Trollheart

Well, we've had a band who were big in the NWOBHM but not hugely instrumental, and who are still going today (albeit almost a totally different band now), and we've had one of the stalwarts, gods and driving forces of that movement, who inspired many of today's bigger metal acts, and who are also still going as I write. Now, I'd like you to think about the little guy: those bands who never made it, due to various circumstances, many of which were not of their making, and who, while others surfed the powerful waves of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, were dragged under and fought to gain the surface, but never did, their purple faces and eventually fish-chewed bodies left to rot on the ocean floor.

Okay, enough maritime imagery. We're talking about a band who began life as Leviathan, but had little success with that, and changed their name to Black Axe. Good name, you would think, for a metal band, and indeed they did quite well with a single they recorded called “Highway rider”. But for reasons best known only to them, the record label they were with at the time encouraged them to change their name. “Wolf”, they no doubt grinned, fanning themselves with a cheque-book and puffing on a big cigar. “That sounds MUCH more metal! Stick with us, guys, and we'll make you stars.”

Sadly, after turning out one album, the newly-branded Wolf sank without a trace. This could be due to the fact that there was at the time another band in the UK called Wolf, and people may have been getting confused. In an era where the internet had still to make its bid for global domination over our music, it wasn't quite that you could input “Wolf” into YouTube and get the wrong result (though of course you can now, and there are about six bands with that name at this time), but although they were based hundreds of miles away (these guys in Newcastle while their namesakes were in Cheshire), it could still happen that you could decide to go to a Wolf gig and end up watching the wrong band! Not great publicity, especially if you ended up not liking the “other” Wolf. Not to mention the headaches this would have given rock magazine writers and radio Djs.

But at any rate, Wolf did release one album which has apparently (though this is my first time to listen to it) gone down as one of the classiest in the era, and is still hailed today as a “forgotten gem of the NWOBHM”. It's just a pity they listened to their label, because according to my sources, with the obvious talent like you hear on this album, had they retained the name Black Axe (or even changed it to something less confusing) they could have been huge. As it is, we're left with just this one album to remember them by.

Edge of the world --- Wolf --- 1984 (Mausoleum)


Rather appropriate, sadly, that this album should be released by a label whose name is synonymous with crypts, death, corpses and mourning, as it was buried before it was even recorded. The “flash of genius” the label had, to change the band's name, proved their undoing and indeed, the nail in their coffin. Okay, that's enough death imagery now, I think!

You can indeed hear the class oozing out of this album from the very beginning, with the squeals and cries of the opening guitar lines, then it breaks into a proper riff for the title track, and there's certainly no doubting the power and quality of vocalist Chris English's delivery, although the production is a little tinny; then again, with this album so rare, it's possible I've just got a badly-recorded copy. “Edge of the world” is very catchy and memorable, full of hooks, with some very solid drumming and great guitar work, though a lot of the time (a lot of the time? You've listened halfway through one track!) it seems to be threatening to verge over to AOR territory, more like Praying Mantis's third and fourth albums really. Great music though.

They've thoughtfully included a version of “Highway rider”, the track they recorded and found semi-fame with as Black Axe, which is a nice touch, and it shows a more rocky/metal side of Wolf than I found on the title track. Whether it's re-recorded for this album or the original song I don't know, but it's followed by “Heaven will rock and roll”, with a nice uptempo boogie feel to it, the guitarists let loose, while “A soul for the devil” dallies --- albeit very briefly and with tongue firmly in cheek --- in the sort of territory more usually frequented by the likes of Demon or Venom, then “Head contact (Rock and roll)” is another decent rocker, with some damn fine guitar work.

