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Charlie Feathers

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Charlie Feathers – Can’t Hardly Stand It – The Complete 50’s Recordings

El Toro ETCD 1020
Peepin’ Eyes – I’ve Been Deceived -Defrost Your Heart- A Wedding Gown of White
– Tongue-Tied Jill – Get With It- Everybody’s Lovin’ My Baby- Can’t Hardly Stand It- One Hand Loose – Bottle to the Baby – When You Decide – Nobody’s Woman – Too Much Alike – When You Come Around – Why Don’t You – Jungle Fever – One Hand Loose (alternative take) – Can’t Hardly Stand It (alternative take) – Bottle to the Baby (alternative take) – Bottle to the Baby (alternative take) – Everybody’s Lovin’ My Baby (alternative take) – Too Much Alike (alternative take) – My My/ Jody Chastain (Ch. Feathers on guitar) – Jody’s Beat/Jody Chastain (Ch. Feathers on guitar)
I’ve Been Deceived (demo version) – Runnin’ Around (demo version) – Defrost Your Heart (demo version) – Runnin’ Around – I’ve Been Deceived (alternative take) – Someday You Will Pay/The Miller Sisters (Charlie Feathers on spoons) – Defrost Your Heart (alternative take) – A Wedding Gown of White (alt. take) – We’re Getting Closer to Being Apart – Bottle to the Baby (Sun demo version #1) – Bottle to the Baby (Sun demo version #2) – Frankie and Johnny (take #2) – Frankie and Johnny (take #5) – Bottle to the Baby (Sun take #1) – Bottle to the Baby (Sun take #2) – Honky Tonk Kind (take #3) – Honky Tonk Kind (take #4) – So Ashamed (take #1) – So Ashamed (take #2) – Corrine Corrina – The Man in Love – This Lonesome Feeling – Johnny Come Listen

May the gods of Rock’n’roll bless ElToro. Here you have the complete 50’s recordings of Charlie Feathers, in other words “the ultimate rockabilly album” :47 songs from the best stylist of the genre, a great country singer (Sam Phillips once said “He could have been the George Jones of his day.”) and an even greater rockabilly singer, the man that brought up the hiccup to the rank of art. His singles for Sun, Meteor and King are now legendary. They’re all here of course, and much more, including numerous alternate takes and demos (I’ve Been Deceived, Runnin Around, Defrost Your Heart, Bottle to the Baby). Also present are songs he played as a guest musician like Jody Chastain’s single on Kay on which he played rhythm guitar and The Miller Sisters’debut featuring Charlie on spoons. A 8 page booklet completes this absolute must have.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Deuces Wild

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deuces_wildDeuces Wild – Brutal Purity

Vampirette VAMPCD106 [1989]
Just Alright ~ Diamonds At Her Feet ~ What Colour Is The Sky ~ Make That Date ~ Never Came Back ~ Decisions On Love ~ Am I Wrong ~ Look That Looks Good ~ Sweet Love From You ~ Deuces Wild ~ Blues So Bad ~ Brutal Purity ~ Radiation Ranch ~ Deuces Wild ~ City Bound
This album was first issued on Fury in 1989 and until now was only available on vinyl, so that’s a good idea from Vampirette to reissue it, especially with 3 bonus tracks. The Deuces Wild were a british neo rockabilly trio. The majority of the songs are rockers influenced by Cochran, Restless (Deuces Wilds #2) and of course Brian Setzer, the excellent and frantic “Brutal Purity” sounds like a mix of Stray Cats “Wicked Whiskey” and Restless’ “Crack Up And Fall To Pieces” (you could find worst references for a neo band) and included in the bonus tracks is a good rendition of “Radiation Ranch” from Setzer’s solo album The Knife Feels Like Justice. Pete Hague’s voice is not that far from Paul Roman (The Quakes) at places and talking about The Quakes if you dig their “Voice Of America” album, you sure wont be disappointed with the stuff contained herein. But their originality comes from the blues elements you can find on some songs (It’s Alright, Am I Wrong), close to the recordings made by The Nervous Fellas around the same period. They try to escape the clichés (and succeed) with some tunes you’re not used to find on “80’s neo rockabilly-slap bass led” albums like the jazzy blues “Blues So Bad” or the acoustic skifflebilly “Diamonds At Her Feet”. Sure this album won’t change your life, but this is a more than pleasant reissue if you dig “Gonna Ball” by The Stray Cats and that typical 80’s rockabilly sound like I do.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Deuces Wild - Johnny Rider
Deuces Wild – Johnny Rider

