Various Artists-Hipsters:A Collection Of Contemporary Mod And Garage Bands (Acid Jazz)
New Uppers contributor Handley Page reviews the new Acid Jazz CD comp showcasing some new mod/garage bands from around the globe.
Acid Jazz isn’t a label you usually associate with “mod” (as in the scooter riding, dollybirds in op-art day glo get up types). Usually you associate them with us older lot who’ve had a scooter, once had a dollybird with day glo op art gear on the back and have since mellowed and can enjoy records that didn’t need to sound like they were cut in the snakepit at Hitsville U.S.A. Obviously Acid Jazz ain’t happy with just us old geezers and have put together this collection of acts from all round the world who aren’t the regular label acts. There’s a varied lot on here and I’m not gonna take the time to tackle the whole lot so I’ll tell you a bit and you’ll do the rest….
About Face kick off with “McLemore Avenue” a “Green Onions” meets “We Ain’t Got Nothing Yet” instrumental groove. It’s okay but it’s no Stax type tune, despite nicking it’s title from the street that once housed the record shop/studio that made my favourite Memphis label famous(don’t go looking for it, they tore it down ages ago and the neighbourhood’s gone to shite). The Black Hollies are a heavy lot from New Jersey, not “heavy” like a mean bloke or ”Spinal Tap” more like Cream doing “Cat Squirrel” or those late 60’s UK bands that were on the last legs of what paisley anorak’s call “freakbeat”. Not my bag, but they’re good at it! From New Jersey (ahem, no, New York-Ed)as well but a totally different bag are The Dansettes , a gang of white guys and gals who play authentic 60’s soul music. I’ve been following them since their EP “Oh My” and I dig them. The three gals out front can really sing, and don’t give me that “white girls singing soul?” crap. My one request is that they record something new as this is like what the fifth place they’ve turned up with the same tracks from that EP? Even more, how about coming to the U.K. for those of us who ain’t jet setting scenesters! Whatta bout it N.U.T.S? I think we’d all rather see The Dansettes than Uncle Joe’s Traveling Purple Medicine Hat Show, right? Medway’s Len Price 3 are up next with “”The Last Hotel”, real nice bit. Melodic, sweet, poppy and unlike 90% of the stuff from Medway this one doesn’t sound like it was recorded in Billy Childish’s khazi! Ever heard a groovy little 60’s pop song with the phrase “fuck all” in it? Now you have! Thee Shams sound like Iggy and The Stooges meet Sir Mick when The Stones were doing smack. Next…..The Waistcoats “Theme from W.A.I.S.T.C.O.A.T” reminds a lot of this razor sharp band of Frenchmen I had a CD by called The Bogeymen with their SmallFaces/Prisoners organ thing, though they coulda left out that chick-a-wah/ Manc bit out. Brit pop’s dead son, but the liners tell me these cats are from the Nederlands so they’re excused. The Stabilisers “100 Year Old riff” blows my mind. The lead singer reminds me of Ray Davies in the Eighties (“Do It Again”/Brighton pier all that). That Kinks riff may not be 100 yet but it’s gaining on ya lads….nice one. I’ve heard a lot of bad things about The Loons from people who’ve seen them doing the alldayer circuit. “Some Kind Of Asylum” is ace. It sounds like a 60’s garage record. The lead singer, Mike Stax sounds like Joey Ramone , hard to believe he’s from what Romford? (Watford I believe-The Ed). He’s also known as Mr. Ugly Things (the fanzine) and the frontman of The Tell Tale Hearts in the Eighties. Good stuff this! Now I’m sure Uppers are going to get load of hate mail for this but I’m going to go on record and state that I’ve never liked The Risk . In the Eighties I don’t think they were very good. What made them unique was the lack of any other mod bands sticking it out, journeys to play to mod starved kids in California( while The Untouchables were busy taking Fishbone lessons and Mod Fun went goth) and heavy blagging by their mate’s fanzine In The Crowd. But being the last man standing at the end of a battle doesn’t mean you’re good, sometimes it just means you’re bloody lucky. And that’s my take on them (and anybody else from the Eighties who thinks that today’s “mods” will adore them). Their “Something On My Mind” is pedestrian and I’ll leave it at that! In the 80’s a lot of us in the Southern part of this green and pleasant land were fed up with crap mod bands and started digging deeper into serious stuff like Sue records or the brilliant Young Holt Trio’s “Wack Wack”. Current U.K. act The New Mastersounds reminds me of all that. Their “Coming Up Roses” is like that Herbie Hancock bits from “Blow Up” and early John Mayall’s Bluebreakers. I can’t stop playing this one. It’s a rarity when British bands attempt an authentically hip sound and don’t cock it up, and this band is indeed an exception because they are exceptional. Buy their records. Maybe we can get The Dansettes over here to do a gig with them!
[Published 12 January 2007]
Other articles on Uppers you might enjoy
The Dansettes "Oh My!" (Hammondbeat HBL 001 EP)
Brian Poust investigates NYC's own Dansettes debut release on Hammondbeat.
The New Mastersounds - "Be Yourself" (One Note Records ONRCD001)
Our Leeds favorites are back with their second album, which couldn't have been more appropriately named. Brian Poust weighs in with a review for you.
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