“Rest in peace” does precisely the opposite, rocking along at a decent pace with a very catchy hook and a blistering guitar solo, then “Too close for comfort” is, well, too close for comfort to the old Lizzy standard, “Don't believe a word”. I wonder... There's a small hint of early Tygers in there too (hah! Tygers and Wolves!), circa “Wild cat”, and in fairness the song does soon change and establish its own identity, but the prevailing riff running through it is still very reminiscent of that old classic. Unfortunately it all sort of falls apart then with “Red lights”, a sub-Di'anno-Maiden-era song, the kind of thing that makes “Running free” seem well-written and played. Yeah, that bad. Just by-the-numbers metal, and although competently played, nothing special. Low point of the album.

It closes then on “Medicine man”, which kind of puts me in mind of Glass Tiger, though with a bit more bite, though only a bit. The keys come a little more to the fore here, lending the song a more commercial sound, and certainly softening the metal into pretty generic AOR. A strong closer? Not really, but then in fairness this is not really that strong an album, in my opinion.

TRACKLISTING

1. Edge of the world
2. Highway rider
3. Heaven will rock and roll
4. Shock treatment
5. A soul for the devil
6. Head contact (rock and roll)
7. Rest in peace
8. Too close for comfort
9. Red lights
10. Medicine man

I have to say, having listened to this album for the first time I really don't see what all the fuss is about. Forgotten classic? Buried gem? Crème de la crème, as one reviewer rather grandly put it, of the NWOBHM? Nah, I do not see it. This album is mediocre. It's okay in parts, starts well but pretty soon dips and never really recovers, and it's not really any surprise that they never recorded another one. Even the so-called “headed for the big time” single doesn't impress me. I seriously don't get it. I would listen to this once and never again, and feel no loss for that. As far as I'm concerned, the world of the NWOBHM was a heavy metal jungle out there, and to survive you had to be tough, and one of the best at your craft.

To me, Wolf came across as little more than cubs, and the jungle is very unforgiving with the young, the weak and the lame. Oh god, I have to say it: it's a dog eat dog world out there! Sorry, sorry...

Don't expect the next episode anytime soon, but when I do get back to this I'll be looking at the contribution made by Diamond Head, Irish lads Sweet Savage and one of the only all-girl metal bands to come out of that era, Girlschool. Till then, play it loud! Er, unless the neighbour's baby is trying to sleep, or that MASSIVE guy two doors down is on nights. In which case, use your headphones...

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Trollheart

Not the sort of artiste the worm usually tends to listen to, but he does remember enjoying this one from Jaki Graham, called “Breaking away”.

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As July slips out the door and the kids' (or should that be the teachers'?) hearts start palpitating with the summer holidays coming closer to an end, the return to school looming large in their sight, we reach out and grab the departing coat-tails of the month and remember those in the music community who have passed during this month down the years.

You know the drill by now, but the standard disclaimer applies: I have to pick the people who have died who contributed the most to music, or who I know of personally, so although sadly many many people passed away in July whose departure should perhaps be marked, I can't include every single death and so I ask your understanding and forebearance if I miss out someone you think should be noted. There's no malice intended, and no disrespect meant.

Also, in case anyone thinks that of those artistes I do feature, I'm shortchanging them by only writing, in most cases, a short piece, even if the artiste was very well-known and famous, then please understand that every month I have to trawl though hundreds (sadly) of deaths, select the ones I wish to feature, and find examples of their music, and still get the article posted in time for that month. So there is usually not enough time to write a deep, thoughtful profile of each artiste. This does not mean I don't afford them the respect they deserve, but it's all about deadlines.

As ever, thanks to BITTER SUITE BAND: official website! for their excellent resource, which makes doing this every month not only easier, but possible.

Wilhelm Friedmann Bach (1710-1784)
Eldest son of Johanne Sebastian, and part of the hugely influential Bach dynasty that virtually dominated organ-orchestral classical music in the eighteenth century, Friedemann, as he was called, was forever trying to measure up to the huge figure of his famous father, and like many noted musicians he taught others who went on to become quite famous, including the great-aunt of the legendary Felix Mendelssohn. Despite being a renowned composer though he does not seem to have been able to keep his finances in order, and he died in poverty, though of what is not certain --- probably old age --- July 1 1784.