Deuces Wild – Johnny Rider

Raucous Records RAUC004
Completely Sweet – Cadillac Rust – Shook Shake – Out On My Own – Tear It Up – No Time For That – Johnny Rider – I’ll Be Right Here – Bitter Tears – Sugar In My Coffee – Lodi

 

 

 

 

Deuces Wild - Cadillac Rust
Deuces Wild – Cadillac Rust

Deuces Wild – Cadillac Rust

Raucous Records RAUC15
Completely Sweet – Cadillac Rust – Johnny Rider – I’ll Be Right Here

Moondogs (the) – Rockabilly from Sweden

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The Moondogs
The Moondogs

Country: Sweden
Genre: Rockabilly

Christer Dahlbäck – vocals, guitar
Paul Epailys – lead guitar
Jens Norstrand – double bass
Jan Nordstrand – drums

If not very original, the brand of rockabilly (with sometimes a touch of neo-rockabilly) played by the Moondogs was very pleasant. They formed around 1983 and split inlate 1987/early1988 when Dahlbäck returned to the Suncats. They released one single and one album recorded in 1986-87. They also opend for Chuck Berry.
After the split, Epailys joined the Ramrods (Johnny Andersson, bass and Peter Sandberg, drums) to replace Jan Larsen an dthe band changed its name to the Go-Getters.

Single
Long Blond Hair/Teach Me Baby – Rainbow Music ‎– RMS 111 [1986]

Album
Teenage Blues – Rainbow Music – RMLP 2015 (also on Rockhouse) [1988]

Kabooms (the)

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The kabooms - s/t - Rhythm Bomb 5807
The kabooms – s/t – Rhythm Bomb 5807

The Kabooms – s/t

Rhythm Bomb Records ‎– RBR 5807
Beggin’ On My Knees – Only Mine – Black Days – Johnny Rocket – Pretty Baby – Let’s Do It – One More Time – Point Blank Range – Always Late – Burn the House – My Baby Don’t Stop – She’s My Woman – Pack Your Things and Go – Hunter with no Gun

One says that a reviewer should never talk or write about him and I agree with that. But I have to make an exception for the Kabooms debut album. I now listen to Rockabilly for something like 30 years and I began to write for fanzines in the early 90’s. With the years, my knowledge of the genre grew up and it became harder and harder to impress me. When you discover a genre everything seems good but as the years go by you realize that you don’t find albums like Big Sandy’s On the Go or bands like Go Cat Go every week or month (and if you find one by year you’re lucky.) Sometimes I regret the time when each record I bought had a huge impact on me, a new stone to the building of my rockabilly culture.
The Kabooms made me feel young again. From the very first song, this Spanish quartet sent me signals that I was not just listening to another “good-but-not-so-spectacular-band”. Do you remember the frst time you listen to Fly Right with Big Sandy. That was a similar experience.
The Kabooms, who are Matt Olivera on vocals, El Lega on lead guitar, Javier Carrasco on upright bass and Alex Granero on drums, prove that you can still write (all  14 songs are originals) and play 50’s sounding rockabilly and bring new ideas. To quote Jerry Chatabox’s liner notes: they make it look and sound easy, it’s not.
Stylewise they remind you of Johnny Powers, Johnny Burnette and closer to us Rip Carson and the Flea Bops. This is not wild rockabilly, this is intense rockabilly, full of rage inside that just ask to explode at the right moment.  As usual the perfect sound of Lightnin Recorders in Berlin (with Axel Praefcke at the console) one of today’s best recording studio make it sound even better.
Keep an eye and two ears on this guys.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Kay Marie

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kaymarieKay Marie – s/t

LJ 002
A Kiss Goodnight – You’re so Close (to Losing Me) – He Used to Cry – Sunshine in the Moonlight – Artic Sea – Yours Forever – How Can you Blame a Woman? – Dying for Love – Can’t You See – Doghouse Daddy – The World Can Wait – I Won’t Be Scared – Dead & Gone Blues – You Better Listen – Cry Baby Blues

