Billy F Gibbons "Hardware" 2021***

I don't know what the reason is, but Billy F Gibbons (really, when did he add the "F"? I'm sure he wasn't being referred to like that, until lately) had been distancing himself from ZZ Top in the last decade. It's still his dayjob, of course: the band has been touring incessantly, but they've only released one new album in the last 18 years. Gibbons, on the other hand, released his first solo record Perfectamundo in 2015, and followed it with two others in quick succession: 2018's The Big Bad Blues and 2021's Hardware. It seems that the success of his band has led him to be afraid to make changes to their sound, and therefore channel his creativity in his solo albums. Thing is, there's little here to differentiate it from ZZ Top's formula. Gibbons' gruff vocals and fuzzy/dirty blues guitar are on the forefront, although the album is obviously a team effort: the songs are co-written with drummer Matt Sorum and co-producers Chad Shlosser and Mike Fiorentino, while guitarist Austin Hanks also contributes to the overall sound. The songs are quite short (3:00' on the average) giving the impression of a singles collection rather than album. There are recurring themes familiar from ZZ Top (cars, girls, and booze), while the music is also often indistinguishable from ZZ Top's Southern blues boogie. This goes especially for the first tracks ("My Lucky Card", "She’s On Fire", "Shuffle, Step & Slide") as well as "I Was a Highway" and "S-G-L-M-B-B-R". "More-More-More" is similar, although the riff is a bit more metallic and reminiscent of QOTSA. "Vagabond Man" is a blues ballad, while "Spanish Fly" is a mid-paced blues about an old Mexican aphrodisiac featuring nice Hendrix-like guitar and theremin-like synth effects. "Stackin’ Bones" is a groovy piece with delightful backing vocals by the Lovell sisters (from the band Larkin Poe). They give it a night club vibe that makes me think of 60's go-go girls dancing dressed in cowgirl uniforms. "Hey Baby, Que Paso" is the only cover here, a Tex-Mex classic with blues harp and organ reminiscent of Sir Douglas Quintet. The fact that the album was recorded in the Californian desert, rather than Gibbons' Texas homeland, seems to have influenced other songs, in any case at least "West Coast Junkie" with its surf guitar, and especially on the spooky album closer "Desert High", a spoken word piece with references ranging from rattlesnakes and scorpions to dead rock stars Jim Morrison and Gram Parsons, who had a special bond with that area. All in all, this is a strong B.F.Gibbons/ZZ Top album, among his best of the last 30 years. I know there's at least one more ZZ Top album in the plans, containing the last contributions from Dusty Hill, the band's bassist/co-vocalist, and Gibbons' "brother in beard" - Dusty passed away suddenly late last year. Drummer Frank Beard isn't a songwriter, which leaves Gibbons as the sole remaining creative force in the band. It'd be interesting to see whether he will now prioritize ZZ Top, which is by far his more popular musical "vehicle", or continue making solo records and instead just tour with ZZ Top whose name will help selling out the big venues. Whichever the case, albums like this prove that we can still count on him to keep the spirit of his old band alive.

**** for She’s On Fire, West Coast Junkie, Stackin’ Bones, I Was a Highway

*** for My Lucky Card, More-More-More, Shuffle, Step & Slide, Vagabond Man, Spanish Fly, -G-L-M-B-B-R, Hey Baby, Que Paso, Desert High

Scorpions "Best" 1999(comp) 1972-1999(rec)***

Scorpions were probably the most popular rock band in Greece in the 80's, when I was a teenager. According to setlist.fm they've played no less than 26 concerts in Greece, which must be a record for a foreign band. Yet I never saw them play when I was living there - maybe because by the time I was old enough and could afford going to gigs, I had moved on to more alternative bands. I finally got to see them in Belgium, during the last festival season before the pandemic hit. To be honest, I never was a huge fan; I was only there to tick off a box, and I found their performance rather underwhelming - especially the long instrumental interludes, though it's possible that singer Klaus Meine was just having voice problems on that particular day. In their time, though, they were a great band. They made 4 nearly perfect albums between 1979-1984, which I have. Next to these, I bought a few cheap compilations rounding up tracks from the period before and after. Among these are Hot & Slow (focusing on their 70's beginnings, and presented here), and Scorpions Best which mostly focuses on their 80's and 90's period. There are no repetitions between the two comps. I'll present this one chronologically, starting with their debut Lonesome Crow  from way back in 1972. "I'm Going Mad" from that album is buried near the middle of this compilation, and sounds completely out of place. It's a piece of experimental psychedelia featuring groovy drums, spoken word, chanted backing vocals, and fantastic Hendrix-like guitar by 16 year-old prodigy Michael Schenker, who left soon afterwards to join U.F.O. The compilation then skips their next 3 LPs to land in 1978 and the last albums featuring Schenker's replacement Uli Jon Roth. He's featured on the metallic "He's A Woman - She's A Man" from Taken By Force and a live version of "In Trance" from Tokyo Tapes.