Wolfman Jack (1938-1995)
Until 1973 he was known only as Wolfman Jack, the most famous radio DJ in New York, his trademark wolf howl part of his charm and attraction. After the movie “American Grafitti” hit the screens it was revealed that his name was Robert Preston Smith. Even though the mystique surrounding him was gone, Wolfman Jack continued as a star, hosting a TV show and making appearance on eighty others. He died of a heart attack, July 1 1995.

Luther Vandross (1951-2005)
One of the most recognisable and loved voices in the soul scene, Luther had many hits and won eight Grammys for his music. He was known as one of the “smooth soul” singers, who along with the likes of George Benson popularised the form in the eighties and nineties. He died of a stroke following a heart attack, July 1 2005.


Mel Galley (1948-2008)
Guitarist who found his major fame with Whitesnake, Mel was involved in an accident which left his arm useless and necessitated his departing the band. Determined to play guitar again, he used a device called “The Claw”, a mechanical contraption which afforded the dead nerves in his arm some power and allowed him to return to playing music. He died of cancer, July 1 2008.


Brian Jones (1942-1969)
Founder and original lead guitarist with the Rolling Stones, Brian was a multi-instrumentalist and is known to have played at least fifteen different instruments, including, but not limited to, piano, organ, sitar, mellotron, xylophone, and of course guitar. He drowned in a swimming pool, though there is a school of thought that believes it was not an accident and that he was murdered, July 3 1969.


Jim Morrison (1943-1971)
One of the most iconic figures of the sixties, Jim Morrison lead the Doors to fame and glory, but his own self-destructive nature and contempt for authority led to his untimely death, mystery still surrounding it, July 3 1971.


Barry White (1944-2003)
One of the most instantly recognisable voices in music, Barry made his name with steamy love songs like ”Can't get enough of your love” and ”My first, my last, my everything”, and often preceded the singing on his songs by talking in a deep bass voice considered to be very sexy, usually directed at the woman he was singing about --- basically, oral foreplay on a record. He became one of the few artistes to hit number one with an instrumental, when his backing band, the Love Unlimited Orchestra, reached the top with “Love's theme”, composed and arranged by him. He died of kidney failure, July 4 2003.


Allan Klein (1931-2009)
One of the “pitbulls” of the early record labels, Klein was responsible for representing such acts as Sam Cooke, Bobby Darin, The Animals, the Stones and the Beatles. When the Verve's “Bittersweet symphony” sampled the Stones' “This time”, he was influential and tenacious enough to ensure that it was Jagger and co. who got the credit for the Grammy it had been nominated for. He died from Alzheimer's Disease, July 4 2009.

Louis Armstrong (1901-1971)
One of the best known trumpet players of the jazz era, he also appeared on Broadway and in films. He had a huge hit with “What a wonderful world”, a timeless classic even today, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. Eleven years later, the city of New Orleans, his hometown, renamed their international airport in his name. He died of a heart attack, July 6 1971.


Roy Rogers (1911-1998)
One of the original “singing cowboys”, Roy was born Leonard Slye, and found fame as originally a stand-in for Gene Autry, soon taking over the lead role in many musical westerns, where with his almost-as-famous horse Trigger he went on to make over 100 movies, later hosting a radio and then TV show that ran for a total of 22 years. He died of congestive heart failure, July 4 1998.


Syd Barret (1946-2006)
Founder and original member of Pink Floyd, Sid was the lyricist of the band and its frontman and lead guitarist until he departed in 1968 and was hospitalised, with mental illness being the rumoured reason. He never returned to the band he had created, and the remaining members, who would go on to world domination without him, never forgot him, writing the song “Wish you were here” in his memory. Syd's experimental work with guitars, which explored such ideas as feedback and dissonance, has reverberated down the decades, and influenced such major artistes as Bowie, Eno and Page. After a brief flirtation with solo projects, Syd retired from music and never went back. He died on July 7 2006, from complications with diabetes.


