Graham Day (The Prisoners, Prime Movers, The Solar Flares) and The Gaolers put out great classic garage with a modern punk appeal. They hailed from the Medway Delta in England, and he Gaolers have the Eric Burdon and The Animals sound down pat on “Better Man.” This is pure gold for fans of the blue-eyed soul groups of the ’60s, like The Box Tops, and R&B rock of The Yardbirds. The White Stripes wishes they could sound this authentic and melodic as well. The rocking “Begging You” will get you moving from the opening piano and guitar riff. And the electric sitar/guitar combo of “Pass That Whiskey” is a great intro to a modern Raspberries-like melody. The aggressive “Wanna Smoke” is typical of the tunes here, with a driving beat and a snarl which has been perfectly captured in a simple arrangement. Yet Graham Day’s lyrics are completely legible and his vocals are tough, but not raspy (a common issue with retro beat bands). They also do a great job with the sound here, no overdone fuzztones or sonic distortions. Like in the the tune “Just A Song” Day sings “Don’t judge me/begrudge me, it’s just a song”- well it’s a damn fine song I’ll give you that. Place a copy of this with your early Who albums, or more recent bands like The Cynics and The Ugly Beats as one of the best in the genre.
My Space | Cargo Records site | E-Music | Not Lame
Listen to “Disown Me” from the earlier album, “The Daily Grind”