Tab the Band - Pulling Out Just Enough
to Win (www.tabtheband.com)
Back
in the mid- Seventies Marc Bolan (T.Rex) died
in car crash. I think he may have had a donor
card on him, leaving all the good stuff to
a band to be named at a later date, because
it seems that Tab The Band, not to be confused
with Tab The Soda, got some of his good parts
and created some fine, psychedelicsized glam
riffs, and infused them into their new album.There's
also some Bowie from the "Station to
Station" era, and they're Mom may have
been the room maid, when The Stones holed
up and recorded Exile On Main Street in the
Seventies. That's not to say that Tab is a
carbon copy, they have a lot more going for
than than just retro glam rock. There are
definitely ghosts in the the machine here,
but Tab has a hell of a good time fleshing
them out. The hauntingly beautiful "Paid
For By" has lead singer/bass, Adrian
Perry cracking with sly 'n' dry wit as he
and the band (Tony Perry- guitar, and Ben
Tiuleson- drums), sound like howling titans
of dirty rock and soul music! "The House
of El Ron," "CTY," and "Mitch
Connor," are like Saturday night in a
bottle. Not many bands can fuse clamor with
conviction ("Antitrust," "The
Captain"), like Tab. Their choppy riffs
and shouted choruses touch on rockabilly and
garage rock, but their insistence is pure
punk. The production on Pulling Out Just Enough
To Win packs all the spirit and promise of
what their live show should be like. This
has to be one of the hardest, ferocious garage
rock records ever: nothing but growl and strum,
surging with assembly-line force! - Phil Rainone
Horrorpops- Kiss Kiss Kill Kill-
(Hellcat Records)
About
four years ago my son Steve and I went to
a show at the now closed Krome, in Sayreville
to see and interview The Horrorpop's and The
Nekromantics ((Nekroman, who fronts the Nekromantics,
also plays lead guitar for The Horrorpops).
Unfortunately The Horrorpops had to cancel
because of car problems. So, we interviewed
The Nekromantics. Now, they were really cool,
but really hardcore punkabilly (tats, piercings,
etc). So about 15 minutes into the interview
we ask them what their major influences were.
They said that they & The Horrorpops pretty
much worshiped at the altar of - ABBA! Well,
we were really surprised! Thought maybe they'd
say The Clash or Ramones, but I guess being
from Denmark, ABBA was it - go figure! Anyway,
on Kiss Kiss Kill Kill, The Horrorpops
turn to 50's & 60's B- movies for musical
inspiration, with a light communal vibe with
the aforementioned Abba. Lead singer Patrica
Day (vocals/upright bass) can be razor sharp
("Thelma & Louise,") and once
in a while angelic ("Everything Everything.")
The Horrorpops are raw, hot news with caustic
social observations ("Refugee,"
"Private Hall of Shame") that have
a dense rhythm section featuring Niedermeier
on drums, who can play with finesse, or like
a hammer on concrete. The Horrorpops bash
out the most sure and supple rhythms of early
rockabilly and punk. "Horrorbeach Part
2" slaps New York Dolls guitar screech
over Ramones speed-beats. This is a Dick Dale-worthy
instro-mental. (Hey, how 'bout Asbury Lanes
throws a Beach Party! Yeah, a Frankie and
Annette-style clam bake! - I've got my checkers
& Twister beach towels ready- and invite
The Horror Pops, and Los Straitjackets to
play? That would be a beach blast!) Anyway,
this is definitely a roughneck band. Songs
like "Missfit" or "Boot To
Boot," work as gutter-perspective dramas,
as party and protest ride side by side. It's
like beach music for punks! Oh, and speaking
of the beach, how about we let the B-52's
run the Limbo Contest while Dick Dale surfs
with the kids, Reel Big Fish work the Tiki
Bar and... - Fireball Phil Rainone
CD Reviews 