Jelly Roll Morton (1890-1941)
Born Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, he rather grandly and arrogantly claimed to have invented jazz in 1902, though it is generally accepted that he was the first true jazz composer and arranger. He was certainly an influential figure in early jazz, and though his name sounds like he was very fat and ate jelly rolls (swiss rolls), it is apparently slang for certain, ahem, private parts! He died after complications following a badly-treated knife wound, eleven days after being stabbed, July 10 1941.


George Gershwin (1898-1937)
One of the best-loved and most accomplished and recognised popular film music composers of the last century, Gershwin is best known for his musicals like “Porgy and Bess”, “Funny face” and “Show girl”, with two of his biggest commercial hits being the classical-themed “Rhapsody in blue” and the eternal “Summertime”, which has been covered by more artistes than I can count. Literally. Almost thirty thousand versions of it have been recorded, making it easily the most-covered song in modern music. Gershwin died following surgery to remove a brain tumour, July 11 1937. He was only 38 years old.


Paul Young (1947-2000)
Lead singer with Sad Cafe in the seventies before moving on to join Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford's solo project, Mike + the Mechanics, Young shared vocal duties with the other Paul in the band, Carrack, and can be heard singing on the hits “All I need is a miracle” and “Word of mouth”. He died of a heart attack, July 15 2000.


Kelly Johnson (1958-2007)
One of the most influential female figures in the emerging world of heavy metal music in the early eighties, Kelly fronted the all-female metal band Girlschool, who were leading lights in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and in fact one of the focusses of our fourth instalment of the article on that scene later on in the year. Kelly played lead guitar, sang and wrote the songs for the band, but left them in 1984 to head to LA. She returned for their reunion in 1993 and stayed with them, recording and touring until 1999, when she became too ill to continue. She then fought a six-year battle with cancer, which she lost July 15 2007.

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Harry Chapin (1942-1981)
One of America's best-loved singer/songwriters, Harry had many hits including “Cat's in the cradle”, “WOLD” and “Taxi”, and his songs, particularly “Cat's in the cradle”, dealing with his coming-to-terms with his own son growing up and moving away from him, and seeing that he is now being treated by the son as he treated him growing up, covered many times. He was also a dedicated humanitarian who fought to end world hunger. Harry died in a car accident, July 17 1981.


Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989)
A child prodigy on the piano, Herbert found his true calling as a conductor of classical music, although this did not stop him from being the most successful classical recording artist, selling over two hundred million records in his time. He is one of the most respected conductors in the business, and in 2002 he had a music award founded in his name. He died of heart attack July 16 1989.


Jon Lord (1941-2012)
As usual, sadly, we have to include someone who has died this year, barely a week ago today. Co-founder of Deep Purple, Jon Lord was regarded as its leader until 1970, and wrote or co-wrote many of their greatest songs, including “Speed king”, “Child in time”, “Smoke on the water” and “Highway star”. Jon later joined Whitesnake, where he was never really happy, referring to himself as Gillan's “hired hand”. He rejoined Deep Purple in 1984, and also found time to put out some solo albums, including recording two classical suites. Jon died of pancreatic cancer, July 16 of this year.


Billie Holliday (1915-1959)
Born Eleanora Goughy, she was one of the most famous and revered female jazz singers, pioneering a whole new way of singing and having a way of being able to personally connect with those she sang to on an almost intimate level. She was feted by her peers, and assured her place in the annals of music history. She died of cirrhosis of the liver, July 17 1959.


John Coltrane (1926-1967)
A massive influence in the world of jazz music, Coltrane worked with other greats in the genre such as Thelonius Monk and Miles Davis. He was a bandleader and composer, and one of the most accomplished tenor jazz saxophonists in the world. He was even beatified by the African Orthodox Church as Saint John William Coltrane. He died of liver cancer, July 17 1967.


