THE GOOD * THE BAD * THE UGLY

A punk guitar album? Well, in its purest form that is what The Good * The Bad * The Ugly is and why it is such an outstanding disc.

Each track here is constructed around Vincent’s expert ability to craft old-school punk hooks – the ones that made his original band the Testors such a well known name amongst serious punks – and a solid back-up band of The Stooges’ Scott Asheton on drums and The Damned’s Captain Sensible on Bass. Originally, the concept was to keep it to the trio of Vincent, Asheton, and Sensible. But after the basic tracks had been recorded, Vincent decided to bring on board some of punks most notable guitarists from past and present to give the songs an extra kick in the arse. When it works, it sounds incredible such as on “That Sound” which features Captain Sensible, Dexter Holland of The Offspring, and Tony Fate of the Bellrays. Even “Skag,” which comes across more as a straight up rock tune, works nicely with Wayne Kramer of the MC5 laying down a signature solo. (more…)

Blood Red River: 1982-1984, Citadel, November 2000

In 1984 The Scientists exchanged a promising future as Australian ?pub rock? icons for relative obscurity in Britain, all on the strength of one glowing review of their Mini LP ?Blood Red River? from NME?s Barney Hoskins. (more…)

Sonny Vincent – bio

This is a brief outline of Sonny Vincent’s history, to some it may read like the perfect script for a movie about a Rock’n’Roll desperado on his way to becoming an icon. But this story is not from any movie folks or about any media hype, it’s about the real thing? A real rock’n’roll hero with the passion, the energy and the feeling. (more…)

uptight!

by Tom Schulte
Often very much akin to the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, especially in the vocal delivery, this group takes a more deconstructivist view toward their alt-soul material. That is, they go in for a less full sound with a more skeletal arrangement that allows space between one accentuating burst and another. Uptight is a loose and raw storybook album of decadence and discovery with lyric content that crosses Jim Thompson and J.D. Salinger for an outsider, urban noir.

the blackout

It’s no wonder The Blackout sounds familiar. Not only does Speedball Baby revel in the basic elements of rockabilly and blues-punk much like Jon Spencer Blues Explosion does, but two Jon Spencer Blues Explosion members play on this album. Jon Spencer and Judah Bauer are credited for having written the best songs, too: “Wanna Scratch It?” and “Do the Blackout,” respectively. (more…)