Hipbone Slim and the Kneetremblers – Ugly Mobile

Hipbone Slim_RingMasterReview

With some artists, the news of a new release sparks a twitch in the hips and itch in the feet. Such it is with Hipbone Slim and the Kneetremblers after enjoying four slabs of the band’s individual rock ‘n’ roll, and such it was coming into new album Ugly Mobile. Containing fourteen slices of multi-flavoured incitements bred on the seeds of original rhythm ’n’ blues, the album is manna for the ears and a puppeteer to the body. Released via the ever treat giving Dirty Water Records, the press release for Ugly Mobile stated that the album is the band’s “finest offering so far!” After the umpteenth romp with the irresistible release, we can find no reasons to disagree.

It is hard to be surprised at the sound and infectious mischief that Hipbone Slim and the Kneetremblers create when you look at its members. The band is led by vocalist/guitarist Sir Bald Diddley (aka Hipbone Slim), the man seemingly involved in more bands than a wedding courting jeweller. Among the list is the inimitable likes of Louie & The Louies, The Kneejerk Reactions, Sir Bald Diddley And His Right Honourable Big Wigs, and The Magnificent Escapades; that just ‘scratching the surface’ of his tenacious presence and work. Alongside him is drummer Bruce ‘Bash’ Brand, a veteran of bands such as the Milkshakes, Headcoats, the Masonics and more who has also worked with Holly Golightly, the Pretty Things, Downliners Sect, Wreckless Eric, Mungo Jerry, and Link Wray. The line-up is completed by bassist/harmonica player Gastus Receedus who has played in the likes of Big Wigs, Arousers, Playboys, and worked with legends such as Billy Lee Riley, Sonny Burgess, and Dale Hawkins amongst many. It is a trio which let rips from the first note of Ugly Mobile and relentlessly continues to incite and thrill until its flirtatious last.

The album opens with Bald Head, Hairy Guitar, a track opening like a Hank Mizell scented rumble as bass and drums grumble with a wink in their creative eye. In no time Sir Bald is spilling guitar and vocal bait into the virulent mix, the song mixing prowling devilment and infectious stomping to grip ears and body with relish. The same applies to the album’s title track which follows. You can almost see the grin on its creative face and eager energy as it flirts with a Bo Diddley spiced shuffle very easy and very quick to get physically and vocally involved in.

Orangutan steps up next, it’s beguiling coaxing carrying a great Johnny Kidd & the Pirates feel to its sultry persuasion and sound. The beats of Gastus alone create an anthemic trap reinforced by the great throaty roam of Bash’s bass. Further bound in the spicy string picking prowess of Sir Bald, the song as its predecessors, needs little time to seduce and enslave before One Armed Bandit brings its own quick persuasion, this time the band slipping in a seductive Del Shannon reminding melody amongst strands of surf rock tempting. A spark for ears and imagination, the instrumental also shows the variety already flowing through the album’s first quartet of songs.

The garage rock boisterousness of Sally Mae continues that flavoursome spread, keys and nagging riffs riveting textures in its rawer rock ‘n’ roll before Voodoo Love puts its late fifties/early sixties hex on ears and appetite. The fun uncaged simply continues as the exotic mystique of Hieroglyphic dances and flirts with the listener, its instrumental seduction nostalgia and fresh revelry combined whilst Hey Ramona! simply has the body bouncing with its lively contagion.

A steely texture lines the guitar bait as Hammond-esque enticement adds further tasty hues to next up Indestructible Love; the track part garage punk and part blues in its old school seeded rock ‘n roll that warms ears up nicely for the throbbing suggestiveness of Why Can’t I Find What I’m Lookin’ For. From its opening bass swing, the track has lust offered in return and only increasing its hold as a Meteors meets Billy Lee Riley like croon blossoms thereon in. The track simply hits the spot as too the excellent Don’t Know Where To Start, an irresistible and ridiculously catchy call for voice and body participation swiftly answered as the Johnny Cash tinted track ignites the passions.

The smouldering flirtation of Meanwhile, Back In The Jungle keeps things inflamed with its tribal rhythms and imagination stroking hooks before Number One Son brings limbs into even keener action with its blues hued rockabilly and Joe Poovey like tenacity.

Closing with the bracing rocker, There’s Only One Louie, band and album provide a feel good stomp that simply leaves ears, spirit, and emotions high. If real rock ‘n’ roll is to your fancy, Hipbone Slim and the Kneetremblers and Ugly Mobile are a must.

