30 May 2013 (Day 150) – Brits With Guitars

I think you can generally tell when you’re listening to a British guitar act.  It’s got something to do with their guitars and what I suspect is an ongoing love affair with distortion or effects pedals. 

It’s strange because the early British guitar gods were very clean in their playing; think Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Peter Green, Jeff Beck, George Harrison, Brian Jones, David Gilmour, Hank Marvin and many others.  Then along came Pete Townshend and his distorted feedback genius which was promptly taken up a few notches or so when Jimi Hendrix came to town.  Since then distortion has generally ruled.  Sure Richard Thompson and Ian Squire are worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as their musical forefathers but it is the Americans that have long cornered the guitar hero market.

And it was a thought that was reinforced by today’s listening, starting with;

(# 388) Swervedriver – Mezcal Head (1993)

The early 90s was a great time for British music with Britpop in full swing along with the shoegazers and a number of veteran acts finding a second or third wind.  But falling through the cracks was Sweredriver.  Too energetic live to really qualify as a shoegazing act, too heavy to be mistaken for Britpop and definitely not veterans, they were just…different.  Mezcal  Head, their second album, positively drips with sweeping guitar driven numbers  of often epic proportions.  Duel, Last Train To Satansville, Blowin’ Cool and A Change Is Gonna Come are all wonderfully distorted, loud and as catchy as hell.

(# 389) Beady Eye – Different Gear, Still Speeding (2011)

Beady Eye was the band formed out of the ashes of Oasis, more or less containing the last version of the band minus Noel Gallagher.  On this Liam Gallagher has been given himself and the band (including Ride’s guitarist Andy Bell) full reign to indulge in their love of classic 60s British rock.  The Bell penned opener, Four Letter Word and Standing On The Edge Of Noise are great string driven rockers.  Close your eyes during the former and you’d swear you’re listening to a Let It Be outtake.  The Roller sounds like a modern version of The Beatles Getting Better and Beatles And The Stones contains elements that, naturally, remind me of The Who’s My Generation.   And it’s all wrapped up in a production sound that reminds me of my favourite Oasis album, the much maligned Be He Now. 

(# 390) Ned’s Atomic Dustbin – God Fodder (1991)

Just about the most undervalued British album released during the 90s, this is an album that’s chock full of melodic rock with an extremely thick bass sound played at maximum intensity.  Opening track is the wonderful singalong Kill Your Television, full of stops and starts.  Next up is Less Than Useful, an energetic rocker, topped a couple of numbers down the track by dizzying Grey Cell Green.  It’s a tremendous start and the remainder understandably doesn’t quite scale these heights although Capital Letters, Happy, Until You Find Out and You go damned close.  And as good as the album was, it was not a patch on hearing the same songs performed live.