Chas Chandler (1938-1996)
Perhaps most famous as “the man who discovered Hendrix”, Bryan “Chas” Chandler originally found fame as bass player and backing vocalist with The Animals, before moving on to rock management, where he saw Hendrix, who was going by the name of Jimmy James, playing at a New York club and brought him back to England to form the Jimi Hendrix Experience, which he managed and produced. He later took over management of Slade, and guided them to several top chart hits in the seventies. Chandler died of an aortic aneuryism, July 17 1996.


Kevin Wilkinson (1958-1999)
Session drummer, affiliated with many bands in varying styles and genres, among them The Waterboys, Squeeze, Fish, China Crisis and the Proclaimers. He committed suicide July 17 1999 by hanging himself.
(Note: because he was a session musician, it's hard to tie Wilkinson down to playing on any particular album of any of the artistes listed above. These are the only ones I've come across on which he is namechecked in the album's personnel list, and so we can be reasonably sure he played on.)


Nico (1938-1998)
Born Christa Paffgen, she is best remembered for her work with Lou Reed and Velvet Underground, their debut album bearing her name as the artist --- The Velvet Underground and Nico --- but she also had a solo singing career, and worked as an actress and a model. She was closely associated with enfant terrible Andy Warhol, and worked with Bob Dylan and Jimmy Page. She died as a result of a cycling accident, July 18 1998.


Jerry Goldsmith (1929-2004)
Composer of some of the most iconic film scores and also television music, he scored among others the theme for “Star Trek: the next generation”, “Star Trek Voyager”, “The man from U.N.C.L.E” and “The Waltons”, as well as countless film soundtracks, such as “Logan's run”, “The omen”, “Poltergeist”, “Rambo”, “Total recall”, “Air Force One” and more recently “Hollow man” and “The sum of all fears”. He died of cancer, July 21 2004.
(Okay, so I'm a Star Trek Nerd, and you didn't think I'd pass up the opportunity to run the theme, did you? Seriously?)


John Collins Dawson IV (1945-2009)
A founder member, with the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia, of the band New Riders of the Purple Sage, Dawson, who went under the name of “Marmaduke”, infused psychedelia and rock with country music, and recruited several members of the Dead to play with the New Riders, the two bands often playing together. Dawson also guested on some of the Dead's albums. In 1997 he relocated to Mexico to become a teacher, and it was there that he died of stomach cancer, July 21 2009.


Sascha Distel (1933-2004)
French singer and guitarist who became a household name after his cover of “Raindrops keep falling on my head” was a hit. He was considered a heart-throb, and having started his career in jazz had worked with the greats like Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennet and Quincy Jones. He starred in many French films and had his own television show in the USA. He died after a long illness July 22 2004.


Don Arden (1926-2007)
Born Harry Levy, he became known as “The English Godfather” and “The Al Capone of Pop”, due to his aggressive and often illegal business practices and his uncompromising style. As a tough band manager, he guided the careers of among others, ELO and Black Sabbath. He was the father of Sharon, who married Ozzy Osbourne, and took over management of Sabbath from her father, who was reportedly livid and cut off all communications between the two. He died of Alzheimer's Disease, July 22 2007.

Amy Winehouse (1983-2011)
Singer, songwriter and guitarist, Amy Winehouse hit gold with her second album, “Back to black”, which won a total of five Grammy Awards and put her on the musical map. She became one of the world's biggest-selling female artists, with her mix of soul, rhythm and blues and jazz music, and her rebellious attitude was taken up by teenagers across the globe. Despite her talent though, her heavy misuse of drugs and alcohol, combined with violent moods swings, depression and instances of self-harm, landed her in rehab, where she refused to stay, discharging herself. Her substance abuse virtually put an end to her musical career, as the one overshadowed the other, and it became more of interest what outrageous thing she had done last than what her latest single or album was. She eventually died of alcohol poisoning, July 23 of last year. She had only released two albums, with a posthumous collection being released after her death.


