Well, this is another band I never expected to see live. I discovered the Sonics in my late teens via The Fuzztones whose version of "Strychnine" was a staple of Athens rock clubs in the 80's. So I went back to the source and discovered the rock'n'roll treasure that is the Sonics' first two albums. I immediately connected with their combination of raw energy and unhinged fun, and started playing their records as loud as I dared, dancing wildly alone in my room with the shutters closed - lest the neighbours thought I had an epileptic fit and called an ambulance. The original band had disintegrated in 1967 with members going back to their dayjobs or whatever, so who could ever predict they'd be touring their great garage-punk songbook around the world 50 years later? Of course when I discovered a few days ago that they were about to play in Amsterdam, I jumped at the chance to see them. The venue was Paradiso Noord, a modern concert hall only a 5-minute ferry ride from the city's Central Station. Unbeknownst to me, though, the band was not the (more or less) original Sonics that reformed a few years back, but the touring version: Founder member Rob Lind, a couple of latter-day members and guests Evan Stone (Boss Martians) on guitar and Jake Cavaliere (a Lord of Altamont, and former Fuzztone to boot) on keyboards. So it was really a sort of all-star garage band, rather than The Sonics. Which didn't stop me from having fun after overcoming the initial disappointment, since the music was loud and exciting as always. Now if only they had a vocalist that could scream and shout like Gerry Roslie... The musicians shared vocal duties amongst themselves, and even had a guest singer (from Norwegian Sonics tribute band Strychnine) for a couple of songs, but still didn't sound like the band that recorded "Boom" and "Here Are The Sonics".
Which is, improbably, not the case with this, their 2015 comeback LP. I mean who the hell could expect them to match the wild energy of their debut, half a century later? And yet, they (very nearly) do! Rob's howling sax and Larry's shredding guitar are a thing to behold, but the real stunner is Gerry, shrieking otherworldly, yelping and banging his piano like a young Little Richard. Maybe nowadays there's a bit more grit in his voice, but since when is that a bad thing? The band wear, like always, their influences on their sleeve, paying tribute to R&B pioneers by gleefully and violently ripping their classics apart before pulverising them and stomping them to the ground: Hank Ballard's "Look At Little Sister", Bo Diddley's "You Can't Judge a Book By the Cover" and Eddie Holland's "Leaving Here" are played at maximum volume. Best of all the covers is Ray Charles' "I Don't Need No Doctor", the definitive version of a tune previously covered by the likes of Chocolate Watch Band and Humble Pie. Apparently it's sung by bassist Freddie Dennis (and "new boy" together with drummer Dusty Watson) formerly of The Kingsmen.
A slight evolution in their sound is evident in the more classic rock-oriented tunes like "Spend The Night", "Save The Planet" (because "it's the only one with beer") "Be A Woman" (a song given to them by Aussie indie rockers Hoodoo Gurus) and, their speciality, mean-woman put-down "I Got Your Number" ("...and it's 666"). Lead single "Bad Betty" is a wild garage tune about a tough biker chick and "Sugaree" another R&B scorcher with wild sax and piano. Lastly "The Hard Way" and "Livin' In Chaos" are noisy garage punk similar e.g. to the Dirtbombs, whose bassist Jim Diamond did a fine job producing this album: Recording in mono, he managed to retain the raw energy of their old records while giving them a clearer, lively, modern sound. All in all, it's probably the comeback album of the decade and a worthy successor to their classic 60's trilogy. A highly recommended purchase, look for the vinyl version that comes with a bonus CD so you can listen to this album on the road too. And if you do like it, I've got more good news for you: during the concert, Rob talked about a new LP they'll be recording later in the year, and previewed some of the songs including a cover of "Get Back In The Car" by The Lords Of Altamont. I sure hope that Gerry and Larry will be back on board for the recording!
***** for I Don't Need No Doctor, Bad Betty, Leaving Here, Look At Little Sister, I Got Your Number, Save the Planet
**** for Be a Woman, You Can't Judge a Book By the Cover, The Hard Way, Sugaree, Livin' In Chaos
*** for Spend the Night
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