Graham Reid | | 1 min read
The limited edition of this album comes
with a DVD doco about this New York garageband. It's entitled Pardon
Us For Living But the Graveyard is Full and that's apt, the
Fleshtones have been around forever (well, at least 30 years) and in
all that time they have studiously avoided anything like polish or
finesse.
Here they crank out B-grade rock'n'roll
grounded in Eddie Cochran, Sixties r'n'b (I Wish You Would
which the Yardbirds also covered) and ragged surf-rock (their bent
instrumental treatment of the Beatles' Day Tripper). With
Patti Smith's guitarist Lenny Kaye guesting (who compiled the Nuggets
collection of raw garageband rock, also an obvious reference) they
point themselves towards a dozen lo-fi, gasoline-injected covers and
originals heavy on desperate sounding and enthusiastically wobbly
vocals, fuzzy guitars, occasional sax and cheesy organ, as well as
Fifties-grounded hand-clap pop.
At a mere 30 minutes it flies by, but
regrettably little leaps out other than the poppy I Can't Hide,
the slinky and simple Solution #1 (a nod to Sam the Sham and
Peter Gunn) and the twang of the already familiar styles on
Back Beat #1 with its Sandy Nelson/Wipe Out drums.
For a band that usually lets rip this also comes off as mostly very tame. Disappointing, despite the hyped-up and hilarious liner notes from producer Phast Phreddie Patterson.
Another but lesser installment of trashcan rock'n'roll.
Looking for something similar, but better? Then try this.
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