Sometimes change is not for the better
Jersey Kid | Katy, Texas, America! | 10/27/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Listening to `Thatcher's Children," the latest release from Wild Billy Childish and the Musicians of the British Empire (the MBEs) is the musical equivalent of obtaining a fly that is coated in amber. Just as that bug is unchanged from the moment it was encapsulated, there is no change in the music that the venerable Mr. Childish produces. Bands may come and go, as do members; what never changes is the absolute certainty that he and his band mates will deliver some of the best garage-influenced rock `n' roll currently available in this - or any other - universe.
The album has a strong recorded live in the studio feel (maybe that's what happened) with the basic guitar, bass and drum lineup added to only once when an organ makes its appearance. Most of the songs are 4/4 three-chord gems that forcibly remind this listener of early Who singles and the more RnR side of Jimi Hendrix. How great is the Who influence? Listen to `Little Miss Contrary,' a discourse on frustration with a girlfriend that somehow manages to find wiggle-room between the thematic concepts of `Substitute' and `I'm a Boy.' And, the influence of that first song - dealing with the issues of conflict with those who attack you is further heightened by how far forward the bass line is pushed.
While the bass - played in the MBEs by Childish's US born wife known as Nurse Julie - may not be quite up to the level of Graham Day or Johnny Barker (the two bassists in The Buff Medways), it is still both highly competent and synergistic to the music being played. The listener will also find Nurse Julie taking a large plurality of the lead vocals on this 12 song album. While not the snotty, nasal tone of Mr. Childish, her vocals seem to be virtually identical to `Jiggs' Allbut of the 60s group The Angels; that is, if `Jiggs' had been backed by The Runaways. Listen to the last song on the disc and tell me if it isn't a case of channeling `Bad Reputation!"
And, in the spirit of musical diversity, we also find drummer Wolf Howard being given a song, 'Dole Drum'. This marvelously loud, chaotic piece which reminded me a the love child of The Sonics and The Ventures is far, far, far better than any other drumming vanity piece including the middle several minutes of `In a-Gadda-da-Vida." The elegant drumbeat is at once subdued and driving, providing rich support for a rhythm line that at times sounds very much like 'Wipeout."
So, this gem - which seems to be a frozen in time moment from the glorious 60s but is not - is a thoroughly fantastic aural event! I want to give it a 4.5, but - pending hanging chads being counted along with those ACORN absentee ballots - will have to be content with giving it a 4 star rating.
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Track Listings (12) - Disc #1