Rock'n'roll in its' purest form clearly runs through the collective veins of Chicago's TERRIBLE LIZARD.
Growing out of long-term service in numerous blues and hard-rockin' bands in both the Windy City and California, t'Lizard are made-up of Chris 'Chili' Winters (guitar/ vocals), Stephen 'The Kid' Howard (bass) and drummer Ryan (wot no nickname?) Ratsis. All have paid their dues over the years and stand legs-apart with a simple mission statement: to play killer rock'n'roll and flick the hardest of 'V's to the fashionistas who wanna deny them the pleasure.
And they're certainly good enough to pull it off most of the time. Songs like 'Do What You Wanna Do' and the self-explanatory 'Sweet Rock'n'Roll' are simply head over heels in love with the urge to rock and celebrate it in the finest style imaginable. 'Sweet Rock'n'Roll' is so God-damn immediate and irresistible you feel you've known it for 30 years after you've heard 20 seconds of it. The chorus and chords are Ramones-catchy and the verses are early Costello-edgy. Familiar? Of course it's feckin' familiar. It's so familiar it's already moved in and started to use your washing machine, but who cares? It's utterly ace, and the barre-chord fest of 'Do What You Wanna Do' ain't far behind. Add in the unfailing verve and energy of 'Piece Of Me' and we're really cooking.
Sadly, the rest of the album can't quite keep pace. Sure, the smouldering 'Slipped Away' impresses and demonstrates that TL have a sure-fire grasp of dynamics, while the plaintive, soulful pop of 'Better Way' adds some ghostly, whirring organ and some fine, rippling guitar from Winters. On 'Forever Blue', though, they come unstuck and turn into Thin Lizzy thanks to some of the most excessively widdly guitar solos this reviewer's heard on an ostensibly power pop record for longer than he cares to remember. Yes, of course it's technically excellent, but this isn't Rock School. It's supposed to be about brain-flayingly brilliant tunes and attitude and Terrible Lizard have already proved they can do both. Why oh why do they feel the need to sound like something Tommy Vance would have approved of in 1976?
|
Unfortunately, this aberration costs them a star, but let's not dwell on it too long. Overall, this is a decent and sometimes inspired debut from a band with the chops and the tunes on their side. More reining in of the later and the next one could find us wholeheartedly celebrating the prowess of the Lizard.
|
