonder if it’s a joke or not.
Setzer toured briefly during the Summer of 1988, but by the end of the year, the Stray Cats were back on tracks.

Brian Setzer – Brian Setzer Collection 81-88

EMI
(She’s) Sexy + 17 – Rock This Town – Summertime Blues – The Knife Feels Like Justice – Boulevard Of Broken Dreams – Echo Park – When The Sky Comes Tumblin’ Down – Cross Of Love – Every Tear That Falls – Thing About You – Waitin’ For Desiree – Bobby’s Back – Keep Your Lovin’ Strong – Living Souls – The Rain Washed Everything Away – I Won’t Stand In Your Way – Runaway Boys – Chains Around Your Heart
EMI released this compilation album when, call that a coincidence, Setzer was toping the charts with his 17-piece big band and the excellent Dirty Boogie album.
Chances are the newly converted to the sound of the Orchestra might have been surprised by the stuff included in that album. With the exception of four Stray Cats songs that sound a bit out a place, the songs date from a period when Setzer tried to reinvent himself as a serious rocker closer to Tom Petty, John Mellencamp or Bruce Springsteen. Nothing wrong with that, and despite a production that sounds terribly dated now, there’s a lot of good things on the two albums recording during that era (the Knife Feels Like Justice and Live Nude Guitar) but they lacked of that little something that made the difference with the Stray Cats or his later solo stuff.
What really makes this compilation worthwile, especially for Setzer hardcore fans, are the the B-sides and the many unreleased outtakes, some being very good like the Springteen-esque Waiting For Desiree. Some of the songs from that period (Cross of Love and Thing About You) would later be recorded by the Stray Cats. It also includes the version of Summertime Blues than the one recorded for the movie La Bamba.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

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.

Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Trio

Published on 7 April 20247 April 2024

Reviews

Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Trio – Don’t Desert Me

Dionysus Records – ID074524
Don’t Desert Me / I’m gonna Leave

Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Trio recorded this single in 1991, the year following the release of their first album and Bobby Trimble’s replacement of drummer Will B.
Side A is a beautiful medium Rockabilly. The B side is just as successful, a superb melancholic ballad highlighted by the voice of Big Sandy/Robert Williams and the delicate pickin’ of TK Smith. Both songs are from Williams’ pen. The 45 version was released on Dionysus Records, but there is a much rarer 78 rpm version that the group published on Jeems Records, its own label (Jeems 1085).

Fred ”Virgil” Turgis

Miss Mary Ann / the Ranch Girls and the Ragtime Wranglers

Published on 5 April 20247 April 2024

Reviews

Miss Mary Ann & the Ragtime Wranglers – Danger Moved West

Home Brew Records – Sonic Rendez Vous SRV059 [2013]
Danger Moved West – Little Ole You – You Made A Hit – Strange Things – The Blues Come Around – Honey – Fine Tuning Buddy – I Ain’t That Strong – Do You Wanna Rock – So You Think You’ll Come Back – Knock Knock Rattle – Falling For You – Make The Most Of It – I’ve Got Leavin’ On My Mind – Blue Days Black Nights – I Can’t Stop Lovin’ You

Miss Mary Ann and the Ragtime Wranglers danger moved west

Sometimes, bands or artists are such a part of your musical landscape that you tend to take them for granted. Take Miss Mary Ann for example… I bought the debut album of this lady and her faithful Ragtime Wranglers when it came out nearly 20 years ago and since, I know that once in a while I’ll have my dose of Miss Mary Ann, Ranch Girls, Ragtime Wranglers or the three in the same time. Of course, I knew they were good, even extremely talented but it struck me while listening to their latest effort, like the first time I discovered them. I suddenly realised that the rockabilly (in the large meaning of the term) scene would be a much sadder place without them.
First you have Miss Mary Ann. Unlike many others of her counterparts, she’s not affected by all those mannerisms you often find, especially with female singers. She never tries to sound mean (I suspect it’s not in her nature anyway) or to fake what she’s not. She just sings frankly, sincerely and with passion and that’s all. She goes easily from hillbilly bop to rockabilly, from rock’n’roll to jazz tinged stuff like on “Make the Most of it” penned by Dave “Pappy” Stuckey who also wrote the liner notes by the way. And when she sings harmonies with Raina Thompson, the new Ranch Girl, oh my, you’re just shaking nervously in anticipation for the new Ranch Girls album (or at least for the next time you’ll see them on stage). Icing on the cake, she also writes her own material. Her six self penned songs blend perfectly with the likes of Hank Williams, Buddy Holly, Ray Smith, Wayne Walker and more, if you please! Then you have the Ragtime Wranglers who always deliver the goods. Joe Sixpack draws from his bottomless bag of riffs while Huey Moore and Sietse Heslinga set the perfect rhythm. You even have Carl Sonny Leyland who guests on piano on a couple of tracks (including “Honey” an original he penned).
I know that you must think “there must be something wrong; I bet this album comes in an ugly cover!” Not even that! It comes in a superb gatefold digipack (and in vinyl format too) designed by Pieter Dorrenboom.
Take my advice, run to your music store, whether it’s on the web or in your city, and do yourself a favour, you won’t regret it!