Kay Marie caught the attention of music lovers through the Golden West Trio but now Kay Marie, the girl with the golden voice, goes solo and releases a brilliant debut album. Introduced by laudatory liner notes written by Big Sandy, it’s a collection of 15 songs including 13 originals.
Though the core of the band remains the same as the Golden West Trio (Kay Marie’s brother Aaron Acquafondata on lead guitar, Kevin Morrison on upright bass and Derek McDonald on drums) the young lady – who also produced all but two songs – invited a couple of musicians to add different musical styles to each song.
After the soft introduction of  A Kiss Goodnight that features some nice jazz violin part, you’re treated with a good dose of late 50’s Honky Tonk with steel guitar with You’re so Close and Sunshine in the Moonlight that captures the spirit of the genre. And this song her voice reminded me one of my very favourite singer, the too often forgotten Ginny Wright. You’ll also find some swing, with the clarinet driven He Used to Be or more in a western swing vein Doghouse Daddy, that reminds of Bullfiddle Boogie and features Lee Jeffriess (Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Boys) on steel. Blues is not forgotten whether it is electric (Arctic Sea), more jazzy (Can’t You See), with harmonica (You Better Listen) or blue yodel in the style of Jimmie Rodgers (Cry Baby Blues). Also on the bill are a waltz with mandolin, a Presley-esque ballad (How Can You Blame a Woman) and a Tex-mex tune with accordion, all played with the same degree of success. But I kep the best song for the end,  I Won’t Be Scared (also released on vinyl single), a fantastic song that mixes a Louis Prima beat with  a rockabilly feel, an acoustic jazz guitar solo and saxes. You’ll surprise yourself to play it again and again (also watch the excellent video she did for that song).
A very good record full of styles, talent (that voice and the band) and strong songwriting.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Four Star Combo – Wait A Minute Baby!

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Four Star Combo - Wait A Minute Baby!
Four Star Combo – Wait A Minute Baby!

Man-O-Man Records 1001 [2014]
Wait a Minute, Baby – (I Got) a Hole in My Pocket – Conscience to the Wind – Beehive Baby – Down in the Alley – Buzzsaw – Croc-O-Doll – Lover Not a Fighter – Slipping Out and Slipping In – It’s Love, Baby (24 Hours a Day) – Jeepster – Blue Tricks

Wait A Minute Baby is the band’s debut album, though they already relased one demo with their former bass player.
The Four Star Combo is Ron Scott on lead vocals, guitar and harmonica; Eric Hurtt on lead guitar; Donovan Stokes on double bass and Drake Sorey on drums.
The album kicks off with amid-tempo rockabilly with nice picking from Hurtt and a good balance between the bass and the drums. Things get more frantic with their cover of (I Got) A Hole In My Pocket that even has a slight neo-rockabilly feel in it (but not enough to hurt the purists). Back to a more traditional sound with the hillbilly tinged Conscience to the Wind that has a bit of “Heartache by the Numbers” flair in the melody. Beehive Baby is another one on the neo-side and reminds a bit of Levi Dexter. They turn Memphis Minnie’s Down In the Alley into a solid rockabilly-blues stroller while Buzzsaw is a surf instrumental that shows the diversity and the skill of the band. Next is Crock-O-Doll,a Rockabilly/Rock’n’Roll number that wouldn’t be out of place on the Ripsaw label, think Billy Hancock. Back to Rockabilly-blues with Lazy Lester’s Lover Not A Fighter that sees lead singer Ron Scott playing some harmonica. It’s time for lead guitarist Eric Hurtt to take the lead vocals on a period perfect cover of Slipping Out and Slipping In. It’s Love Baby is straight ahead blues with once again a top notch guitar solo, it’s just too bad that Scott kept his harmonica in his pocket on this one. Some would find surprising to find a cover of T-Rex on Rockabilly album but if you remember the Polecats version you know it suits the genre perfectly. They deliver a good version though Scott seems a little less at ease on this one than on the other songs. Blue Tricks ends this good and eclectic album on a fast paced note.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

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