The next album Lovedrive (1979) ushers in the golden age of the band, with Mathias Jabs on guitar (as well as a short-lived return by Michael Schenker). 4 songs from the album are included: rocker "Loving You Sunday Morning", the quasi-reggae "Is There Anybody There?" and, Scorpions' specialty, two power ballads: "Always Somewhere" and "Holiday". Those two were very popular at parties in the 80's. After a certain point, they'd play "blues" (as we called all slower songs), and you could ask your favorite girl to slow dance with you. I learned not to do that with "Holiday" because, 3 minutes in, there's a faster rock part that makes for some awkward dancing. "Always Somewhere", on the other hand, bears a strong resemblance to Skynyrd's "Simple Man", a fact my girlfriend spotted immediately when she listened to the latter song. From their next album Animal Magnetism

 

(1980) we only get one track, the pleasant rocker "Make It Real", while the superior Blackout (1982) is represented by "No One Like You", a commercial pop metal song with alternate fast and slow bits, a memorable riff and catchy chorus. 1984's Love At First Sting is arguably the band's pinnacle, featuring Scorpions' most rousing rocker ("Rock You Like A Hurricane") and most emotive ballad ("Still Loving You"). This period of the band was immortalized in World Wide Live (1985) showcasing the band in its peak. An energetic performance on "Another Piece Of Meat" is included here, but the song itself isn't among their best. After this string of great albums, I remember being disappointed by Savage Amusement (1988) but the two songs here ("Rhythm Of Love", "Passion Rules The Game") sound good to my ears now, even if the production is too polished. 

Crazy World (1990) would prove their most successful album thanks to the two gorgeous ballads featured here "Send Me An Angel" and, especially, the zeitgeist-grabbing "Wind Of Change", introduced with an iconic whistling and celebrating the fall of "communist" dictatorships in Eastern Europe. The compiler ignores their next two albums (1993's Face The Heat and 1996's Pure Instinct), much as the general public did. Which leaves the obligatory "previously unreleased" exclusive new song - in this case the pretty meh "Love Is Blind". This CD functions well as an introduction to the group, as it's pretty representative and features many of their hits. I can nevertheless think of some pretty big omissions, so it's by no means the definitive Scorpions collection.

***** for Rock You Like A Hurricane, Wind Of Change, Holiday, Still Loving You

**** for Is There Anybody There?, No One Like You, In Trance (Live), Always Somewhere, Send Me An Angel

*** for Loving You Sunday Morning, Rhythm Of Love, Passion Rules The Game, I'm Going Mad, He's A Woman - She's A Man, Make It Real

** for Another Piece Of Meat (Live), Love Is Blind

Editors "The Snowfield Demos" 2019(released) 2003-2004(rec)***

Last Saturday shops in The Netherlands opened again, after a month during which they were closed down due to pandemic-related restrictions. Obviously, this was the worst possible season for shops to close, missing out on all the holiday shopping, but health always comes first. For myself, I tried to do at least some of the online shopping from neighborhood shops. But webshops will never replace the real thing: it felt really good to walk into a record store again and just browse around. This time, I left with just a few promos in cardboard sleeves from the 2nd hand stall. They cost practically nothing (€0,20-€1) and mostly had a printed notice saying "Promotional Copy. Do Not Sell". But it didn't say anything about not buying, so I felt like I got a bargain without breaking the rule.

