The Cannibals - "Christmas Rock 'N 'Roll" (HIT, 1986) / "Good Guys" (Big Cock Records, 1977) / "Nadine EP" (HIT, 1978)

Hi again. I really struggle to keep things going on in here too. You really have no idea what it's happening in this small place of the world called Greece, onetime cradle of civilization... But i don't want and i won't let those bastards grind us down as my beloved Motorhead used to say! You know, with two little fellas 'round the house it's kinda easier to get in the mood for Christmas and that's what I'm going to do!  I tried with my faithful partner in crime/buddy from a long distance, Jean Philippe to catch up the holidays with a brand new WAX CD but too much work for both of us... Maybe it's better this way, cause with a new year rising on our heads and some new hopes together, hopefully we will be ready to introduce our new essay along with the celebration of this blog's existence for two years now and stalking/heading for a third, in the same vein, with the same guts and the same rock & roll energy! I had prepared something else for the occasion but I'll save it for a little later cause some hours before, came to my mail this Christmas present for all you White Trash Soul-sters out there! Of course the reliable mind behind these rips is Jean Philippe and i like to thank him one more time in public for being a patient fellow traveler and a very good friend behind a computer screen. Yeah, they do exist such friendships! I'd like to thank you one more all you guys and gals for keeping our flame alive with your (daily?) presence, leaving comments, sharing thoughts and sometimes links but most of all your love. Jean Philippe and me want to express our gratitude for making this page a cool meeting place and we're giving a new rendez-vous for the next year. Have fun with your families, your friends and all the persons that making your lives worthy, throw parties, make sex, drink loads of booze and enjoy every minute of the holidays are coming. For the history these are three mighty ass rock & roll singles from the gang of Mike Spenser, the one's on the days spirit. Run Run Rudolph!
See ya next year!

Ear-checkin'...

I'm already late on this (a huge sorry to the guys and gals of the bands)and it also ended up boring as hell by saying constantly the 'I had no time at all this period' cliche, but unfortunately it's the truth and nothing but the truth...
And you know something, when along with my best friends we were printing our fanzine, the usual 'pain in the ass' situation was the reviews section. I mean, if you respect what you are doing (and you have to remember always that you're not a critic or a proficient on this, but just a fan) you own first to yourself and then all the others, to tell your opinion exactly as it is. And that thing alone was making many bands sad or angry, cause they thought  they had by you a 'bad review'. Bollocks! Due to this, MANY times refused in the near past to get and introduce stuff by current bands, having the aforementioned fear in my mind. I did a small exception with the following groups cause 1. they gave me their personal OK to write freely what i feel and 2. from the first hearing i was OK too, cause at least i liked what I've heard!
The One and Nines are a cool soul/pop combo from the New Jersey. And when i say cool, i mean it. Don't be afraid of the 'pop' word just mentioned. Their popular sensibilities had more in common with the 60s gal groups we all know here, than in what most people refers to by using the term. There's a Ronettes touch trough-out their melodies but where in the Ronnie's gals were the Wrecking Crew as a back-up, imagine here the Hi! records house band. Yep, a great southern soul powder comes to sweeten your bad day at work from the first sec the needle or the laser would touch the preferable disc. BTW, their new single (yes we're talking about a 45 rpm single, not a CD...) recorded analogically and mastered deep down in Memphis by no other than Scott Bomar (The Bo-Keys, Impala)! Give a first listen here and then order directly from the band's site.
Different sounds for the next band and if you like the Dwarves, then you're in! The Depravos De La Mour had all the 'sickness' of the dudes mentioned in the first line plus! Garage-y, lo-fi, filthy and funny. They reminded me from the first push on the play button, something in the likes of a thirty & dirty Hasil Adkins, having as a back up band, the Pagans with tons of 'strange' things consumed in large amounts. I really dig the hand made cut and paste sticker that tried to hide the previous or maybe the wrong typed name (Retardos De La Mour). Punk rock in the real sense. I'm not sure how often I'm gonna put his fucker on the machine for a repeat but if i had the chance to catch 'em live, i would have done it regularly and without second thoughts. Try find the guys here.

Charlie & The Wide Boys - "EP" (Anchor, 1974)

A hugely underrated good ol' time rock & roll band, by the pioneers of the British pub rock movement and deeply rooted in the dipole of the Stones and the Faces tradition, formed in 1973 and quite quickly sacked from the face of the earth. "Never known to stray beyond three or four chords, like Dr. Feelgood, were hip to the beat group look when it mattered". Skinny ties, tight trousers and a bunch of good songs were a lot though for this little space on the net to point out to you the importance of Charlie & the Wide Boys. That's the only release those boys had during their lifetime (an album appeared in the shops two years after group's demise) and it's a damn fine piece of vinyl. An undiscovered by many gem that absolutely defining the term 'guitar based rock  & roll'!

The Cannibals - "The Rest of The Cannibals" (GMG, 1985)

Oi! What's up? I'm writing you these lines outta home for business, from a low limit access wi-fi connection of a semi-good hotel, here in Thessaloniki. Not much time for babble and not in a good cheer either. So, what we got here's maybe thee best 'album' of Mike Spenser's Cannibals. Or for better, the logical next step for someone looking for an expedient for the first Count Bishops line up. I wish Mike had done more with the Bishops but hey, that's a mighty fine kick ass rock & roll record too! The punkish R&B we all like here, with a more 60s garage approach on this. And that means sloppy fun playing by the band and its countless members, tons of beer cans (of course empty!) and disposal for savageness! Something like the Inmates in a possessed Motorhead state! 'The Rest of the Cannibals' is a compilation, probably never re-released on digital format with all the groups singles circa 1977 - 1979, "Good Guys" included (yep - the Standells classic), which is their first and John Peel's favorite. Cheers!
*A Jean-Philippe rip and offering