(GLOBAL RECORDING ARTIST; 2013)
American rock and roll during the early ’60s had become homogenized… I’m talkin’ Pat Boone homogenized; even Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard Penniman had significantly toned down their acts. Suddenly, the land that invented rock and roll no longer had the guts for it. It seemed that the only fire was coming from England: The Who, the Kinks, the Animals, those filthy Rolling Stones and the Pretty Things, the guys that made all of the others look like choir boys. All of that changed with the release of the Standells’ “Dirty Water” at the very end of 1965… with its vicious, snotty vocals, ominous organ and immediately recognizable riff, suddenly American rock and roll was dangerous again. But, unfortunately, the band that saved American rock music had an amazingly short shelf life. Their 1967 album TRY IT would be their last… until the release of BUMP. Co-founder, vocalist and keyboard player Larry Tamblyn (who, for the trivia buffs out there, is the younger brother of actor Russ and uncle to actress Amber) is the only original member of the band, though John “Fleck” Fleckenstein had been in the band for a time after leaving fellow Los Angeleans Love. Guitarist and vocalist Mark Adrian and drummer Greg Burnham complete the 21st century version of the “dirtiest band in America.” BUMP is short (ten songs in 35 minutes), but the brevity is more than compensated for with the high-energy playing, offering a killer blast of nostalgia spiked with a decidedly modern dose of rock.
The album kicks of with a rollicking version of the Love classic “Seven and Seven Is,” falling somewhere between the original and Alice Cooper’s punk-metal take from SPECIAL FORCES. As contemporaries of the Standells, this one falls very nicely into their garage-sized wheelhouse, even if Tamblyn’s vocal prowess can’t hope to come close to Arthur Lee. The band takes the song in a completely different direction as it shifts into a slower gear for a bluesy solo from Adrain. “It’s All About the Money” is a very modern sounding number, with some nice guitar and cool backing vocals. If you were wondering, Tamblyn’s organ playing is still the dirtiest thing this side of Lady Gaga’s undies (wait… does she even where those?). Though the Standells weren’t from Boston, they continue to be Boston proud; “Boston’s Badass” is a sequel of sorts to the group’s biggest success, “Dirty Water.” The song has a distinct early Alice Cooper groove to it (the Standells were obviously an influence on the boys from Detroit). “Help You Ann” is a kind of paisley power pop thing, a cover of the Lyres’ (a band that actually was from Boston) paisley underground track. It features a great guitar riff and lead vocals from Mark Adrian. Another cover, the Seeds’ “Pushin’ Too Hard,” features an awesome arrangement that sorta mixes the riff from “You Really Got Me” with a hard rockin’ Iron Butterfly rhythm.
Adrian is back on lead vocals for “Big Fat Liar,” with vocals and melody line straight outta the ’80s Cali punk scene and smushed up against the band’s own arrogant style of garage rock. Mark supplies some beefy guitar solos to the proceedings, as well. “Mister One Percent” is the political portion of our program. Larry’s passionate lead vocals are enhanced by some particularly fine backing from the rest of the band. Again, Adrian offers up some very tasty guitar with Tamblyn’s organ working a nice balance just below. Burnham and Fleckenstein, while just percolating along, give the song a perfect backdrop, proving that a flamboyant rhythm section isn’t always advantageous to a song; it’s all about knowing what to play and when and where to play it. Another Mark Adrian lead vocal follows on “She’s Just 18,” one of those lo-fi kinda chugging rockers. John has sort of a “Peter Gunn” bass thing going on that works well within the confines of this track. If any song here absolutely screams “classic Standells,” it’s “And I Got It.” There’s also a bit of a nod to the Nazz in there, if you’re paying attention. All four guys are firing on all cylinders here, with Tamblyn, once again, reasserting his dominance as king of the garage band organ players. “Bump In the Night” is a smoldering, smarmy pop confection. With its urgent rhythm, Larry’s lecherous vocals and lines like “This ain’t gonna be a big romance/We’re just gonna have some fun tonight/Let’s go bump tonight/We can bump ’til the broad daylight/Let’s go bump/Let’s go bump in the night/You know what I’m talkin’ about, baby,” the song leaves little to the imagination. The number makes a great album closer and you’ll find yourself humming the raunchy groove long after the thing’s over. But, then, that’s what you’d expect from the Standells, right?