Eddie And The Hot Rods - Teenage Depression

I first became aware of Eddie And The Hot Rods when their Live At The Marquee EP started to getting significant airplay on Nicky Horne's late night radio show on Capital Radio. Despite being covers, all three songs on the EP were new to me and I thought they were superb. Starting with a high energy version of ? And The Mysterions "96 Tears", then a frantic version of Bob Seger's "Get Out Of Denver" before finishing with a rousing sing-a-long version of Van Morrison's "Gloria", or G-L-O-R-I-A as it perhaps should have been titled. 

The debut album was eagerly anticipated, and it didn't disappoint. Like Dr Feelgood, the Hot Rods came from Canvey Island and the two bands were often compared with each other. However, although the Feelgoods possessed the menace of Lee Brilleaux's vocals, Wilko's spiky guitar and a reputation for their energetic live performances, their rhythm section still gave a smooth sound to their essentially R&B set-list. 

The Hot Rods on the other hand were much more raw, and whilst Dr Feelgood have been labelled as an essential precursor to punk-rock who heavily influenced punk's leading lights, Eddie And The Hot Rods have subsequently been cited as the missing link between pub rock and punk.

Indeed, "Teenage Depression" was loud, fast and full of angst. The 11 songs lasted only a little over 31 minutes but it didn't feel as if the listener was getting short changed. Eight of the tracks were penned by guitarist Dave Higgs, with three covers. Generally, the original songs worked best, with Joe Tex's "Show Me" and Sam Cooke's "Shake" probably being the weakest tracks. However, given the high benchmark that didn't mean they were bad. Another aspect was that the two tracks which were recorded on the same night as the Live At The Marquee EP, "Been So Long" and "The Kids Are Alright", were almost the album's highlights.

As as an indication of how often I must have played all the LP, I could remember all of the songs but it would be interesting to see how good they sounded today 46 years after its release.

Side one begins with "Get Across To You" which is the perfect opener and scene setter for what is to come. Starting with some manic drumming before the urgent guitar joins in, it has has a toe-tapping tune and a crazy guitar solo. 

"Why Can't It Be ?" is another high tempo song, and might perhaps today be labelled as power-pop, and paving the way for the Buzzocks. The bass lines are particularly noticeable.

"Show Me" comes next and is more obviously a R&B song, and the next track, "All I Need Is Money" has a pacy chorus and the attitude that many a punk band espoused.

"Double Checkin' Women" is lyrically the closest to material on this album that Wilko Johnson might have written, and is another track that might be considered to be R&B.

Side One closes with a live version of Pete Townsend's "The Kids Are Alright", and is a good, energetic version of a good song that probably deserved wider exposure, having only reached number 41 as a single for The Who. It's one of my favourites on the album.

The title track and only single from the album starts Side Two, and is perhaps the best studio song on the LP, and has the best riff.

"Horseplay" is the only song to feature piano, but it is low down in the mix so barely noticeable. It is pacy, but probably the most monotone of the 11 tracks on the album.

"Been So Long" is my favourite song on the whole album. The other live recording from the Marquee gig, it has a slightly slower pace, a great bass intro, a jagged guitar riff and the tempo gives the verse space to breathe, before a faster chorus. It should have been the second single.

"Shake" only lasts for 1 minute 30, and feels slightly out of place here, being move of a Twist type song than a prototype punk rock track.

The six-minute finale "On The Run" is a great track but slightly against the grain from the preceding 25 minutes. Although there is a similar angst, paranoia and frustration in the lyrics, musically it borders on the psychedelic, especially the guitar lines, and some weird noises. The spoken "A number, I am not a number" is taken from the cult TV series "The Prisoner" which was enjoying a hugely popular repeat re-run when "Teenage Depression" was released, and in 1977 Dr Feelgood released the album "Be Seeing You", the title being another popular recurring line from the series.

I have to admit that I was worried that "Teenage Depression" might have sounded terribly dated but I needn't have worried as still sounded great and I really enjoyed hearing it again.

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Get Across To You
2. Why Can't It Be ?
3. Show Me
4. All I Need Is Money
5. Double Checkin' Women
6. The Kids Are All Right

Side Two :

1. Teenage Depression
2. Horseplay ( Wearier Of The Schmaltz )
3. Been So Long
4. Shake
5. On The Run

Released 1976
UK Chart Position : 43

 Singles :

Teenage Depression ( No 35 - 1976 )

Echo And The Bunnymen - Ocean Rain

 

Unlike its predecessor "Porcupine", which wasn't the most commercial offering, "Ocean Rain" took a very different direction with lush orchestral arrangements and being as melodic as Echo and the Bunnymen could get. There was no longer a rich, complex wall of sound but a generally slower tempo, stronger tunes and even acoustic guitars on most of the songs. 

Whereas with "Porcupine" I struggled to remember the songs when looking at the track listing, here there were only two that drew a blank, but my memories were that there wasn't a bad track on the album.

