Plenty of raucous psychobilly,
plus retro releases from
Johnny Hallyday, Link Wray
and Elvis Presley are on your
serving platter this month
REVIEWS BY CRAIG BRACKENRIDGE
Various Artists
WHITE GOSPEL BANGERS
IDLE CHERUB RECORDS
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This is only Idle Cherub Records’
second release but already they are
gaining a solid reputation for
compiling some of the wildest
country and rockin’ rarities onto
vinyl. This collection releases 15
prime cuts from bygone eras,
exhumed from long-gone labels. All
of the hillbilly heathen-haters that
feature on the album belt out their
ditties with true conviction to a
stripped-down rockabilly backbeat.
If you chose the righteous path and
track one of these beauties down
there are 333 copies out there on
God-bothering gold vinyl.Danny “O” &
The Astrotones
INTRODUCING...
WITCHCRAFT INTERNATIONAL
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As assured debut albums go, this
has to be one of the most
impressive of recent years.
Frontman Danny Dawkins and the
rest of this combo have all served
time with other bands but since
they got together their ascent has
been rapid. All the tracks from two
of their previous singles are present
in this collection of 14 originals,
so there is no need to feel left out
if you haven’t yet caught up with
the band’s rowdy but polished
brand of rockabilly with a
contemporary flavour.----
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MENDED^
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-^ AVERA
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-^ PATCH
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-^ AVOID
Johnny Hallyday
JOHNNY 60’ LIVE / STUDIO
BIG BEAT RECORDS
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Anyone who is not convinced, or
unaware, of the raw power of
French legend Johnny Hallyday can
get a crash course over the 21 tracks
on these two 10" releases. Both
showcase Johnny at his best during
his very early 60s period on the
Vogue and Philips labels, getting a
grip on French language takes of
standards like I Got Stung, Somethin’
Else and Be-Bop-A-Lula. Johnny 60’
delivers more early studio
recordings along with a particularly
raucous quintet of live recordings
captured at Alhambra in Paris,
performances that were so wild
they drove the establishment into a
seething fury. These releases are a
real labour of love from a label
masterminded by renowned
musician/producer Jacky Chalard, a
man with first-hand experience of
working with France’s foremost
rock’n’roll playboy.Vinyl LP Reviews