Ugly Mobile is out April 22^nd via Dirty Water Records @ http://www.dirtywaterrecords.co.uk/shop/#!/~/category/id=10017028&offset=0&sort=normal

http://www.dirtywaterrecords.co.uk/hipboneslim

Pete RingMaster 18/04/2016

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Hipbone Slim vs. Sir Bald

Nov2

Playing like a schizophrenic battle of the bands within the insatiable creativity of one man ably aided by his equally skilled and hungry cohorts, Hipbone Slim vs. Sir Bald is simply one thrilling treat to let loose all those inhibitions to. The album is a forty track double CD release bursting with unadulterated goodness and mastery from the King of UK rock n roll, Sir Bald Diddley. A man with more musical alter-egos than hairs on his head, Sir Bald has created some of the most essential sounds in modern rock n roll, songs which could easily have graced and driven forward the times of their influences whilst standing as fresh and vibrant leaders of today.

The album brings together a union and faceoff between the distinctly different sides to his inspirational imagination. Disc one features twenty slices of delicious treats from Hipbone Slim & the Kneetremblers, all songs never before released in a CD format. Standing eye to eye on the other disc there are a mischievous and hungry selection of tracks from Louie & the Louies, Kneejerk Reactions, and The Legs, all with that magnetic common denominator, Sir Baldy. Released through Dirty Water Records, it is a package which just ignites the passions, a release which, if the varied riches of rock n roll send your saucy bits a tingling, will have you squealing like Meg Ryan on a washing machine. The album in many ways only scratches at the surface of the creativity of the man but easily shows why his skill and diversity across surf, rock n roll, garage, blues, R&B and rockabilly is so adored and devoured without a pause for manners.

Sir Bald has been called “Britain’s string king” because of his striking guitar style which has been influenced by the likes of Bo Diddley, Link Wray, Chuck Berry, Dick Dale and more. It is a style once heard never forgotten and one which lights up any genre he chooses to thrill with. As mentioned disc one features Hipbone Slim & the Kneetremblers, a band plays with its inspirations and passions on its sleeve and openly heard within tracks which range from instantly contagious to sensationally irresistible. Alongside Sir Bald the band has the massive talents of drummer Bruce ‘Bash’ Brand (the Milkshakes and Headcoats), and bassist Gastus Receedus (Big Wigs, Arousers, Playboys) bringing great songs to an even greater life. From the opener King Tut Strut the disc is an incessant feast of pleasure, every track in their different ways turning the tap to greed full on for more of their joys. The first song saunters along with a swagger which has the passions whimpering in delight, it is a sultry tease which attacks from many angles, from the Eastern promising guitars, and seductive sax caresses to the inciteful beats and uncomplicated vocals of Sir Bald, the song just makes love to the ear.

Across the tracks there is a great expanse of flavours offered such as in the following Crawl Back To Me which moves in Gene Vincent circles, Time To Kill with its Buddy Holly mesmeric and warm whisper, and the wonderful instrumental Bury The Hatchet which harks back to the likes of The Fireballs and The Ventures. Biggest highlights come from the wonderful rockabilly romp of Ooga Booga Rock, the Johnny Cash toned High On Hog, and the sweet wickedness that is Food Man Chew, a song which has to be the new soundtrack to TV show Man V. Food as well as any night of unbridled filthy passion between consenting adults. It is hard to pick best or favourite songs though this trio are always to the fore and are equally rivalled by the brilliant I Hear An Echo with its caped crusaderesque groove and the anthemic rampage of Set You On Fire.

The first disc alone is one you would sell your soul to the devil for but there is so much more to shoot your personal mercury beyond boiling point. The second CD begins with tracks from Louie & the Louies, songs which are born from the seeds of surf and frat rock. With bassist Matt “Sleepy Louie” Radford and drummer Brian “Ramblin’” Louie Nevill alongside Sir Bald, the trio spark the flames with the sizzling instrumental Louieville and then stoke the fires with the predatory prowling of There Ain’t No End In Sight, its breath sinister and bordering manic. The track is a classic and makes an irresistible filling between Louieville and the equally tasty instrumental Marrakech. With an atmosphere as distant and wanton as the beckoning sounds, this piece just leaves one drooling. The fiery Backfire and the Stones garage blues swagger of Birdman send the senses and passions to overload and if you are listening to the whole release in one go by this point you are looking for an oasis of respite from the sonic majesty to date, though equally not wanting it to end…

… which it does not as The Kneejerk Reactions unleash their unique brand of rock n roll, their R&B brought with feistiness as deliberate as the antagonistic driving sounds. Songs like You Don’t Know Right From Wrong and Wastin’ My Time rile up attitude and passions with the sonic scorching from the guitar of Sir Bald and the hypnotic bass of Les Lerrard, not to forget the crisp jabs of drummer Ronnie Drand. The songs arguably do not flow quite as easily through the ear as elsewhere, their passage combative and fuelled by garage rock energy, but are equal when it comes to providing full pleasure. Top honours here goes to Where’s McComb?, a track which is as excitable as a dog in a lamp post factory and just as incessant.