This specific CD though, isn't a promo. It was a bonus album given away together with the first vinyl copies of The Editors' Black Gold compilation - only the ones sold on the band's own webshop, mind you. I didn't know anything about it when I bought it, but I like The Editors so I thought I'd give it a try. It turns out these aren't just some Editors demos - they predate the band's debut and were recorded when they were still called Snowfield and didn't have a recording contract yet. So we are afforded a look at The Editors' very beginnings, the better to appreciate their subsequent development. Some of the songs will be familiar, since they were later recorded for inclusion in the band's debut The Back Room. Upbeat opener "Bullets" would become The Editors' debut single, and remains a staple of their live performances up to now. It bristles with energy, and while further changes would come about, it has a full sound and a finished feel. Two more tracks here appeared in different versions in The Back Room. Of these, "Fall" sounds terrific and sports a great vocal performance, while "Distance" is a bit too subdued. Both songs are slow and atmospheric, which made them excellent candidates for an acoustic re-recording and inclusion as bonus tracks in the Deluxe CD version of Black Gold. Another song that found its way into a later Editors album is "Every Little Piece Of Your Life". It underwent some major changes, both lyrically and in tempo, before being included in the band's sophomore album An End Has A Start under the title "The Weight Of The World". This version is more energetic, giving it a "live" feel. "Come Share The View" and "The Diplomat" would later appear as B sides. Both are dynamic, especially the former which reminds me of Joy Division - a likeness also evident on "Release", particularly regarding the excellent vocal. The latter wasn't part of the original 6-song demo the band circulated during their Snowfield days in 2003. My guess is that it was recorded in 2004, after the name change; after all, the band's official website states that these recordings stem from 2003 and 2004. Closer "Forest Fire" was also not on the original demo but it sounds rawer than the rest of the CD, a simple acoustic demo with a slow and somber beat. It might be an album outtake from 2004, or it might even predate the demo, after all it's one of their earliest compositions. All in all, this CD is the (almost) fully realized sound of a promising band. I imagine it'd be of great interest to fans, though the rest of us might prefer their later, official, records. I myself have the deluxe version of Black Gold; the one with the bonus acoustic CD, which I play often enough.

**** for Bullets, Every Little Piece Of Your Life, Fall

*** for Come Share The View, Distance, Release

** for The Diplomat, Forest Fire

David Bromberg Band "Bandit In A Bathing Suit" 1978***

I was only vaguely familiar with the name of David Bromberg when I saw this album in a 2nd hand record stall, but the price was right and the funny title and album cover caught my eye. So I listened to a sample on my mobile and decided to add it to my collection. I often look for albums of this period, especially if they have never been re-released: ignored as irrelevant during the onslaught of punk and new wave, they ended up in cutout bins and the like, but they sometimes yield rare and unexpected pleasures. This one actually did briefly become available in CD form: back in '98, it was part of a compilation that also included previous year's Reckless Abandon. From what I gather, Bandit is the less beloved of the two, probably because it is less typical of the artist. Not having any expectations, I enjoyed listening to it but was surprised by the stylistic changes in every turn. Side One (labeled: Mostly Electric) opens with the eponymous rocker. At first, the singer reminded me of Lou Reed in "Rock And Roll" - but then the jovial horns kicked in, and all similarities were gone. This was followed by "If You Don't Want Me Baby", a swampy funk number sung in the style of Dr. John, and then two old-fashioned folk ballads "Queen Ellen" and "Sweet Sweet Sadness". Side 1 closes with a funk blues instrumental called "Peanut Man", sporting great sax and electric guitar. Then Side 2 (a.k.a: Mostly Acoustic) opens with something completely different: a bluegrass medley ("Love Please Come Home / Blackberry Blossom / Dixie Hoedown / June Apple"). I'm not a big fan of that style, but I quite enjoyed the spirited playing, especially the nimble banjo and fiddle solos. "Ugly Hour" is another understated ballad, followed by two live recordings: the upbeat "Travelling Man" in which Bromberg recounts a humorous story with country/cajun backing, and a Dr. John-meets-The Band country funk tune called "Northeast Texas Woman". To be honest, the two sides are not too dissimilar: one has a bit more electric guitar, while the other is a bit more country influenced. In the end, mixing acoustic and electric instruments, studio and live recordings, jazz, country, rock and blues, doesn't work in favor of the album: the sum turns out to be less than its parts. Each track is enjoyable, and the musicians' playing is first class, but unfortunately all the elements don't gel together into something coherent. A worthy purchase, nevertheless.