"Silver", the second single from "Ocean Rain" immediately set the tone with strings for an intro for a guitar driven track. "Swung from a chandelier, my planet sweet on a silver salver".

The waltz like "Nocturnal Me" has a military beat and drumming, whilst the strings add an almost ghostly feel to the ending. "Take me internally, forever yours nocturnal me".

"Crystal Days" was much better than I expected. A short pop song with a nice guitar riff, it could easily have been another single from the album.

"The Yo-Yo Man" has tempo similar to "Nocturnal Me" but with a pretty instrumental break with a Chinese vibe.

The dramatic "Thorn of Crowns" closes side one. I'm not really sure what was meant with "c-c-c cucumber, c-c-c cabbage, c-c-c cauliflower, men on Mars, April showers" but they don't write them like that anymore !

Side two starts with "The Killing Moon" by some distance easily the best song ever recorded by Echo and the Bunnymen. Beginning with the sounds of a wind before the guitar motif,  the drums then kick start the song and the bass adds an urgency before the first verse. "Under blue moon I saw you, so soon you'll take me, up in your arms to late to beg you. Or cancel it though I know it must be, the killing time, unwillingly mine". There also a killer guitar break to help build to the dramatic crescendo.

"Seven Seas" is another outstanding single although much softer in nature, and almost happy and optimistic by the Bunnymen's standards. There is a David Bowie "Starman" style acoustic guitar intro and a great bass line to the fore. Another fabulous guitar break leads into a rising middle-eight, before returning to the gentleness of the verses."Seven seas, swimming them so well. Glad to see my face among them kissing the tortoise shell".

"My Kingdom" is a pleasant mixture of melodic acoustic guitar with psychedelic guitar breaks. "B-b-b burn the skin off and climb the roof top, thy will be done. B-b-bite your nose off and make the most of your king-kingdom, kingdom, kingdom"

The album closes with the funereal melodrama of "Ocean Rain" where the strings dominate over a tender guitar refrain. "All hands on deck at dawn, sailing to sadder shores. Your port in my heavy storm harbours the blackest thoughts"

In summary, "Ocean Rain" appears to have stood the test of time well, and remains an outstanding album. I would put it in the rare category of there isn't a bad track on the whole record.

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Silver
2. Nocturnal Me
3. Crystal Days
4. The Yo-Yo Man
5. Thorn Of Crowns

Side Two :

1. The Killing Moon
2. Sevens Seas
3. My Kingdom
4. Ocean Rain

Released 1984
UK Chart Position : 4

Singles :

The Killing Moon ( No 8 - 1984 )
Silver ( No 30 - 1984 )
Seven Seas ( No 16 - 1984 )

 

Echo And The Bunnymen - Porcupine

 

Despite all of their critical acclaim, I somehow managed to miss the first two albums from Echo and the Bunnymen, and the first song I recall hearing from them was the single "The Cutter", which received considerable airplay. As I liked the song, I bought the new album, more based on the reputation of the band rather than anything else. I had missed some of the poor reviews from the critics at the time for "Porcupine" not being "commercial", but I saw it had got to number 2 in the album charts !

The pictures for the album cover were shot in Iceland, which critics tended to think was appropriate given the cold and oppressive nature of the album.

I wasn't sure what to make of it. Being heavily into The Cure at the time, I was all for dark, moody, introspective music and "Porcupine" didn't disappoint in that respect. However, despite regularly playing, I found it difficult to fully get into. Looking at the album now my impression of the LP was that in someways it was similar to Toyah's "The Blue Meaning" where at times it seemed as if any hints of melody had been bashed out of the songs, but nevertheless it was quite compelling.

Forty years on, "The Cutter" is the only song I can remember how it went but I was optimistic that many of them would come flooding back once they started !

"The Cutter" opens side one and features an eastern strings intro, and motif throughout. There's a good bass line, a rising chorus and a fantastic, joyous musically break. "couldn't cut the mustard, conquering myself, until I see another hurdle approaching. Say we can, say we will, not just another drop in the ocean".

I was surprised to learn that "Back Of Love" had been released as a single nine months ahead of the LP and was the Bunnymen's first top 20 chart success in the UK. It has a frantic pace, manic drumming, staccato guitar and another rising chorus.

The pace changes with "My White Devil" which has a slow intro, a dominant bass line and some weird noises. It's actually quite a nice tune and I had totally forgotten this song. "Change in the nether, do I get the choice. Chance in forever, when do we get the spoils ?"

Listening again to "Clay" was a huge surprise. There is more driving bass and nice guitar to drive the chorus. It's as close as it gets to being a pop song on the album ! "When I came apart, I wasn't made of sand. When you fell apart clay crumbled in my hands".

The title track "Porcupine" closes side one.  It has a dark, morbid sound, an almost monastic style vocal "There is no comparison" but an unexpected lively outro.

