Glam Parsons
Rockabilly Blitz! - Recorded & engineered by David Irish at Pot Of Gold Recording, Orange, CA. Additional recording at Fox Studios & Say Watt Sound, Rutherford, NJ
Released August 7, 2024
Reviewed 10th September 2024 by Jack Brown
Members
Gene Meregillano - Guitars
Tony Redhorse - Bass (+ Guitar track 11)
Stuli - Drums
Joey Rome - Guitar tracks 1 & 4
Josh Locke - vocals
Dan Edwards AKA Lincoln Rayford - vocals tracks 4, 6, 10
The Ballroom Blitz;
This was the third hit of 1973 for The Sweet on RCA Victor, reaching no.2, held off by The Simon Park Orchestra & Eye Level. Incidentally, The Sweet, or Sweet as they’re sometimes called, had 5 UK no.2 hits, but only 1 UK no.1 in the form of the immaculate Blockbuster. The guys have turned this track into a straight Rockabilly performance, though I like the fact they’ve kept the introducing each band member intro in as The Sweet did, albeit with a bit of Tare It Up thrown in for good measure. It’s a fun performance, though I feel the track could have done with a bit more punch, but that’s just me.
Gudbuy T Jane;
This track, this time on the Polydor label, became the fourth hit of 1972 for Slade, again reaching no.2, kept off I think by Chuck Berry & his tossing Ding A Ling. Slade also had 5 UK no.2’s, albeit achieving 6 discs that made UK no.1. again a straight Rockabilly reading of this glam classic, this time with the required punch needed for such an anthem. Of course, the singer doesn’t have the power of Noddy Holder, apparently one of the nicest guys you could ever wish to meet in the music bus, but he doesn’t try to emulate him either. Really enjoyable.
Drivin’ Sister.
Not a track I was familiar with to be totally honest. Shameful really as it’s by Mott The Hoople, from their 1973 LP Mott, I should listen to them more & Ian Hunter, Arial Bender & the rest are great This one has a great Rockabilly intro & a fabulous rockin’ party vibe. This track, with its’ 50s throwback lyrics, adapts well to the band’s RnR treatment. Some impressive doghouse-base plucking too..
Alright Alright Alright;
Back to familiar territory here & I track in know fairly well. This became a 1973 UK no.3 hit for Mungo Jerry, fronted by Ray Dorsett. A bit of a comeback for them really, they hadn’t had a hit this big since Baby Jump hit no.1 in early 71. This track suits the Rockabilly switch, as Mungo Jerry were at heart an RnR & skiffle group, that got caught or or swept up in the Glam scene. The band speed this number up, keeping the original melody, & it works really well. This has been the best & most impressive vocal so far. Interesting fact before we move on, Ray Dorsett actually wrote the Kelly Marie hit Feels Like I’m In Love, but not for her, he claims he wrote it from Mr Elvis Presley, but he passed before a demo could reach him. Ok as if anyone needed to know, or particularly cared about, that particular snippet of pop trivia. Moving swiftly on.
Under My Wheels
Didn’t know the title knew the track. A classic slice of Alice Cooper from his glam phase, taken from one of his classic albums Killer. The band have changed the arrangement on this, taking out some of the heavy urgency of the Cooper original. However, it really works in the Rockabilly setting. It’s a basic Rockabilly arrangement, with a hint of 1970s Glam electric guitar thrown in for good measure. Elements of the song retain the Cooper urgency, really good.;
Mean Girl;
They have quite a liberal definition of Glam, as I would never have classed denim-clad rockers Status Quo as a Glam act, though I am a big fan, especially of their early material for which this song applies. This was an album track from the 1971 album Dog of Two Heads. Then after they left Pye for Vertigo, it was released as a single, reaching a respectable no.20 in the Uk charts mid-1973. This has some nice double-bass, you could even say some mean playing, see what I did there, ok sorry I’ll stop. This adapts to Rockabilly rather well & is a very good performance. There’s some impressive guitar work, the band putting their own stamp on this Quo track. But Don’t know this track at all, so could be an original? Has a nice growl & gravelly vocal, & backing reminding me of The Stray Cats, which is no bad thing. Some of the guitar parts do remind me of T-Rex, again no bad thing in my eyes.;
Tiger Feet;
This track, the first of 3 UK no.1’s for Mud in early 1974 on the RAK label, has been given the Rockabilly treatment before. It’s understandable as it adapts very well to the double-base Rockabilly treatment. It’s clearly a very fun song to turn into a Rockabilly tune, & being well-known, even by teds who pretend to hate it, it must be an absolute blast to play live. Like the Mud version, this is pure just good solid fun.
Highway Star;
Again, not really a Glam track, being by heavy-rock giants Deep Purple. Coming from there, in my opinion, best album Machine Head. Saying that, I wouldn’t take my opinion all to seriously, as ive only heard one over purple album, In Rock from 1970 which I didn’t really care for. I wouldn’t have imagined this metal type song adapting well to Rockabilly, but it does. They turn it into something a bit moodier, & less power works in their favor here. Again, they put their own stamp on the track with the instrumentation. I also like how the vocals go lower during the Highway Star bit, rather than higher as they did on the original. This gives thee track a more RnR feel, & it doesn’t stretch the vocal range too much. A really pleasant surprise. Staying ture to the Glam definition doesn’t really matter, so long as the covers are from the correct era & are enjoyable listens, which this one is.
Silver Machine;
Probably the most ambitious cover here. Again not strictly a Glam track, but of that era. This track became a surprise UK no.3 hit in the summer of 1972 for counter-culture acid lovers Hawkwind, the kings of Space rock. The band are still going incidentally, though probably not really in the STB remit. They totally change this heavy track around, making it more of a minor key Rockabilly in the verses, which gives it a nice sense of urgency which works really well. Theres again some impressive guitar playing & base-plucking. Like the Deep Purple song, this must have taken a long time to figure out the right arrangement, but it is such a pleasant surprise that it works so well. I couldn’t have thought of attempting this, so full marks to the guys for giving this a good gof, & the hard work pays off. Another piece of pointless pop trivia, the vocalist on Hawkwind’s Silver Machine, & the base-player at the time,. Is actually Lemmy, who would go on to wider fame when he forme the best Heavy Metal band IMO Motorhead. Again moving swiftly on.
The Ballad of Floyd Burny;
A band original? Some great Rockabilly licks on this straight out of 1956. A really fun vocal too, a bit Elvis. Actually, to be more precise, similar to Les Grey out of Mud’s impression of Elvis on classic tracks such as The Cat Crept In, Rocket, Lonely This Christmas, & my personal fave The Secrets That You Keep. A really fun end to a really fun album.
Summary
If you like Glam Rock, or love to hear Rockin bands take on 70s classics, this album’s for you. They’ve picked some really interesting choices, stretching the definition of Glam somewhat. The results are great. The tracks have adapted well to the Rockabilly genre, & it sounds like the band were having a great time recording this. I’m guessing they can’t wait to play some of this stuff out live. Of course these don’t replace the originals, but they bring something new to the table & are a nice alternative. Check this album out.
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