**** for Bandit In A Bathing Suit, If You Don't Want Me Baby, Love Please Come Home medley

*** for Queen Ellen, Sweet Sweet Sadness, Peanut Man, Ugly Hour, Travelling Man, Northeast Texas Woman

Warsaw "An Ideal for Killing" 2002?(comp) 1977-1979(rec)***

On June 4, 1976 The Sex Pistols played in Manchester for the first time. It was probably the single most influential gig in rock. Supposedly only 42 people were present (though hundreds, if not thousands, have claimed to have been there), but many of those went on to form bands that dominated the future UK indie scene: Pete Shelley (Buzzcocks), Howard Devoto (Buzzcocks/Magazine), Mark E. Smith (The Fall), Mick Hucknall (Simply Red), Morrissey (The Smiths). The members of a local band with the provisional name Stiff Kittens were also present. Following this concert they would change their sound and name: first to Warsaw, then Joy Division, and finally -following the tragic death of their lead singer- to New Order. In case you are a New Order/Joy Division fan and wonder what the hell The Sex Pistols have to do with an early incarnation of your favorite band, prepare to be shocked the moment you drop the needle on this bootleg of early Warsaw demos: on the first couple of tracks ("Inside the Line", "Gutz") they sound like a bunch of raw, enthusiastic Sex Pistols imitators. Especially Ian Curtis' vocals are unrecognizable, aggressive shouts and sneers rather than his famous baritone croon. Tracks 3 ("At a Later Date") and 4 ("The Kill") show more promise and musical similarities to their later work as Joy Division. Together with track 5 (the Pistols-mangle-sixties-Nuggets "You're Not Good for Me") they all make up Warsaw's first demo from July 1977. They're followed by a live version of "At a Later Date" recorded in October '77 and later included in the Short Circuit: Live at the Electric Circus comp. Incidently, this song, which tries to explore the state of mind of captive nazi Rudolf Hess, is the band's first ambiguous approach of nazism. Renaming themselves Joy Division after the horrid nazi forced prostitution camps was a more serious one, but, as time has proved, the band were inspired by the bleakness and hopelessness created by the nazis, not their execrable ideology. "Novelty" apparently comes from the much-bootlegged May 1978 sessions. These recordings were intended to be the band's debut LP for RCA records but were abandoned at the time only to resurface in 1994 on CD under the name Warsaw. The version here sounds rawer than the one on Warsaw - it may be that the bootleg version is an alternate take, or that it retains the original edge which was somewhat smoothed over when it got a wider release. Two more tracks from the same sessions are here: "Walked In Line", and "Ice Age". Both compositions are excellent, showing the band's progression from generic punk to proto-goth. Ian Curtis' vocals are not yet what they would become, but he is also transitioning from emulating Johnny Rotten to broodily crooning, Jim Morrison-style. Side 2 opens with the An Ideal For Living EP. Recorded in December 1977 but released in June '78 under the new name and featuring a drummer in a Hitlerjugend uniform on the cover, it added to the controversy about the band and was wisely pulled out and later re-released with a different cover in 12-inch format. The music inside was great, especially the two tracks ("Warsaw", "Leaders of Men") later included in the classic Substance compilation - my first JD vinyl, played to death before I unceremoniously replaced it with a CD during the great vinyl purge. Once again, I have the feeling that the versions in this bootleg sound rawer than the official (re)release. The only way to know if they are identical to the original "Hitlerjugend" 7-inch would be to procure a copy and compare them note for note. Good luck finding one, discogs currently has only two on sale, going for upwards of €4500. "No Love Lost" and "Failures" from the same EP have an endearing (to me) garage-rock style, but are objectively not playing to the bands' strengths. This compilation closes with a song called "The Kill". Different to the same-named track on side 1 (though still somewhat punky), it was recorded after the name change: this rough take comes from the sessions that produced Joy Division's debut Unknown Pleasures (1979) and was later reworked for inclusion in the posthumous compilation Still. So, is this Spanish bootleg comp worth buying? First things first: the music is good. Warsaw were a good punk band to begin with, and this album chronicles their evolution to a great post-punk/dark wave one. As such, it is essential to Joy Division fans and certainly of interest to punk rockers. Regarding the sound quality now... as I mentioned, the Warsaw CD sounds noticeably better, and includes all but two of these (plus the rest of the RCA sessions, not included here). I say go for that one, except if you're a JD completist, or if -like me- you come across this LP in a shop, and hear it calling your name. I can't say I regret bringing it home.

**** for At a Later Date, Novelty, Warsaw, Leaders of Men, Failures, Ice Age, Walked in Line, The Kill (2)

*** for The Kill(1), You're Not Good for Me, At a Later Date (Live), No Love Lost

** for Inside the Line, Gutz