Rockin’ Song of the Week No 54 – The Rhythmaires

Rockin’ Song of the Week No 54 – The Rhythmaires
Ernest Borgine, Jack Palance And Me (Big Hat Records)

What more do you want from a rockabilly song than a rockin’ hillbilly beat and fun lyrics that go beyond the “I love you with that ponytail and Gene Vincent tattoo”. Without taking anything away from the band, who are excellent, it’s the outstanding lyrics of lead singer Stuart Warburton that set the Rhythmaires apart from the crowd. Describing his woman in You Need Help as having a “vocabulary that’ll make Tarantino blush” he adds, “your skin looks like a contour map of Venezuela, and your wardrobe's a failure”. Not your run-of-the mill stuff and to cap it off, the song is a high-energy blast. The only thing I’ve got by them is the Kill Pat Boone CD from the end of 2001, and I’m not sure they’re even together now. The album is superb with Chris Cummings touch evident throughout. The band at the time included Paul Murphy and Mark Ellerton. A prime example of their work is Dead-End Job In a One-Horse Town which has more great lyrics and is set to a Mystery Train-style rockin’ beat. Someone Up There Doesn't Like Me has a country edge that reminds me of some of BR549’s best work from their early days. I don’t want to keep harping on about the lyrics, but this is another example of how a song can be enhanced by a quality set of couplets. Ernest Borgine, Jack Palance And Me is a modern classic, with Cummings’ steel guitar joining the rockabilly party. The lyrics are great fun, he’s looking for revenge and he’s got some hard pals, even throwing in Lee Van Cleef at the end.

Recommended downloads: Baby's Got A Thing About Pat Boone, Dead-End Job In a One-Horse Town, Someone Up There Doesn't Like Me.