The Godfathers had a fair amount of traction in the late 80s and early 90, and on a cult level developed a certain degree of ubiquity, and in hindsight, their mob-inspired look and bravado prefaced the emergence of Fun Lovin’ Criminals by absolutely yonks. The blues rock of ‘Birth, School, Work, Death’ was perhaps their definitive release. There were multiple copies in the second-hand record shop I worked in from 1990 to 1996. While exploring the stock and developing my musical education, I asked the manager, an old-school punk but a guy with eclectic tastes, about The Godfathers. “Nah, they’re shit,” was his reply, and so I didn’t bother.
It may only be three years since their last release, but it’s been almost 20 years since their last big release, and trawling through their back catalogue in the name of research, against contemporaneous blues rock rockets The Screaming Blue Messiahs (who were, like The Godfathers, produced by Vic Maile), ‘Birth, School, Work, Death’ sounds tame and the band’s image looks rather contrived. So, what does this mean in terms of The Godfathers in 2017?
Well. Is ‘workmanlike’ a bad thing? I suppose it depends not only on one’s perspective, but also the spirit in which it’s intended. The first album in three years from The Godfathers is a workmanlike effort. ‘A Big Bad Beautiful Noise’ is nothing if not solid. Sonically, it’s dense, muscular. Song-wise, it’s got some throbbing rock tunes.
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The title track fulfils its own promise, a grating buzzsaw bassline driving the snarling, dirty rock riffage. But, while promising a ‘contemporary rock album’, ‘You Don’t Love Me’ has a decidedly 90s indie jangle about it, and many of the songs are fairly pedestrian pub rockers.
The album does unquestionably have its moments: the worldweary grind of ‘Miss America’, heard through favourable ears, is better than the obvious Chris Rea / Dire Straits social critiquing that make the obvious points of comparison, and ‘Defibrillator’ whips up a fair firestorm. On balance, it’s perhaps a shade patchy, and not as rock as the band were aiming for. Nevertheless, Peter Coyne’s characteristic gruff drone is paired with steely guitars throughout the album’s 11 tracks.
So, is ‘workmanlike’ a bad thing? No. However, ‘A Big Bad Beautiful Noise’ is workmanlike, in that it’s solid, but not spectacular.
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