A pair of Japanese Elvis singles get the reissue
treatment, plus new releases from Little Dave,
Tommy Blake and The Earls Of Satan
REVIEWS BY CRAIG BRACKENRIDGE
Elvis Presley
KISS ME QUICK/DON’T BE CRUEL
LMLR
++++French label LMLR have a fairly single-minded approach to their
releases, with their focus mainly on creating exemplary reissues of
Johnny Hallyday and Elvis material through their VPI imprint. Many
of their pressings do not hang around for long and their Elvis Presley
Rock ‘n’ Roll series of fi ve diff erent singles in two diff erent covers
now remains available only in very limited quantities.
They attempt a similar approach here with the release of two
Japanese 7" singles, both of which are available in fi ve diff erent
coloured pressings. These are strictly limited to only 100 copies of
each edition with
no repress. This
version of Kiss
Me Quick b/w
Suspicion originally
appeared on the
Victor label in
1964, while the
garish artwork of
Don’t Be Cruel b/w
Hound Dog clearly
marks it out as a
1984 release on
RCA. Both singles
feature faithfully
reproduced
original artwork,
with any further
information
contained on a
removable sticker.
Where you stand on the debate over endless reissues of classic
artists on vinyl possibly strangling the emergence of new artists
through indie labels is another matter, but for Elvis fans this
fantastic-looking collection will be very hard to resist.The Earls Of Satan
TAKE ME DOWN TO HELL
SICK TASTE
+++
The title song from this tasty
four-track immediately takes you
back to that golden period of the
early 80s when rockabilly and
garage punk mixed freely in the
pubs and clubs of London. It’s
a solid chunk of grinding beat music
driven by a pounding double bass,
but this single is far more than
a tribute to the age of trash.
Baby’s Got A Gun scurries down
a psychobilly back street, then I Can
Feel It evolves into an unexpectedly
well-polished psych-rock freakout.
Devil’s Highway fi nishes things off
with a slice of demonic twang.Little Dave &
The Sun Sessions
LITTLE DAVE & THE SUN
SESSIONS SING...
VEE-TONE
+++
Having served time over the years
in The Backbeats, The Hullablues,
and Harpin’ On, talented frontman
Little Dave introduces his latest
project with this EP. Cut with
all-original 1950s equipment at
Sugar Ray’s Vintage Recording
Studio, the entire production has
a warm, analogue feel that suits the
band’s stripped-back style. Like
many of Vee-Tone’s releases, the
single comes in a retro picture
sleeve and is limited to 300 copies
on black wax. Side A is all originals,
with I Don’t Know Why I Love You
a slice of primal raw rockabilly,
followed by the rockin’ blues of
HowAbout Tonight? On the fl ipside,
the cover versions are unleashed as
Carl Perkins’ You Can Do No Wrong
and Sid King & The Five Strings’
Purr, Kitty, Purr get a well-crafted
going over. As an appetiser, this EP
is a satisfying dish indeed.Tommy Blake
KOOLIT
SLEAZY
+++
Tommy Blake never had much luck
as a recording artist, and despite
some success as a songwriter for
country stars such as Johnny Cash,
George Jones and Johnny Horton
he retired, somewhat disenchanted,
from the music biz. Sleazy Records
pay tribute to this lost soul here
with four tracks from his time at
RCA, Buddy and Recco Records in the
late 50s. Koolit is a slightly demented
rockabilly workout, and $ F-Olding
Money $ is truly unhinged in the best
possible way. Cool Alligator takes the
pace up dramatically, before the
instrumental Mister Hoody ends this
fi ne collection in a Hawaiian mood.+++++
EXCELLENT
++++V
ERY^ GOOD
+++AVE
RAGE
++PATCHY
+POOR