Side Two opener "Heads Will Roll" was also a shock to hear again. After a short acoustic guitar beginning it has more eastern strings similar to "The Cutter", a good guitar riff and a chorus reminiscent of early U2. "What if no-one's calling. God must be falling". It's topped off with a psychedelic middle eight with Indian violins.

The funky guitar lines on "Ripeness" reminded me a little of Haircut 100's "Favourite Shirt" ! But with driving drums and a throbbing bass the rest of the track sounds completely different. "When you grasped the question, did you miss the meaning ?"

"Higher Hell" is another slower number with soft, jangly guitar and the bass to the fore "Just like my lower heaven, you know so well my higher hell".

The highlight of "Gods Will Be Gods" is the urgent guitar that The Stone Roses would have been proud of, whilst the top-tapper "In Bluer Skies" has a keyboard motif from Kraftwerk's "The Model".

In conclusion it was a joy to again hear "Porcupine", and having to rearrange my paradigms ! Rather than being dark and tuneless, it is a tremendous album.

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. The Cutter
2. Back Of Love
3. My White Devil
4. Clay
5. Porcupine

Side Two :

1. Heads Will Roll
2. Ripeness
3. Higher Hell
4. Gods Will Be Gods
5. In Bluer Skies

Released 1983
UK Chart Position : 2

Singles :

Back Of Love ( No 19 - 1982 )
The Cutter ( No 8 - 1983 )

 

The Eagles - The Long Run

 

The Eagles' follow-up to the globally successful "Hotel California" took three years in the making and in the intervening time bass player Randy Meisner had left the band, and was ironically replaced by Timothy B. Schmidt, his successor in Poco.

Frankly, the album was a disappointment at the time, and whilst the three singles were good, I thought the rest of the LP was ordinary at best. Indeed, looking at the track listing now I was unable to recall any of the other songs.

The split of vocal responsibilities were similar to "Hotel California", with Glenn Frey having just one lead vocal, there being one each for Joe Walsh and the bass player, with Don Henley singing the rest.

The title track "The Long Run" opens side one. A mid-tempo rocker with a distinctive guitar intro it's a promising start to the album. "All the debutants in Houston, couldn't hold a candle to you"

Things improve further with Schmidt's "I Can't Tell You Why". A gorgeous, slow ballad sung by Schmidt, whose soft, high voice is perfectly suited to the song, and together with trademark lovely harmonies, a beautiful guitar solo and similarly beguiling lengthy guitar outro, it's perfect material for the Virgin Chilled radio station !

Next-up is Joe Walsh's "In The City", which was apparently a solo recording which the rest of Eagles liked so much they re-recorded it, with Walsh again the vocalist. It's pleasant but still sounds more like a Joe Walsh song rather than The Eagles.

"The Disco Strangler" has a decent funk riff but its an awful song not helped by Henley's dreadful vocal. Thankfully its only 2:40 minutes long !

Side one closes with "King of Hollywood". There is an exquisite guitar intro but afterwards lumbers along in a dull and uninteresting manner apart from a circa "The Wall" Pink Floyd style guitar solo.

"Heartache Tonight" is arguably the standout song on the album and opens side two. Co-written with Bob Seger, and sung by Frey it begins with pounding drums and an anthem-like chant, then the guitars come in and the tempo increases. It's the sort of song that Kiss might have recorded.

"Those Shoes" includes Talkbox effects but it is an uninspiring plod. The Eagles were tying to be bad-ass and heavy, but it didn't work. It gets worse with the slow "Teenage Jail". Image a country song performed by a heavy metal band and you'll get the picture. It attempts to be sinister but fails badly.

"The Greeks Don't Want No Freak" is something completely different though. It actually sounds as if The Eagles are having fun, and it resembles something that might be found in a 1960's teenage musical. All fairly harmless, and not particularly great, but it comes as a bit of a blessed relief after the two preceding two tracks.

"Sad Cafe" closes the album, and is a song in a similar vein both musically and lyrically to "Wasted Time" and "The Last Resort" from Hotel California. There is a glimpse of flamenco style guitar, and unexpectedly a saxophone solo, whilst a smoothing organ is prominent throughout the track. I had completely forgotten this nice song.

Overall, "The Long Run" is a little better than I expected. The three singles are still the highlights, and "In The City and "Sad Cafe" were worth a listen. However, as I think one critic remarked it is more like five solo albums merged into one, with too many different styles and The Eagles determined to show they could rock with the best of them rather than being the gentle country-rock band that made their name.

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. The Long Run
2. I Can't Tell You Why
3. In The City
4. The Disco Strangler
5. King Of Hollywood

Side Two :

1. Heartache Tonight
2. Those Shoes
3. Teenage Jail
4. The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks
5. The Sad Cafe

Released 1979
UK Chart Position : 4

Singles :

Heartache Tonight ( No 40 - 1979 )
The Long Run ( No 66 - 1979 )
I Can't Tell You Why (  - 1980 )