Miss Mary Ann & The Ragtime Wranglers – Rock It Down To My House

Sonic Rendezvous Records SRR33
Rock It On Down To My House – Easy Does It – I Got Stung – Don’t Wait Up – Tell Me Who – Forget About The Past – Ooh La Baby – I’ll Be Your Slave – Watch Dog – That’s The Way I feel – Don’t Lie To Me – I Can’t Quit – Sweet Sugar Booger – What Am I Doing Here – Don’t Stop The Music.

Miss Mary Ann - Rock It Down To my House — Miss Mary Ann – Rock It Down To my House

This is the second solo album from Miss Mary Ann also known as one half of the famous Ranch Girls from Netherland. And like the Ranch Girls she’s backed by the Ragtime Wranglers. But the comparison with her other outfit stops here. If the Ranch Girls’ repertory is made upon harmonies, duets and western swing/hillbilly, Miss Mary Ann goes for a more rocking sound. And the opening track leaves no doubt about that. You’re going to rock and bop ’til the end of night and guest Carl Sonny Leyland on piano will help you to loose some weight on the dance floor. “I Got Stung” and “I’ll be your slave” (man, what a program) are in the same vein while “Tell Me Who” brings a little swing. To slow down the pace and let us take our breath there’s some honky tonk and country tunes to the mix : Faron Young’s “Forget About The Past” features the steel-guitar wizard himself, none other than Jeremy Wakefield and so does George Jones’s Dont Stop The Music. Her interpretation of Marty Robbins’ “I Cant Quit” where she seems both desperate and resigned is simply superb. I’ve always thought nobody could top Robbins on that, but right now I have serious doubts. And the smooth instrumentation of the Ragtime Wranglers reinforces that feeling. This cd is not only a pleasure for your ears, it has been beautifully designed by Mighty Sam and comes in a superb digipack.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Miss Mary Ann / The Ragtime Wranglers / The Ranch Girls – Selections 1993-2008

Sonic Rendezvous Records SRV055
Hang On Folks – Mama’s Here – Rock-a-bye Baby – I Got Stung – Baby Of Mine – Flying Saucer Boogie – I Ain’t Worried About Tomorrow – Rock It On Down To My House – My Adobe Hacienda – Homebrew Hooch – Kokomo – What Am I Doing Here – Hey Doll Baby – Kaw-liga – Groovesville – Don’t Lie To Me – Hi De Ank Tum – Flipsville – Sweet Thing – If You Don’t Somebody Else Will

Wether it’s with the Ranch Girls, Mary Ann’s solo act or the Ragtime Wranglers on their own, this bunch of guys and girl has conquered the world with their mix of hillbilly harmonies, rockabilly and early country (when this word still meant something).
This album is a celebration of the band’s first 15 years and gathers songs from most of their releases. I can hear you say: “Great! a best-of, but we already own the albums”. Sure, but there’s more than one reason to buy this cd.
First it comes in a deluxe digipack in DVD format, beautifully designed with lots of photos inside. I see I grabbed your attention. Then you have a couple of tunes from not so easy to find 7″ (Kaw-Liga, Flying Saucer Boogie…) which should be enough to convince you, but you also have unissued live demos (Hi De Ank Tum), outtakes from their second album (My Adobe Hacienda, Rock A Bye Baby), two live songs recorded on the Radio that makes you regret they didn’t release a live album too (Sweet Thing and If You Don’t Somebody Else Will), and icing on the cake six tracks entirely remixed , giving them a fuller and a better sound.
At the end, this cd is far more than just a best-of, it’s almost a brand new album, sure to gain them new fans and please old ones like me, who, 15 years ago fell in love with the sound of the Ranch Girls and the Ragtime Wranglers and never stopped digging them since.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Ranch Girls and the Ragtime Wranglers – Can You Hear It??

