Review
The Shods / The Ducky Boys- old time rock and roll t.k.o. records / flat records
- Author:
- Review Date:
- 5/14/2001 13:40:24
-- san francisco's t.k.o. records delivers another winner with this split e.p. from two of boston's very own, each providing an original number, and a classic cover. the eldars of the spilt are dropkick murphy's touring mates, the ducky boys. sounding more like the murphy's with every release, the ducky boys provide a tribute to thier hometown with 'boston u.s.a', which praises boston's dirty water in an upbeat street punk style. [calls to mind another song about boston, by original garage punk heroes, the standells. called 'dirty water', of course.] great guitar work, solid drumming, and snotty vocals that are actually starting to resemble singing as opposed to the typical screaming. 'boston u.s.a.' is a great track, guaranteed to be stuck in your head for days. the ducky's choose to cover the oldies soul ballad 'stand by me' by ben e. king as thier old time rock and roll choice. while it comes off as a novelty, the song contains some very nimble bass work, and surprisingly sees them attempting a faithful cover, as opposed to just playing it 20 times faster and yelling the lyrics. it's good for a giggle or two, but then the realise you've been singing along the whole time. it will be interesting to see what they come up with for thier new full-length slated for release in spring 2000.
billed by t.k.o. as elvis costello fronting the clash, next up are the shods. i was intrigued and nervous when i heard this comparison, being as costello and the clash are my all time favorite artists. unlike alot of other bands of late that draw comparisons to the clash [plan a project, libertine, etc.], the shods don't really disappoint too bad. 'faster, faster' is a great song. catchy and hard, it's got great start/stop tempo changes typical of mod-type punk of the past, that will recall buzzcocks and early jam. a well-chosen cover of van morrison's 60's british howlers, Them, rounds out the 7'. a nice interpretation, 'here comes the night' features a cool little mariachi / spaghetti western trumpet solo to break it up a little. both of these songs [as well as the ducky boys cover on the a-side] possess some great organ work, that should make original costello attraction steve nieve proud. i can't wait for a full-length by these guys.
everything taken into consideration, this is a terrific ep. two great bands, 4 great songs, clear vinyl [!!!]. ROCK AND ROLL WILL NEVER DIE.
billed by t.k.o. as elvis costello fronting the clash, next up are the shods. i was intrigued and nervous when i heard this comparison, being as costello and the clash are my all time favorite artists. unlike alot of other bands of late that draw comparisons to the clash [plan a project, libertine, etc.], the shods don't really disappoint too bad. 'faster, faster' is a great song. catchy and hard, it's got great start/stop tempo changes typical of mod-type punk of the past, that will recall buzzcocks and early jam. a well-chosen cover of van morrison's 60's british howlers, Them, rounds out the 7'. a nice interpretation, 'here comes the night' features a cool little mariachi / spaghetti western trumpet solo to break it up a little. both of these songs [as well as the ducky boys cover on the a-side] possess some great organ work, that should make original costello attraction steve nieve proud. i can't wait for a full-length by these guys.
everything taken into consideration, this is a terrific ep. two great bands, 4 great songs, clear vinyl [!!!]. ROCK AND ROLL WILL NEVER DIE.