Peter Sellers (1925-1980)
Actor and musician best known and beloved for his roles in Blake Edwards' “Pink Panther” series of movies, in which he played the bumbling Inspector Clouseau six times (once posthumously, with previous footage inserted of him for the final movie), the amazing “Dr Strangelove”, in which he played three separate roles at once, and his participation in the radio comedy sketch show “The Goons”. He died of a heart attack. July 23 1980.


Dan Peek (1950-2011)
Onetime member of the band America, Dan wrote some of their hits and also collaborated on two of their bigger numbers, “Ventura Highway” and “Horse with no name”. In addition to singing, he played guitar, keyboards, bass and harmonica. When he left America in 1977 he rediscovered his Christianity and became one of the first crossover artists in the field of Christian contemporary music, scoring a hit with the single “All things are possible”. Dan died in his sleep, July 23 of last year.

Charlie Rich (1932-1995)
Country singer and piano player, Charlie had hits with “The most beautiful girl in the world” and “Behind closed doors”, and starred as himself in the Clint Eastwood movie “Every which way but loose”. He won two Grammy awards, and was even namechecked by Tom Waits in his song “Putnam County”. Charlie died in his sleep from a blood clot on his lung, July 25 1995.


Mary Wells (1943-1992)
Known as “The First Lady of Motown” and “The Queen of Motown”, she was one of the first motown singing superstars, with her signature hit, “My guy”, going to number one, only four years after she had been discovered by Motown boss Berry Gordy. She went on to work with legends like Bobby Womack, Smokey Robinson and Jackie Wilson. She developed throat cancer in 1990 and this put an end to her long music career, finally also putting an end to her life, July 26 1992.

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Composer best known and loved for his four-part violin suite, “The Four Seasons”, Vivaldi also composed over forty operas, and in addition to being a musician and composer was a priest. He was invited to Vienna in 1728 by the then Emperor Charles VI, but soon after he arrived, expecting imperial patronage and a decent income, the emperor died, leaving Vivaldi destitute. Not long after the penniless composer died, of “internal infection”, and was buried in a pauper's grave.

(Incidentally, if anyone is really that into Vivaldi, someone has posted a SIX HOUR video on YT! I kid ye not! Just search under “Vivaldi” and it's on the first page. Bit too much for me though.)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
A hugely influential German composer, and part of the powerful dynasty of classical musicians that came out of the Bach family, Johann Sebastian (often shorted to J.S) was known for such works as “The Brandenburg Concertos”, “Toccata and fugue” and was admired by some of the greats, including Mozart, Mendelssohn, Chopin and Beethoven. His music features three times on the record of human achievement sent into space on the Voyager probes, more than any other artist, living or dead. He died after falling into a decline, July 28 1750.


Mama Cass (1941-1974)
Born Ellen Naomi Cohen, she changed her name to Cass Elliot but was widely known as Mama Cass, fronting the folk band The Mamas and the Papas, who had huge hits with songs like “Dream a little dream of me” and “California dreamin'”. After the group disbanded, Cass went on to a successful solo career, but died of a heart attack after the last concert of a two-week sold out gig in London, July 28 1974.


Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Hungarian pianist and composer who is widely regarded as the most technically proficient of his age, and one of the greatest pianists of all time, Liszt experimented with new techniques and advanced the art of piano music well ahead of his time. He died of pneumonia, July 31 1886.


Jim Reeves (1923-1964)
“Gentleman Jim” was born in Texas, one of the most loved country singers of his generation, with hits like “He'll have to go” and “Welcome to my world”, as well as the Christmas favourite “Silver bells”. He became known for his deep, rich baritone voice and was inducted posthumously into the Country Music Hall of Fame three years after his death. He died in a plane crash, July 31 1964.