Homebrew Records HB6 / Hayden’s Ferry Records 22032 [2001]
Can You Hear It – Tennessee Saturday Night – Be Gone – Hang On Folks, Here We Go -Seashore – O.k. You’re My Baby – I Ain’t Worried About Tomorrow – Between the Devil and the Deep Blue See – Harmonize – Don’t Lie To Me – City Boy – You’ve Got Everything – Baby Of Mine – Hillbilly Jive With a Boogie Beat – Sugar Booger

Can You Hear It is the third long play by the Ranch Girls and the Ragtime Wranglers. Still with Miss Mary Ann at the helm, this one features the new Ranch Girl Mary Lou, who replaced Esther (aka Lil Esther) who had already replaced Caroline.
Except for this, there’s no big changes and one will be happy to find the brand of stuff one can expect from this excellent band, mostly from the pen of Miss Mary Ann.
Can You Hear it, the tile track, is full of Collins Kid exhuberance and fun. Red Foley’s Tennessee Saturday Night is turned into a fast paced swing with questions and answers by Mary Lou and Mary Ann and features Carrie Luz Rodriguez on fiddle. Next is Be Gone, a plain rockin’ tune. Hang On Folks, Here We Go is a two parts harmony version of Miss mary Ann’s song previously recorded on her solo EP. Hard to chose which one is the best (and glad I don’t have to).
Mary Lou proves to be a solid songwriter too with Seashore that sees the return of one thing I particularly like in the Ranch Girls: the accordion. Also of her composition is the very good City Boy with fiddle.
Back to the rockin’ Collins style with OK You’re my Baby. Jimmy and Johnny’s I AInt Worried About tomorrow follows on which they added a bit of Rumba beat . The accordion makes a welcome return with Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (not the jazz standard) which is pure hillbilly gold. You’ve got Everything is a solid hillbilly boogie with steel guitar played by Jimmy Roy (Ray Condo, Big Sandy, Jimmy Roy’s Five Star Hillbilly).
Baby of Mine was the song that really hooked me and made me crazy about the Ranch Girls on their debut album and I was glad to find a brand new version on this album. This one features a prominent mandolin instead of the accordion. It’s different, are as the slight variations in the vocals, but equally great.
The album ends with two covers : Reece Shipley’s Hillbilly Jive with a Boogie Beat (that perfectly sums up what the Ranch Girl are) that features none other than Deke Dickerson on vocals and twin guitar and the Marcus Brothers’ Sugar Booger.
Needless to say that the Ragtime Wranglers – Sietse on drums and percussion,Patrick on double bass, Jerome on acoustic and electric mandolin and Joe on acoustic and electric guitar – are as usual perfect, swingin and boppin’ when it’s needed and blending perfectly with the vocals.
Another killer from our favorite European hillbillies !
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Miss Mary Ann & the Ragtime Wranglers – Hang On, Folks, Here We Go

Goofin’ Records – GOOFY 588 [1998]
Hang On Folks, Here We Go / Hey Little Dreamboat, Flyin Saucer Boogie

In 1998, Miss Mary Ann, always accompanied by the Ragtime Wranglers (Jelle Van Hatten, guitar; Sietse Heslinga, drums; Patrick Hemelrijk, double bass; and Erik Van Beek, steel guitar), took a break from the Ranch Girls to record this very pleasant EP. Side A is a composition by Mary Ann, and on side B, we find Hey Little Dreamboat (Rose Maddox) and Flyin’ Saucer Boogie (Eddie Cletro, who also accompanied Rose Maddox on Hey Little Dreamboat). There is no big departure in terms of sound compared to the Ranch Girls except for the obvious fact that Mary Ann sings alone and not in harmony. This gives a slightly more Rockabilly/Rock’n’roll tone than Hillbilly, although the rural bop touch is present, if only through Van Beek’s steel guitar.

