New single - Jerry Lee Lewis - Mean Old Man

Today saw the release for digital downplay of Mean Old Man, the first single from Jerry Lee’s forthcoming album on Shangri-La Music. The album will be Jerry Lee’s first country release for decades.

As with many a good JLL song, it’s from the pen of Kris Kristofferson. It was originally on KK’s Repossessed album, but I believe it has now found a home. The Killer once said of Me and Bobby McGhee that it had been done by Kris Kristofferson and Janis Joplin and now that he’d done it, he challenged that it was “open to anyone else that wants to try”. Now, you can say that about Mean Old Man as well.

I know there’ll be a-holes who’ll bemoan the fact that it’s modern country, but I love it. The backing is funky with great electric guitar. No one kicked up a fuss about Johnny Cash going 21st Century, so why not embrace JLL doing it? Much like the American stuff by his old pal, the aged vocals give the words a depth and character that a young singer couldn't. After the closing line “If I look like a mean old man that’s what I am” Jerry laughs “that’s what I am” to which KK confirms “that’s what you are” – great stuff. I talked the other day about Jace Everett's steamy country rocker, Bad Thing, that's the type of swampy song Jerry Lee could nail in his sleep. Mean Old Man is along the same lines and I hope the whole album is full of these sort of numbers.

I wasn’t that excited before Last Man Standing came out because you just knew the guests would take up too much time, but after hearing this I’m really excited and can’t wait for the album. Jerry Lee still kicks ass, and hopefully this album is an ass-kicker that might just get him the new crowd that are waiting for someone to fill the Cash void. I can dream can’t I?

I've just spoken to Jerry Lee nut Phil Flippar to see if my enthusiasm was shared and he's a bit more reserved about it at the moment. He can't get over the fact that there's no piano on it. Hey Phil, Jimmy Greaves could have a good game without scoring. Actually that's a bad analogy, Greavsie never played a game without scoring.

Rockin' Song of the Week No. 65 - Steve Earle - Angel Is The Devil

Steve Earle - Angel Is The Devil
From Train A Comin’ CD

I loved the early work of Steve Earle but haven’t really been interested in the later stuff – too folky for me. The electric twang went awol and in its place came mandolin and a more boring sound. 1995’s Train a Comin' did have a beauty in Angel Is The Devil. It’s acoustic and doesn’t have the drive of the best moments of Guitar Town and Exit O but it’s very listenable. Earle was just out of the can and getting over drug addiction when he cut the Train A Comin’ album which he described as his “unplugged album”. I think the reason I like is so much is that it’s sounds like a lot of the young skifflebilly groups I used to dig like the Skiff Skats and Terry and Gerry. “Now she's the kind a woman, keep you comin' back for more, Got the kind of face, you swear you seen someplace before, Coulda` been your mamma, Coulda' been a Mexican whore, She's the devil I know”.

Bill Fadden & The Mostly Losers - Looking For Some Happiness

Bill Fadden & The Mostly Losers - Looking For Some Happiness
Western Star Records

Tracklisting: Just A Waiting / La Mesa Prison Blues / Mission Bell / Tell Me Why / Gil's Place / Hold On Tight / Mexicalli Bound / The Dead Balladeer / North Wind / Dia De Los Muertos / Little Baby / Little Green Bag

Bill Fadden & The Mostly Losers are: Bill Fadden - Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Alan Wilson - Lead Guitar, Keyboards, Jack Boxwell - Bass (except "Little Baby" which was Upton Lovell), Ben Turner - Drums, Bob Dixon - Pedal Steel, Graham C. Reynolds - Trumpet, Moses - Accordion, Steve Holbrook - Piano, Bill Fadden, Alan Wilson and Liz Avent - Backing Vocals

Bill Fadden and his band The Silvertone Fliers, hit the scene like a tornado a few years ago with two great albums, Bop Party and Satellite Rock. He now works with the remnants of the Rimshots/Gene Gambler's Shufflers, but for this latest release he's backed by a mix of musicians. It was recorded about five years ago with Western Star owner, Alan Wilson, who was also involved in the previous two albums. The story goes that Wilson invited Fadden to his over over Easter 2004 to write and record a few songs. Fadden turned up with two massive sombreros and a bottle of Tequilla. Wilson was fresh from a trip to Tijuana so everything took on a Mexican buzz.
For the most part the band comprises Fadden on vocals and rhythm, Alan Wilson on guitar, ex-Silvertone Flyer Jack Boxwell on bass and Ben Turner on drums. With their pedigree you won't be surprised to hear that the musicianship is spot-on throughout, be it rockabilly, country or the Tex-Mex sound that oozes throughout the album. The opener is a Western ballad complete whistled intro and outro that is an inspired, subtle way to show that the guy is happy to keep "just a waiting". La Mesa Prison Blues is the first of the quartet that Fadden and Wilson co-wrote. It tells the gruesome tale of life in a shithouse Mexican prison, set to a dark rockabilly sound and trumpet. Mexicalli Bound and Dia De Los Muertos again get their inspiration from south of El Paso, with the instrumental Dia De Los Muertos being ideal fodder for a tarantino or Coen Brothers movie. The Dead Balladeer is a rhumba ballad with trumpet that doesn't really work for me, but then I don't like the rhumba beat.

Fadden wrote three of his own, the best being the rockaballad Tell Me Why. The best track on the album is Little Baby, a stop start rocker that has a hint of His Latest Flame. North Wind is a western rockabilly number that runs Little Baby a close second. The album is rounded off with a rockin' take on the late 60's hit Little Green Bag. So bhasically what you've got is a hot little platter that should appeal to rockers and westerners alike.

RIP - Jeff Spencer (Memphis Rockabilly Band)

I've been meaning to do a tribute to the great Jeff Spencer who passed away recently. Jeff was the lead singer of the Memphis Rockabilly Band. I first became aware of them in the 80's when I picked up the Bop´n Roll Party album on Big Beat (I think). Thye had a great rockin' sound and although I find the bands name a bit corny, their music is brilliant. Below is a clip from the 1982 Bop´n Roll Party tv show which also featured Jack Scott, Sonny Fisher and Crazy Cavan.