Stack-A-Records - Fin-A-Billy Releases

It's been a good spring and summer so far for fans of Finnish Rockabilly, by far better than the weather here in the north. Many bands, veterans and newcomers, have released records: 45s, LPs and CDs. Most new releases seem to be by Goofin' Records like the latest album of Fin-A-Billy veteran Buck Jones: 'Ghost Train'. His backing band since late 2008 are the Billyhowgs, on bass and on lead-guitar 2 members of the Flatbroke Trio. One of the oldest Finnish Rock'n'Roll/Rockabilly bands still(or again) playing is Mystery Train and also their new album(CD) 'Enjoy This Boogie' is out on Goofin' Records. So is the new 45 by the Barnshakers 'The Trance'. Grab it while you can, it's limited to 500 copies. Not on Goofin' but a vinyl 45 as well is the latest offering by another great 50s Rockabilly band from Suomi, the Rockin' 8-Balls' 'Lil Boy Blue' on Wax-O-Matic. Also this one is limited to 500 copies. Goofin' again is the home of the country's most booked new band, inside and outside of Finland: Mike Bell and the Belltones. Their debut CD 'Scream And Holler' was recorded at Lightning Recorders, Berlin, one of the few studios in the world using only original 50s and 60s equipment. Although their name suggest Northern Sound ala Freddie Bell and the Bellboys the 4 Finns(of the Beetle Crushers, Wagtails, Cast Iron Arms and Roadracers) play authentic Rockabilly.

Another authentic Rockabilly band, local boys the Tail Shakers, just put out their debut-CD 'Pin-Up Lady' last weekend after playing together for 3 years. It's a self release containing 11 originals. Another self release is the 2nd album by the T-Bird Gang who are probably the best 1956 Gene Vincent-style band in the world. It's a live album recorded at various shows in 2008 and 2009 simply called 'Live On Stages' and you get it on LP(!) and CD. The label is called Snowflake Records and distributed by Goofin'. The Gang released the record at Screamin', Spain, at the end of May, where they were by far not the only Finnish band playing. So did the Barnshakers and Maibell and the Misfires who released their debut album on Spanish El Toro Records. So far it's available only on CD but word is that it will be available on vinyl in gatefold sleeve as well. Maibell used to play in the all-girl instro outfit Periferia and with the Misfires she got three musicians well established on the Finnish Rockin' scene who gained years and years of experience in the Daryl Haywood Combo, the Hi-Fly Rangers, Jussi Syren Rockabilly Revival, Phantom 409 and Mr. Breathless to name just a few bands they played in. But the most interesting release might be Red Hot's  'Big Black Engine' on Jungle Records. This album was bound for release in 1982 on the famous Rebel label but didn't see the light of day until now! Sucker for early/mid 80s Rockabilly sound that I am I can't wait to listen to this one!

After so much reading, now go and listen to the bands:

Buck Jones and the Billyhowgs

Mystery Train

Rockin 8-Balls

Barnshakers

Mike Bell and the Belltones

Tail Shakers

T-Bird Gang

Maibell and the Misfires

Spin That 45 - Part 11: Brilliant Corners

One of the best Psychobilly tracks from the early days of this often misunderstood and misinterpreted music style is at the same time probably the most ignored song you could stick the label 'original Psychobilly' on: She's Got Fever.

Formed in Bristol, England in 1982 the Brilliant Corners released their debut record, the 'She's Got Fever' / 'Black Water' 45, one year later on their own SS-20 label. 500 copies of this masterpiece were pressed coming in a red cardboard sleeve, the 2nd pressing then came with a pink sleeve. Sources say that actually less than 500 copies of the first edition could be sold as records either were wrecked by the band(why???) or sleeves were glued to the vinyl, how ever that happened. The wide Psychobilly audience was introduced to 'Fever' when it was re-released in 1984 on Anagram Record's follow up to their 'Blood On The Cats' compilation LP: 'Revenge Of The Killer Pussies'. Granted, both LPs don't feature much Psychobilly but they were very important releases at the time for the young but growing Psychobilly scene. So from the 16 tracks on 'Revenge...' only 3 songs are Psychobilly, the rest is mainly Garage-influenced. Those 3 Psychobilly tracks come from the Meteors, Guana Batz and the Brilliant Corners. 

Psychobilly was young and a lot of things were possible. In the case of the Corners it was the use of a trumpet in the song. If you make the effort to listen to other releases by the band you will notice that 'Fever' is the only Psychobilly song they ever released, but what a great 1 minute 34 second long Psychobilly song it is! Right up there on the same level as the Meteors' 'Wreckin' Crew'  and early Guana Batz releases. 

