ROY LONEY’S 30 year involvement in rock n’ roll continues with this very aptly titled album, his third with Seattle-based all-stars THE LONGSHOTS. It’s a hare-lipped, feverish celebration of all the trance-inducing things that once instilled fear into our grandparents. Loney was apparently the inspiration behind pub rock in the UK thanks to his work with THE FLAMIN’ GROOVIES and here, the sound of vintage rock n roll is reworked thanks to some subtle changes that bring the central elements back to life.
Loney and the Longshots (made up of members of REM, THE YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS and THE PLAINTIFFS) set about resuscitating the 5T’s sound in all of its seamy, steamy glory.
Cymbal shimmering ‘Baby Du Jour’ twangs into view with the 4/4 vocals wobbling through a tinny radio mic., whilst ‘Big Time Love’ benefits from a trance-inducing, eyes-rolling delivery that trawls drunkenly through the gutter on full and feverish shake.
As if nodding to the pub rock genre, ‘The Great Divide’ takes the bassline from Stevie Wonder’s gruesome Valentine’s Day massacre ‘I Just Called To Say I Love You’, speeds it up a little, and spices up the jam with Hammond organ splashes. It follows a familiar path with reassuring emphasis placed on the easy listening side of things. The shuffling ‘Big Fat Nada’ has muddy harmonies and a cowboy click thanks chiefly to the rolling rhythm. It’s oddly endearing, and this you will realise is because of the rock&roll SPIRIT that courses through each and every song on the album.
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Studio outtake ‘Miss Val Dupree’ reveals the extent of the oddly authentic reverb settings in place throughout thanks to the dialogue between Loney and the engineer. It’s a sweating, shaking toe-tapping slice of cartoon drama that’s right on the money in terms of authenticity, and goes beyond this to hitch up the blood pressure with a truly acidic twist thanks to the keyboard groove and extra-fucked up vocals.
The deep traditions ring out of the climax, ‘Hey Now’, which boasts a ‘sister’s wedding’ sound together with a superb, shimmering melody. Absolutely first-class, this should have everything it takes to get your dad off his feet and dancing whilst also retaining enough kitsch appeal to wow the very kids themselves!
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