The Ranch Girls and the ragtime Wranglers – Hillbilly Harmony

Goofin Records – GRCD 6071 [1996]
Move Over Rover – I Wanna Wanna – Make Up Your Mind – Sure To Fall – Rock-A-Bye Baby – Travelling Blues – Rock’n Roll Polka – Buzzin’ Around – Oh, Monah – Seven Lonely Days – Pal Of My Lonely Hour – Mad At You – Hopin’ That You’re Hopin’ – Hey, Sheriff – Roundup Of Fun

Except for the label and the bass player, not much has changed betwen the first album and this one. You’ll find on this platter the same brand of hillbilly boogie, close harmony with a dose of Rockabilly that you liked on Rhythm on the Ranch. Another little change is that you’ll find more western swing influences with the Mc Kiney sisters’ Pal Of My Lonely Hour and Buzzin’ Around, an instrumental penned by the band’s steel guitar player.
The girls seem also more confident in their vocal talent and explore new manner of singing. I particularly like how they trade intricate vocal lines in some sort of canon (listen to Seven lonely Days to hear a fine example of what I’m telling about.)
All in all a solid second album thta makes more than confirming the very good impression made by the first.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Ranch Girls and the Ragtime Wranglers – Kaw Liga

Home Brew HB002 – [1995]
Kaw Liga – I’ll get Him Back

Excellent single in the wake of the band’s debut album with a cover of Hank Williams (via the Davis Sisters) Kaw Liga and the Davis Sisters’ I’ll Get Him Back.
Limited edition of 1000 copies.

The Ranch Girls and the Ragtime Wranglers – Rhythm on the Ranch

Longhorn Records, Holland ‎– LHC 502 [1994]
Gotta Git Goin’ – Baby Of Mine – I’m Done, I’m Through – Go Away Don’t Bother Me – Hi De Ank Tum – Hey, Doll Baby – I Gotta Know – Hot Rod – Peepin’ Eyes – Hillbilly Gal – Crazy – Foggy Mountain Top – Wildwood Flower – Fiddle Diddle Boogie

Rhythm on the Ranch is the Ranch Girls’ debut album. The Ranch Girls are a hillbilly duet formed by Mary Ann and Caroline and backed by the Ragtime Wranglers a fine aggregation of musicians containing members of the Greyhounds and the Bugaloos.

Their sound mixes hillbilly harmony vocals reminiscent of the Davis sisters (whom they cover three songs Gotta Git Goin, Foggy Mountain Top and Fiddle Diddle Boogie) or any of the other « sisters » bands of the same style (Dining, Miller…) with the joyful exuberance of the Collins kids (present here with Hot Rod and Go Away Dont Bother me) sprinkled with some Rose Maddox and a bit of bluegrass too with Charlie Feather’s Peepin’ Eyes.
Each girl takes a solo spot, Caroline with Wanda Jackson’s Gotta Know and Mary Ann with a moving rendition Patsy Cline’s Crazy.
Shaun Young of High Noon fame is the author of « I’m Done I’m Through » performed here in full honky tonk style with appropriate steel guitar (and talking about High Noon, Sean Mencher introduces Fiddle Diddle Boogie).
Joe, the guitar player, penned Hillbilly Gal and Mary Ann contributed by far my favourite song of the album, the excellent baby of Mine perfectly arranged with accordion.

The band is simply perfect with a tight rhythm section and includes some guests on steel, fiddle and mandolin, and Joe Sixpack’s Maphis inspired guitar licks are the last piece of this superb musical puzzle. They shine throughout and give all their best on the instrumental Wildwood Flower.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Ragtime Wranglers – 15 Smoking tracks

Home Brew Records/Sonic Rendez-Vous SRV057
Harissa / Firewater Stomp / Thunder Reef / Red Rod Race / Sin City Serenade / Resaca / The Sky’s Gone Out / Amor Perdido / Mojo Bag Bop / Mexican Standoff / Driving All Night / Lullaby For Louis / Buck ‘n’ Rich / The Chicken Room / Smoke ’em Out

