Gunfire Dance - "Witness To The Crime" (1993, Self Released?)

Don’t let the looks of these guys fool you. No Heartbreakers meets Stooges copycats here nor second rate sleazes of the 80s . Perhaps the biggest mistake in the British rock & roll newest history. Cause along with Thee Hypnotics, Gunfire Dance were (hands down!) the best rock & roll outfits the island produced from 1977 and forth but (guess what?!) sadly IGNORED without any reasonable reason. Or maybe...for just one: 

British forgot their roots, their touch and their importance on rock & roll. They let ignorant ‘journalists’ to rule their minds and tastes (N.M.E. still is the worst piece of paper along with Rolling Stone). I mean, this is the country that produced the Rolling Stones, T-Rex, Mott, Hollywood Brats, Pistols and a million other more or less important bands for Chris sake! What in the bloody hell had happened the last decades? C’mon! They always had the ability to take American music and graft it into excellence! And Gunfire Dance was a prime example. I mean, look at the name of this band! Is it fuckin’ sharply or what?! They sure did love New York City’s rock & roll of the late 70s with a passion. The Dolls, the ‘breakers and the Dead Boys can be heard in all their brilliance on Gunfire’s sound in the same vein you can hear a “Neat,Neat,Neat” period Damned edge! No wonder two of ‘em produced them (Rat Scabies & Brian James). I’ve read many times for Hanoi Rocks comparisons… You know, Hanoi were nastier but not THAT edgy! Gunfire Dance’s guitars shriek the Johnny Thunders patented riffs like if have been played by Cheetah Chrome, their drums roll to the rhythms of Bo Diddley's ancient jungle beat and the voice betrays a street grown howl that CAN actually sing and not just scream and yell. Only great Jeff Dahl acknowledged their existence but Ultra Under was a way too small label to support such a band. Don't know the exact story, but somehow Island records got them into the company's studios for this tape's tracks for a future mini-LP release but mysteriously this never happened. "Suit & Tie" and the storming Kinks cover of "Till The End Of The Day" re-appeared on the aforementioned Ultra Under single. If you're looking for some super adrenaline street rock & roll it's your lucky day pal, you're in the right place!

The Basements "I'm Dead" out now on Lost In Tyme Records!

Ha, now that’s good news! A 100% all Greek release of filthy primitive cave (OK, basement...) psych punk, next week hits the streets not fearing at all financial disasters or Euro ejects! Lost in Tyme records (division of the well known garage punk same named zine – you 're gonna have another issue out or what you lazy creep?!) did it at first, persisting at next. The Basements are probably well known to the bottlenecked circles of 60s go 80s punk fanatics from their first 7inch (“Heart of Stone” EP) and are ready to go further. Thessaloniki’s newest Neanderthals on a twelve song roller-coaster to their jasper cellar and back! Deserving flaming torch holders of the Sound Explosion and (early) Last Drive garage tradition of Greece, in a psyched out and furious state! You can pre-order the damn thing here! "I'm Dead" will be officially out next week in a limited edition release of 350 black & 150 purple vinyl slices. A good amount of 300 CDs as well for the "make my life easier with ripping" guys.Hurry up!

LIT Records
The Basements Myspace

Previews:

"I Don't Want You No More"     "I'm Dead"    "Go Away"    "Wrong"

 

Guttercat & The Milkmen - "Ballad Of A Drunk Man/Rock 'N' Roll Lingers" (7"- WISH 001, 2008) & "Lonely Tears In The Dark/Love Is Better In A Dream" (7" - WISH 002, 2008)

Another cool dump finding! You know, when me and my wife moved to our new house three years ago, naturally (for her and most women I guess…) and sadly (for me and all the guys came through this, basically all married) MANY things wouldn’t fit to our new home’s formation (grrrrr!). What can you do, democracy is democracy and you have to live with your own decisions (OK it’s not that bad and of course I'm joking, but I never gulped the fact that I have to live separately from many of my books, some of my zines and quite a lot of my CDs)… The good part of this is that from time to time I go down there to see what can I resurrect for me and for you (and find some privacy with the good excuse of settling a little the basement). Guttercat & the Milkmen was (is still?) a cool French band. And I mean way cool. OK obviously they not reinvented the wheel, but they play rock & roll in a way I like to hear it (or for better the way I like to hear it). The fact that Guttercat was once a member of Baby Strange made them fancy instantly (I never said I’m objective person, OK?). I’m quite sure I sent them an apology when our zine died and informed them for the cancellation of our scheduled interview but still (even if I’m excused I believe) no justice paid from my side. This is a CD-R Guts had sent me which includes their two singles for review. I remember clearly I was about to place them in my column as the best for that issue. And how’s not? The triptych of Jacobites/Only Ones/Tyla (of Dogs D’Amour fame) rules every song in here (the 'ballad' single actually has a front sleeve as you can see very lookalike with Tyla's solo works). Drunken electric ‘ballads’ with something more than visible presence of Johnny Thunders’ ghost and for sure an Ian Hunter during the Mott days, touch. There are still copies if you‘re interested, so grab them. I wish I could catch ‘em live. Great band!
 