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Apart from his many hits with Ultravox, Midge Ure has had a few on his own. Here's one of them.

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Key

Hey TH, I've been thinking of a couple album reviews that you could potentially look into writing up for a few albums. You don't have to, but I figured i'd take you up on that offer of giving you some ideas of what to put in here. I'll add a Grooveshark link as well so you don't have to search or download the album yourself.

Sparks - No. 1 In Heaven

Grooveshark - Grooveshark - Free Music Streaming, Online Music

pg.lost - Key

Grooveshark - Grooveshark - Free Music Streaming, Online Music

Myrath - Tales of the Sand

Grooveshark - Grooveshark - Free Music Streaming, Online Music

Trollheart

Interesting... a metal band from Tunisia, you say? I'm going to go have a listen to that now. Not so sure about Pg Lost (is that meant to be "page lost"?) --- not certain about math rock, but I'll give them a go. Sparks I know little of, beyond their hits and the fact that their keyboard player looks like a cross between Hitler and Charlie Chaplin! I'll check it out.

Depending on how the albums impress me, or don't, they may appear here or in "Bitesize", and of course it'll be a while before they do, as I have a big backlog of albums to review/post, not to mention all sorts of sections that haven't been updated in ages (just got the third part of the NWOBHM story done now, as you can see). But I'll definitely listen to them.

Thanks for taking the time to contribute, it's appreciated!

TH

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Key

I think you'll love Myrath the most. Pg.lost is more an instrumental post rock band, more something you listen to passively. That Sparks album is one of their most accessible so you'll probably like it a bit.

And no prob!

Trollheart

Bit of glam metal to start off the week, how does that sound? Here's Motley Crue!

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Been a little while since I looked at a current album --- in fact, if I look back, seems to have been the beginning of this month. So much for keeping up to date! Still, I'll blame all the building work that's going on at the moment here: can't listen to an album when some guy is hammering out a beat with a pneumatic drill or knocking down your walls! That much said, it's time to get back to the, er, present, and have a look at an album that has been released this year.

I personally have never heard of this band, though it appears from what I can gather (sometimes Wiki is just absolutely no help!) that they've been together since the early nineties, and have released close to twenty albums over that time. I listened to some samples from their latest album and was so taken that I immediately added it to my basket, and now I want to listen to it properly and give it the review it surely seems to deserve. Possibly some/most of you may laugh or sneer at me for not knowing who these guys are, but there's no point in pretending I do. If they're really that famous, then shame on me for letting them pass me by. Let's begin to sort out that lapse now.

Generator --- The Blindside Blues Band --- 2012 (Shrapnel)


With a name like that, you can be reasonably sure of what you're getting. This will be no deep, intricate composition with swirling keyboards, electronic doo-dads or indeed soft violins or orchestral backing. The likes of dragons, quests, political themes and references to worshipping the devil are likely to be conspicuous by their absence, and drum machines are also not expected. This is the Blues, this is rock, and this is goddamn down-home fun.

So who are these guys? It would appear that the band is the brainchild of one Mike Onesko, a native of the fair state of Ohio, who left his home at seventeen to seek fame as a guitar player and formed several bands in San Francisco before getting the Blindside Blues Band together in around 1993, and ended up playing with such greats as Neal Schon, Glenn Hughes and Pat Travers, also putting out two tribute records to the late Jimi Hendrix. In addition to the Blindsides, Onesko also puts in time with other projects, such as the Mike Onesko Blues Band , the Onesko-Bogert-CEO Project and Mike Onesko's Guitar Army, but here we're concentrating on the current one, the Blindside Blues Band.

