THE RUSTY NAILS
No Miracle In Ruins
(Coolidge CD)
What we have here is what
you might describe as 'a rum do and no mistake'.
I've a feeling the Rusty Nails wouldn't object to
this portrayal, provided the rum was of
sufficient potency. Whether they'd stretch to
sodomy and the lash is another matter, but it
serves my purpose to make the Pogues link. It had
to come some time. Fearsome swaggering songs at a
rousing pace about daring-do by ne'er-do-wells
and the seamier aspects of the human condition,
fuelled by big choruses and devil-may-care
backing,these lads are hewn from the same slab as
the Pogues and The Men They Couldn't Hang.If only
it were that simple, though. Their fearless
leader, Brett Alexander Boye, possesses not only
a set of authentic Caledonian bagpipes but a
mighty set of lungs and boy, is he gonna use
both. The pipes cut through guitar and drum alike
like swords through human flesh at Bannockburn,
adding a whole new dimension to the group sound
and sounding uncannily like Stuart Adamson's
guitar lines in Big Country at times. As with the
Pogues, things can get a wee bit one-dimensional
at times and a few more slower tunes like
'Gangway Four' and 'Wake My Heart' wouldn't have
gone amiss for me, but probably I'm just haven't
drunk enough alcohol and there's no excuse for
that. The band rock to a man like maniacs and
Brett fires lyric after lyric off the port bow
like the man possessed he probably is. If you
lament the all too infrequent appearances of S.
McGowan these days, or if you like rough and
ready rock with a quirkiness all its own,
investigate. Chances are you could be
press-ganged into it anyway if these brigands
have their way.
J.Nagle.
PLAINSONG
New Place Now
(Spin Along CD)
Reckon I'm supposed to
like this one. It's got Iain Matthews on it,
whose vocals I love on early Fairport Convention
stuff, plus I liked their 70s LP 'In Search Of
Amelia Earhart', what I can remember of it
anyway. And it's got a Peter Blegvad song on it!
AND a cover of The Hollies' 'I Can't Let Go', a
pop masterpiece by any standards! Actually, the
trouble starts there, as Plainsong's version is
staid by comparison; Iain's lead vocal pales by
comparison with Allan Clarke's and if you search
for a peak to rival Tony Hicks' incomparable 12
string solo or Nash's absurd high harmony (how's
the leg?) you search in vain, sorry. The
aforementioned Blegvad song 'Penny Black' fares
far better; a typically Blegvadian slice of wit
and polish rendered with some gusto (it should be
noted that the playing herein is never less than
polished and tasteful - perhaps that's part of
the problem - too much so?), it represents the
highlight here. The concluding version of Richard
Farina's 'Another Country' also works well but in
a way that serves only to highlight the rather
pedestrian nature of the song, a fault that could
also be applied to group compositions such as
Clive Gregson's 'The Wrong Track' and his
collaboration with Andy Roberts, 'Valley's Got A
New Dog.' The variety of stringed instruments
used (banjo, dulcimer, bouzouki, autoharp as well
as guitars) ensures a varied musical texture
throughout and the ensemble singing is excellent;
indeed, looking back over this review it seems
churlish to conclude that it doesn't do much for
me. Plainsong remain a fine group; their
problem's choice of material. If they're more
adventurous in this respect, as they were with
'Penny Black', they'll surely fare better.
J.Nagle
|