Ian Hunter's Dirty Laundry - "Ian Hunter's Dirty Laundry" (Cherry Red, 1995/2007)

Ha, talking about an album here! What’s frustrating are its origins... Cherry Red's website and CD's booklet says that this at first was a work in progress for Casino Steel (Hollywood Brats/The Boys), The Boys' website officially declares that actually was Honest John Plain's project ('One of the Boys' too, also a Crybaby) but in the end came out under Ian Hunter's name in the sign! It doesn’t really matter cause hell yeah, what we’ve got here’s a party in the studio from a personnel of high throwing canons! Is there anyone out there not having a taste for Mott the Hoople? Don’t think so, otherwise sorry pal, you‘re in the wrong blogspot! Just like Slade, I never fit them in the ‘Glam’ area. All those glitters and Bowie connections I suppose were their last attempt to hit big, which happily happened but as much as I like “All the Young Dudes” the same way rate early Hoople period as THE best. The line up is quite impressing and if you do recognize from where all these bandits came from, you‘ll know as well immediately what’s the direction in here. Except for the two aforementioned Boys, there’s a Sex Pistol (Glen Matlock), a true underground legend (Darrel Bath – Dogs D’Amour, The Crybabys, U.K. Subs) plus a Die Toten Hosen (?!). Not bad right? Good time Stonesy, hook laden rock & roll, with a few Dylan-esque aberrancies and a loose feeling is what I have to offer. Anyone interested? 

Bad Losers - "Bad Losers" (GMG, 1986)

Hi there! Glam punk anyone? You know, for a quite long period I was hooked DEEPLY with this fusion. My affection for the Dolls/Heartbreakers familia drove me to bought (m)any CDs and LPs with every possible Johnny Thunders/Jerry Nolan clone in it, sometimes with dubious results. This one was one of the best detections, hands down. I believe these Bad Losers should be by now legendary in their country (France) and I really don't know shit about them. Except that they were absolutely fabulous! The Hanoi Rocks reference is not only for the looks. Just like Finnish legends the 'copycat' tag evaporates from the first spin. They know how to filtrate the obvious influences via their own angle and create street rock & roll sounds,
profoundly rooted in the Stones 'Sticky/Exile' era and Mott the Hoople. Their take on "One of the Boys" just rips! Unlike the Heartbreakers, knew how to look for a good sounding result and the presence of Dave Goodman (Sex Pistols) behind the board I believe did justice to their essays. A hidden jewel? Perhaps. For sure a great addition to your record collection, in the shelf you guard the Crybabys and Dogs D' Amour albums!

Nikki Sudden - "Reflections On Johnny Thunders" (Excerpt from Sonic Iguana Issue #1, 1997)

Probably the best piece on Johnny Thunders. The Jewel Thief in a six and a half page tribute/memoir/praise for the Heartbreaker on the Jeff Dahl's old fanzine.
"One reason I think Johnny took to me was due to the strange fact that I told him that I preferred the original mix of L.A.M.F.  to the re-mix that he and Tony James had cobbled together. The subject was never raised again but I can remember the look in Johnny's eyes when I mentioned it first. The fact that I wasn't prepared to suck up to him. Beacuse really no one respects flatterers. Johnny invited me down to some of the rehearsals he was doing for the upcoming show. He was playing about the best guitar I've ever heard anyone play..."

The way rock & roll journalism was meant to be and sadly only a few times was such vibrant. I wish Nikki Sudden was still with us (of course the same for Johnny!). He had so much to offer and the author side of him only a bit developed... You can't put your arms around a memory! 

               

                   

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