THE KNEEANDERTHAL SOUNDS OF - Hipbone Slim & The Knee Tremblers (Voodoo Rhythm)
No sense in being amazed by the diversity and quality of Voodoo Rhythm's stable, even after playing this one non-stop for weeks. Hipbone Slim (better known as Sir Bald Diddley by some) hails from the rootsy end of the label roster and this album is the ultimate reverb party mix.Slim and his crack band (drummer Bash Brand and Gez Gerrard) set off on a genre sleigh ride on "The Kneeanderthal Sounds Of" and stop off at more destinations than you can poke a tuning fork at. From the burlesque shakedown of "No Great Shakes" to the Tom Mix movie soundtrack outtake "No End In Sight" and the surfing hotrod "Camel Neck", this is an album that fulfils its ambitious intention of being mixed-up, crazy and just godamned great.
Sir Bald wrote the lot and if most of it's re-invention of a period of music that started with skiffle and ended with beat, that's only right and fair. It's the core of what's going down but just when you think you have it nailed, he and his Kneetremblers draw on Delta blues ("I'm The Leg") or Chicago blues ("Dog Leg") to throw you off the scent.
There's minimal augmentation - sax on "Untamed Love", otherworldly piano on the spooky "Dig That Grave" - but what's judiciously added fits just right. Hipbone Slim is one adept vocalist who can holler or croon with the best of them, and Bash Brand's skilful work behind the traps is something else to behold.
Production is by the band at an East London analogue establishment called Gizzard Studios. The results are live-sounding and (dare I say it) authentic.
The title's a misnomer - the raucous intro "Standoff is the most abrasive tune here but the rest strike a chord of familiarity without ever slipping into blandness. Truth be told, you'd have to be a hard judge not to be convinced most of "The Kneeanderthal Sounds Of" has immeasurably more life than anything you'll ever cock an ear to on 99 percent of today's radio stations. - The Barman
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THE SHEIK SAID SHAKE - Hipbone Slim & The Knee Tremblers (Voodoo Rhythm)
The veteran cast playing on this has been around since Sir Cliff Richard was in the womb so it's no wonder they sound like voodoo-rockabilly gods. Names like Link Wray, The Kaisers, the Milshakes, the Headcoats, Holly Golightly, the Mighty Caesars and the Pop Rivets adorn individual members' curriculum vitae, so don't say you weren't warned.No surprises here, just good steamy fun. Vocalist Sir Bald Diddley twangs away like Duane Eddy and leerily croons and carouses in equal measures, Gez Gerrard's bass is more upright than a businessman on vacation with a pallet-load of Viagara and Bash Brand anchors the traps to the floor like he's meaning them to stay there. What's not to like?
Fourteen tracks take us through beat, blues and rockabilly trash territory (with the odd instrumental tossed in.) Stylistically, it's a Cook's Tour where you make lots of stops in different places but you're in safe hands.
For example, "Put a Rocket Up It" is the archetypal greaser, wearing a leather jacket and carrying a flick-knife. His accomplice is "One Legged Rock", a skinny-legged rockabilly stomp.Their statement of intent is "Evil Clutches". You've heard many of these songs before with different titles - which isn't to say Hipbone Slim plays it safe. He just doesn't break new ground.
If you're wary of bands who record this sort of music with "authentic" gear in analogue studios you'd better look elsewhere. Hey - Simon Cowell is probably happy to hang out with someone sharing his musical tastes. The Knee Tremblers are as anally retentive as they come regarding the application of regressive production ethos - and of course you can get this stuff on vinyl.
There's not a whole lot more to say about a record that's equal parts Chuck Berry, Hasil Adkins, Carl Perkins and Charlie Feathers. The feel is undeniably retro and irresistibly fun. If that's your bag, well you know what to do. The Voodoo Rhythm operators are standing by now. - The Barman
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