Search - Brownsville Station :: No Bs

Led Zeppelin meets Fifties Rock

rash67 | USA | 12/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Doors (a lot), Country Joe and the Fish, Jefferson Airplane and many other groups too numerous to name in the '60's and '70's but when people ask me who put on the the most energetic, entertaining live show, it was Brownsville Station. Brownsville Station, led by Cubby Koda and Michael Lutz, with TJ Cronley and Tony Driggins played the grand venue of the Falls Church (Virginia) Community Center in the early 70's. What a show! They were Led Zeppelin playing loud "electric" high energy versions of fifties boogie rock! And they knew how to rock and roll.



Brownsville Station had two stacked Marshall on the front of the stage, and during the show Cubby, climbed the amps, up ten feet or so, stood on top like King Kong, and jumped to the stage playing "Roadrunner". He'd run and slide ten feet across the stage on his kness while playing a solo.



(The great version of "Roadrunner" on the recent Aerosmith album is more a copy of the "Roadrunner" on this album than the Bo Diddley original)



After the concert we eagerly awaited the album "No BS" which came out later that year, (with the ugliest cartoon album cover in rock history, drawn by one of the group's girlfriends). Thier best is on this "No BS". "Bebop Confidential" (with Michael Lutz sounding like he had far far too much, umm, caffeine), "Rocking Robin" "Cadillac Express", "Hello Mary Lou" (definately not Rickie Nelson's version) are are here at last. With exception of the truely bizarre "My Boy Flat-top", it's wall-to-wall tuneful songs. And the Applesaucettes sing "dwidle-de-de".



Finally "No BS" is here, and that's no Bull. By far their rockin' greatest! Music with stones. Be careful if you play it in your car, you might end up speeding.



this is as close as you can get to the magic that once was Brownsville Station. My only criticism is there is no improvement over my ancient LP, but it's great music.



Buy it while you can.



Incidently Cubby Koda, was nicknamed for a Walt Disney TV Show Mousketeer with similar large rimmed glasses. After BS broke up, he changed his nickname to "Cub" and wrote erudite music reviews in the "All Music Guide", before he died in 2000."