This is the second all instrumental album for Miss Mary Ann’s backing band, the Ragtime Wranglers, and if you’re too lazy to read the full review here’s what you need to know: it’s a killer!
It opens with the surf tinged “Harissa”, an ode to this North African sauce with sax. I couldn’t help but think it would make a fantastic double-sider with Los Straitjackets’ “Casbah”. With the intro played on the tom-tom, “Firewater Stomp” carries an Indian mood (a bit like Kaw-Liga) and features the one and only Jeremy Wakefield on steel guitar. Next is “Thunder Reef”, the sole cover of the album (from the pen of Bobby Fuller): a solid rocking and surfing number with great drums break. “Red Rod Race” is a rockabilly track that comes complete with car sounds and would have made Bob Keane, boss of Del-Fi, happy. Pictures of desert, setting sun and such other things come to mind while listening to “Sin City Serenade”, a cool atmospheric tune with accordion and muted Mexican trumpet. “Resaca” (hangover in Spanish) has a kind of film noir groove with a Latin beat and a superb tenor saxophone part. And don’t forget Miss Mary-Ann contribution on vocals. If Tarantino doesn’t pick this one for his next movie he’s a dumbass. “The Sky’s Gone Out” is simply perfect or perfect in its simplicity with just the acoustic guitar, a double bass and a mandolin. More Latin fever with “Amor Perdido” which is a mix of twang guitar and mariachi trumpet. How could you resist? Mojo Bag Bop is a rockin’ blues that’ll remind you of John Lee Hooker’s Boogie Chillun with a rockabilly beat. If good, The Mexican Standoff is not very original. More interesting is “Drivin’ All Night” that makes good use of the reverb. “Lullaby For Louis” follows. It’s a gentle waltz that sees the return of the accordion in the background. They couldn’t have done it nice, Louis is a lucky baby. Wakefield returns on “Buck’n’Rich”, a tribute to Buck Owens and Don Rich ‘and incidentally a tribute to the good old Fender Telecaster). “The Chicken Room” sounds like Link Wray (Run Chicken Run) meets the Ventures. “Smoke ‘em Out” closes the album with Joe Sixpack in full Larry Collins/Joe Maphis mode (don’t forget they’ve backed the Collins Kids many times) duelling with Jeroen Jongsma on mandolin.
Icing on the cake, this album comes in a beautifully designed digipack. Pleasure for the ears, beauty for the eyes.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Ragtime Wranglers – Groove A Tune

Sonic Rendez vous Records SRR 22
Low Man On A Totempole- Groovesville- Homebrew Hooch-. Groover’s Bop- I Can’t Stand It- Blue Smoke- Town Hall Shuffle-The Manhunt- Guydid- Get My Bread- Hop Scotch- Black Mountain Rag- Bronco Boogie-West Indies Groove

Do we still need to present the Ragtime Wranglers, this Dutch band who foams the world stages since the beginning of the Nineties with the Ranch Girls and Miss Mary Ann but also backing some of the genuine rockabilly stars (Curtis Gordon, Hardrock Gunter, Sid and Billy King, the Collins Kids, Larry Donn, Marvin Rainwater, Frankie Miller and Jack Earls) and more recent artists (like Sage Guyton and Jeremy Wakefield of Lucky Stars). However this “Groove a Tune” is their first album as a “real” band if one does not take account of two instrumentals “The Rocking Gypsy” and ” Road Stop ” published on a Ranch Girls’ EP in 1995. That 14 instumentals album (in LP or Cd) is an additional demonstration of the combo skills lead by the always phlegmatic Jelle Van Atten – more known under the nickname of Joe Sixpack – (guitar, steel-guitar) with Sietse on drums and percussions and Huey Moor on the double bass.
I can hear you thinking for yourselves: “a whole album of only instrumental ones! what a wound!” But you’re wrong, that doesn’t have anything unpleasing when it is played with as much talent and sincerity. The three rogues helped of some guests take you along for a musical journey through their tastes -comparable with those which Biller and Wakefield organize-with some covers but also a majority of self-penned ones, moreover Jeremy W. is invited on two tracks! Flavors and colours are multiple but always of good quality. There will be of course some country and western with references to Joe’s great inspirers as Jimmy Bryant (“Low Man One A Totempole” which opens the album) Merle Travis (his “Blue Smoke”) and Joe Maphis (“Town Hall Shuffle”). There‘s bluegrass (“Homebrew Hooch” with the mandoline of Joroen Jongsma who belongs to several folk formations like “Valleys Dish” “The Watchman”, “The Very Girls”) and stroll as “Groovesville” in an “exotica” style with the atmospheric steel of JW and “Get My Bread”. The rockabilly sounds are also part of the album (“Groover’ S Bop”) and even surfing music (“I Can’t Stand It” with organ) and some powerful rock ‘n’ rollers as “The Manhunt” which walks on the Link Wray side and “Guydid” reminds me of Cochran). It wouldn’t be complete without some sun of the Caribbean with the swaying “West Indies Groove”. But there are some more for you to discover…believe me, the trip is worth paying!!!
Long Tall

The Ranch Girls (Miss Mary Ann and Caroline)

Lil Esther Mary Ann — Lil Esther with Miss mary Ann when she replaced Caroline in the Ranch Girls around 1998-1999

The New Ranch Girls (Miss Mary Ann with Raina Thompson)

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