Les Grys-Grys - R&B Maximale: Les Singles (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.18)

 

Les Grys-Grys were my favourite "new" band. I've only felt this excited about a modern outfit twice before: the first time was back in the '90s with the misanthropic early Hellacopters punk rock 'n' roll blasts (before they turned arena rock '70s, up until the "Soulseller"era), and the second one with The Jim Jones Revue records, which had this fenerish Little Richard cum Jerry Lee backed by The Sonics and spreading chaos sound. 

Hailing from Montpellier, France, Les Grys-Grys proudly displayed their sixties influences in their invigorating reverberation. Starting out by playing covers, they absorbed the best elements of the bands and sounds that influenced them — most notably The Pretty Things and The Downliners Sect (one of them actually wore a headcoat once or a 'deerstalker', for those who are unfamiliar with the term), as well as American garage punk bands such as Count V — infusing them into their own furious style. These Frenchies were the real deal and a reminder of how you felt as a teenager.

Had the Grys-Grys lived in the '60s, the Marquee would never have let them play because of the mayhem they would have caused. They set out to romp classic white R&B with filthy fuzztones, sharp bursts of frenzied drumming, punchy bass lines, manic maraca-shaking and wild harmonica blowing. Their two LPs flirt more with the freakbeat sound of Down Under, but the three long-out-of-print singles I've gathered for you are pure, untamed and unhinged maximum R&B! 

I was devastated when they called it a day because I never got the chance to see them live. I hope for a future release of live recordings. In fact, I'm hoping for a release containing all the material these loonies have left unreleased. Until then, I'll stick to their brother band, Les Lullies, with their more '77 approach.