The final onslaught of satisfaction comes from The Legs which sees the main man alongside Spaniards Jorge Explosion and Mr Pibli from garage-punk band Doctor Explosion. The songs are a thrilling mix of beat, garage, and blues infused with plenty of sixties and modern essences. The thumping stomp of instrumental Legless sets up a treat of impossible to resist pleasure, whilst the Meteors like stroll of Gotta Eat and the raw guitar smouldering of Ain’t The End of the World fan those flames even more for unbridled joy.

Hipbone Slim vs. Sir Bald is a release which brings the inimitable imagination, skills, and sounds of Sir Baldy and just some of his work into a deserved focus. He has caused a long review for a long album but what a pleasure the bands and songs give, if you want to hear ‘real’ rock n roll in some of its guises than this album is a must.

RingMaster 02/11/2012

The Nine Ton Peanut Smugglers: Drop Some Leg!

Apr25

Sometimes a day just does not go to plan with frustrations bringing their mischievous devilment to taunt and obstruct whilst other times everything is blissfully on course and one can bask in warm glories and self pleasing satisfaction. For those days and anything in between one needs a soundtrack to feed and ignite the inner sun and inspire the reaction required to fight or fully enjoy. This is where bands likeThe Nine Ton Peanut Smugglers come in. They heat up the emotions and stir up the heart with irresistible sounds and feel good energy that is impossible to ignore or avoid. So with a collection of songs to fulfil any need meet the soul reaching pleasure that is Drop Some Leg! It is a pulsating re-energising array of Jamaican-style bluebeat and rhythm’n’blues songs with a concentrated dash of ska and more that leaves one pumped up and swaggering like they just won the lottery.

Now we will make no claims of knowing much about the sounds that have inspired the music of The Nine Ton Peanut Smugglers but we know what we like and Drop Some Leg! definitely falls into that category. The band is Oxford based and consists of the ubiquitous guitarist, vocalist, and song writer Sir Bald Diddley (Hipbone Slim and the Kneetremblers, Louie and the Louies, Sir Bald Diddley And His Right Honourable Big Wigs to name just three of his expansive list of exploits), drummer Bash Brand (Milkshakes/Headcoats/Link Wray/Holly Golightly), plus trumpeter AJ (Intensified/Laurel Aitken/Dave Barker/Dennis Al Capone and Winston Francis), trombonist Napolean Trombonaparte, Kid Wig on piano, Johnny Loafer on tenor sax, and the double bass of ‘Later’ Ron McRobbie (previously of Sam Brown’s band). Labelled Oxford’s Skatalites’!! the band feed from influences such as the Skatalites, Prince Buster, Laurel Aitken, Derrick Morgan, Fats Domino, Huey Piano Smith, Rosco Gordon, James Brown and Ike Turner, to create tunes that makes one just get involved, music to elate and inspire the emotions with a smile on the face and grin in the heart.

If you were a fan of the late seventies/early eighties ska boom Drop Some Leg! is an exhilarating feast of sounds though the music of The Nine Ton Peanut Smugglers has a wider and more expressive depth which will please everyone. From the opening brass charms of If The Coast Is Clear the album lights up the ear. Ska guitars nudge and poke whilst the piano strolls boldly behind bringing an instant engagement. Sir Bald lays down his vocals with a fifties blues rock n roll gait whilst the brass take the emotions on a hazy saunter into warm vibrant climes.

The sultry temptation of following instrumental The Elusive Mr. Kaplan takes the hand next leading one through a beckoning tease into the excellent title track. Drop Some Leg opens with a glorious throaty bass from McRobbie which instantly recalls the wonderful deep moody equivalent sounds of The Beat. The song transports one into a welcoming and sweaty smoke filled dancehall, everyone blissfully swaying and matching bodies in a relaxed mass exultant dance. There is nothing complicated about the music but not many songs sweep one up into an inner peace and wanton giving of their hearts as here, a reflection of the genre in general .

The foot provoking persistence of instrumental Bare Our Souls comes next to continue an eclectic mix of sounds with its jazz/soul stomp to be equalled by the likes of the captivating Everybody Ska with its obvious but irresistible jaunt through the ear, the brilliant instrumental Hugh Mingus where the band simply own the heart with its soulful emotive passion and imaginative craft, and the rock n roll blues gem that is Shot Full Of Holes. As mentioned the album is openly varied with these four songs alone coming from different corners and inspirations.

Every track on the album is an outstanding treat but the side by side Baldhead and Pempelem create the deepest affair. The first is just one of those sing-a-long triumphs that has one engaged within a few notes, its cheeky amble though the ear picking up emotions like hitchhikers to drop them off at a party of pure elation. There is no way if you have a pulse you can resist joining in with the chorus and vocal returns. Pempelem quite simply takes thoughts and feelings downtown into another inviting house of hungry and insatiable warm sounds. The song swings with and seduces with clean and rousing musical passion.

Drop Some Leg! is pure pleasure, an album to turn every day into one of joy and stirring animation. Place The Nine Ton Peanut Smugglers on your daily soundtrack right now and feel the warmth and energy wrap around you.

RingMaster 25/04/2012