Mix-Tape: Glad To Be A Ted

Well yes. Or in my case glad that I became aware of 50s Rock'n'Roll and Teddyboys when I was 12 years old. So when my 13th birthday was coming up and my friends asked what presents I wanted I said 'Well, I like Rock'n'Roll'. I got 4 Bill Haley LPs, amazingly all different ones, and the latest Kiss album 'Unmasked' because so far Kiss had been my favourite band. I don't remember listening to 'Unmasked' at all but I sure remember playing the Haley LPs many, many, many times. The rest is history. I combed my hair into a quiff, got original 50s winklepickers from a neighbour, put the rebel flag on the back of my denim-jacket and  spend all my pocket-money on Rockabilly and Rock'n'Roll records. Today I still like Teddyboy Rock'n'Roll(or British Rockabilly as we used to call it) as much as I did almost 30 years ago. So here's a little mix-tape I made(well, it would have been a tape in the old days anyway) with many personal Teddyboy favourites, old and not so old. Enjoy!

TEDS 

Psychobilly Band Updates

Jim Jeffries, guitar-player and songwriter, and Puck, new bass-player for Mad Dog Cole(singer on the first 3 and best Krewmen LPs, all of them considered Psychobilly classics - at least by me) have left the band for artistic and personal differences during recording and production of the band's 2nd album 'Son Of Satan'. This leaves only the 2 original Psychobilly Krewmen Mark and drummer Dominic Parr, who had joined when original Mad Dog Cole drummer Lee Barnett had left the band. This would be an opportunity to get Tony Mc Millan(Krewmen founder and guitar player) on guitar as last time I checked, 2-3 years ago, he was wasting his time in a terrible Blues-Rock band(I had a look for their MySpace site now but couldn't find it anymore). 

Also the Radiacs had a line-up change recently. Not too long ago the band had regrouped in their original 80s line up with brothers Billy(guitar) and Paul Oxley(Bass) and Dale(vocals) and Shaun Williams(drums) but now the Oxley brothers left and are replaced by Chris Skinner who also is an ex-old-Radiac on guitar and a guy called Shaggy on bass. 

Check out Billy Oxley's(who also played in the Blue Devils and Tritons) VERY old-school Psychobilly, early 80s inspired new band the Chills: No Fool Old Skool

Scotland's Termites, the world's hardest and meanest Psychobilly band, played their latest gig in Manchester without bass-player Matt Black. He was replaced by Liam Revenge from the Hyperjax. If it was just for this show or permanent I don't know yet. I'll try to get info on that, as well as on the new album. With so many mediocre 'Psychobilly' releases from old and new bands being published the world needs another decent musical kick in the face and the Termites are just the right guys to deliver it!

Latch On - The Guana Batz

Not too long ago I managed to buy a few old Rock'n'Roll magazines from England. Having been an editor of zines myself in my younger years I still get excited when I can get my hands on real fanzines made simply because of the love for music and nothing else. These old-fashioned, from start to finish hand typed mags with simple layout and a lot of subjective opinion have a higher value to me then any full-color mag sold by the thousands, layout done by a graphic designer, with a free CD(of which 9 out of 10 songs are boring anyway). 

I got 3 issues of mid-80s UK fanzine Latch On, that covers by far not only contemporary Rockabilly of the 80s, but also a little bit of Psychobilly, Jazz, Blues(Howlin' Wilf for example) and Country(Dwight Yoakham is on the cover of one of the issues). I have no idea how long the mag was running and who the editor Malcom is(or what he's up to today) but I have the feeling some of my visitors here would really enjoy the interview he did with the Guana Batz while they were in the process of recording their second album 'Loan Sharks'. It's quite interesting(click on the picture to enlarge)!

 Copyright by Malcom and Latch on. Of course.

Teddyboy Flick Knife Flick

Movie time: A weird behaving Teddyboy who has a bad hair day dies in his car when it sinks to the bottom of a river after trying to escape from a carnage on the dancefloor he committed and comes back from the dead 40  years later brought back to (undead) life by Rockabilly music played by a pirate radio station loctaed on a ship above his car wreck and continues acting weird and killing people. Sounds good? It sure is!

Well, except for the guy's hair. That looks awful. But I wasn't around in 1960, the year the film takes place in the beginning. Maybe the Teds of the day wore their hair in such a mess. But I doubt that. Anyway, the music selection is surprisingly good(even Tarantula Ghoul and her Gravediggers' 'Graveyard Rock' is included - see the picture below I took straight from the screen - the Zombie Ted dances with the daughter of his crush from 1960, believing it is her, and in Karaoke version the lyrics are placed on the screen), there are Comic-style parts(think Sin City), killings, a crazy and because of that entertaining mother of the deceased, a one-armed Faye Dunaway and a Zombie in Drapes. No seriously, it's an entertaining little flick. There are definitely worse Horror-Comedies around.

Flick, UK 2007, Monster Films Ltd. - DVD 2009 High Fliers Films