The album sleeve hammers home the message, with its picture of a big, heavy, tough old generator; certainly not state-of-the-art, looks like it could power a small city for a month by itself. It's dirty and it's mean, it's powerful and it's rough, but it'll get the job done and it won't let you down. And indeed this album does not. It kicks off with the nasty, heavy, grinding sound of a gee-tar, in the best tradition of ZZ and George Thorogood, then Mike's voice is a deep, drawling cross between Billy Gibbons and Steve Earle, as “Gravy train” gets underway. Powerful, tough guitar playing meshing with thumping drums and thudding bass, with a great solo from Jay Jesse Johnson (there's a name that was born out on some ranch somewhere, far from the city!) and a powerful, hammerpunch ending that pulls us without pause into the title track, a Chicago-blues-infused boogie rocker that just demands your feet tap. This is the sort of band Gary Moore would have wanted to jam with, had he lived longer. Straight ahead, no-nonsense, no frills rock and roll and blues. Lovely. Guitar, guitar, bass and drums, and a guy to sing about the things that have happened in his life. No synths, no keys, no strings, no nothin' but the most basic and joyful of the blues.

There's nothing too deep here: these are guys who enjoy making music, who enjoy rockin' and do it to the very best of their ability, as they show on “Power of the blues”, with squealing, yowling guitar from Johnson taking centre stage while Mike Onesko keeps an almost Sabbath-like riff going as a counterpoint, and though this title has been used before this is not a cover: every track here is a Mike Onesko original. “Bluesin'” is another vehicle for JJJ's fretwork frenzy, with a definite late sixties feel to the backing vocals, and a touch of Hendrix's “Crosstown traffic”, then speaking of that, there's a real workout on “Goin' crosstown”, with another deep and dirty arrangement that leaves you in no doubt that you should under no circumstances cross this man, as he heads 'cross town to see his lady.

There's a great swinging blues number then in “Loving you”, Mike channeling BB King, with some superb guitar histrionics from Jesse Jay, then it's almost the opening riff from Sabbath's classic “Paranoid” that kicks off a slowburning, grinding blues rocker that just about shades into metal territory. “Genevieve” is the Blindside Blues Band at their hardest, crunchiest and dirtiest, and indeed almost their longest, with the track clocking in at just over eight minutes. Halfway through it changes, with a big bluesy guitar solo taking the song and speeding it up in true southern rock fashion, then it all slows back down again, grinding to the end as it began. Superb.

Some absolutely mesmeric slide guitar from JJJ opens “Gonna leave this town”, recalling the best of the Delta blues, and a fine tough rocker it is too, with the slide continuing right through, backed by Mike Onesko's own fine guitar licks, as he grates out the lyric like a man possessed. “Wandering man” continues the theme of the drifter with his six-string slung over his back, moving from town to town, riffs firing off like salvoes from an offshore battleship, a cool little bass solo from Kier Staeheli, and we close on the mighty, and well-named, “Bonus jam”.

Nine and a half minutes of pure guitar blues heaven, a powerful instrumental that just brings down the curtain on a fine, fine album in exactly the way you hoped it would: lettin' the music do the talking! Onesko and Johnson spark off each other perfectly here, trading licks and riffs like two master fencers dancing around each other, while the rock-solid rhythm section keeps everything firmly under control. There's even time for an impromptu drum solo just before the end! For anyone who's an aficionado of great guitar playing, this is a treat indeed. Not shredding by any means, but guitars played the way they ought to be, the way they were down Mississippi and Chicago and N'Orleans, with fire and power and pride and passion, and an abiding love for the blues.

You can tell that, even at the end of this tremendous album, the generator that is Blindside Blues Band is far from out of power, but the album has drained me, and I definitely need to recharge before I can tackle any more reviews. Superb, sublime, powerful and very, very special indeed. If you've ever wondered what people see in the blues, this is your chance to find out. Grab this now: it's essential listening.

TRACKLISTING

1. Gravy train
2. Generator
3. Power of the blues
4. Bluesin'
5. Goin' crosstown
6. Lovin' you
7. Genevieve
8. Slow down
9. Gonna leave this town
10. Wandering man
11. Bonus jam

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