You can get as pissy as you
like about Eddie & The Hot Rods not being the ‘original’ lineup if you
want, but the simple fact is that the current lineup is the longest serving and
possibly (although as a live act I only have this lineup to go on) the strongest.
Founding member Barrie Masters has lost none of his energy since he made his Top of the Pops debut, and he has stood in front of nineteen
previous Rods before Simon Bowley, Richard Holgarth, Chris Taylor, and Ian ‘Dipster’
Dean picked up their instruments.
The latest album, 2 Sides,
combines relatively new tracks (at least to the Hot Rods casual) with well
known favourites. The first half of the album contains studio recordings, with
everyone having a hand in the song writing duties, every song sounding like classic
Rods, with covers of ‘Born To Be Wild’ and ‘Once Bitten, Twice Shy’ thrown in
for good measure.
As great as the ‘new’ tracks
are, it is the second half of the album (the B-side in old money) that truly demonstrates
what Eddie & The Hot Rods are all about. The restrictive confines of the
studio does no justice to the powerhouse sound that the band are capable of
producing. Kicking off with ‘Hard Drivin’ Man’, it’s familiar crowd favourites
all the way to the end. Close your eyes and you can imagine Bowley’s tireless
drumming, Holgarth and Taylor’s guitaring and Dipster’s unique bass playing,
one of the few bassists capable of treating his four strings like a lead
guitar. They’re all here; ‘Do Anything You Wanna Do’, ‘Quit This Town’ and all,
climaxing with ‘Gloria’ featuring with an introduction to the band and their
talents.
The Rods are a live act pure
and simple, probably the best in the country, and the live tracks especially are best listened to at full volume.
===
Hear me on the radio:
The
Sunday Alternative, Trent Sound
(UK), Sundays 1pm-3pm
NottinghamLIVE, Trent Sound (UK) Wednesdays 7pm-10pm
The Sound of Nottingham UK, Robin HoodRadio, (USA) Fridays 11pm & Sundays 1pm (EST – check your time difference)
NottinghamLIVE, Trent Sound (UK) Wednesdays 7pm-10pm
The Sound of Nottingham UK, Robin HoodRadio, (USA) Fridays 11pm & Sundays 1pm (EST – check your time difference)
