In The Trashcan
Records GEM018
"Gene Maltais, The Phantom,... what else do you need to be
convinced that rockabilly changed music in the 50s and
turned girls into sinful women..."
In the mid-90s they released a couple of 45s including this one on the neo-rockabilly label of Raucous Records. It's the B-side of an excellent version of Link Wray's "Slinky". The third track on this 45 is "Let me in". This is from 1996.
Gene Maltais was a genius and his "The raging sea" is one of the finest recordings from the 50s. Melbourne based Intoxica did a great job. They sound like an Australian cross between The Cramps and early Meteors. Released on the Australian label shock in 1990. I was lucky to see the band live in Melbourne some 15 years later.
Belgian rockabilly band (do you know their excellent version of Iggy Pop's "Lust for life"?) that recorded only a handful of 45s and two albums, "Crossroad" being their finest moment. Here they are with their 1987 jungle rockabilly sound for the French label Accord.
Another Meteors/Cramps influenced combo. In 1985 the catchy self-penned "Rumble in the jungle" was released on Nervous Records from Middlesex, UK. I believe it was their second 45.
On this EP on Goofy, a Finnish label, from 1995 comes this country billy tune. The Ranch Girls are backed by The Ragtime Wranglers from Holland. Other covers on this EP are "Way down yonder in New Orleans", "Where d'ya go" and "We could".
Released on their own Norton Records, The A-Bones put this Joe South song on the B-side of "Button nose", a Benny Joy song. Here it's Miriam Linna singing, once The Cramps drummer, between Pam Balam and Nick Knox. It's 1991 and they picked up where The Cramps left rockabilly.
The Paladins need no introduction. This swampy roots rock recording also appeared on their second album "Years since yesterday", which also included the flipside "You and I". This 45, however, is a Belgian release on Indisc Benelux from 1988.
From their very first and still best release in 1981 on Ace, written by Nigel Lewis. They never equalled the brilliance of "Meteor madness". This song is so good and yet the other three tracks are even better.
A Brussels muscle car loving rock 'n' roll quartet with a link to The Vice Barons and a singer who doesn't understand a single word that he is singing. Only French… "Burnout in Vegas" is the title of this 5-track EP from 1999 on Kamikaze Records.
Lindsay Hutton will always be remembered as the founder of "The Legion Of The Cramped", the only official Cramps fanclub which only lasted for a few years. He also had a fanzine called The Next Big Thing. This 45 was a freebie with #26. Estrus Records boss Dave Crider also played in a garage rock combo, called The Mono Men, influenced by the Nomads' sound of the late 80s.
On clear wax this Sympathy For The Record Industry 7" from 1989 was the first of two 45s. Two years later an album followed on the French label New Rose Records. They are best known for the inclusion of Click Mort on guitar, who played with the Cramps for a couple of minutes. Heavily influenced by The Cramps and jungle rock.
Jungle Noise was the record label of Axel "G-string" Gieseking from The Percolators. He released this 1995 tour single. "Nightlife" was originally recorded by The Del-Tino's in the mid-60s. The Monsters played this tune life in Belgium, the day before they were guests at my radio show Ungawa.
The Cramps discovered "Love me", the eerie rockabilly tune by The Phantom. Many psychobilly bands also included it in their live set and some even recorded it. This is one of the best renditions I know. It's from 1981, released on Rockhouse from the Netherlands.
A swampy Bo Diddley beat and a frat rock sound in 1984 is even now a weird combination. Part 2 is on the flip and it's called the "dub version". It's just the instrumental version with female backing vocals and a fat sax sound which later reappeared in bands like BeeDeeKay & The Rollercoaster. Issued by Towerbell Records.
Another Dutch release, by La Salle's on De 1000 Idioten Records in 1979. They sound like a cross between The Darts and The Stray Cats. Charles Calhoun aka Jess Stone wrote this song in the 50s and it was Bill Haley who picked it up first.
In 1985 I wasn't a big fan of the modern version of Ricky Nelson. Later on I rediscovered Chris Isaak. This B-side of "Dancin'" also appeared on his best album "Silvertone." Also worth to mention is that he writes most of his own songs.
