This is the complicated album. Alex walked out of SAHB after the recording of the amazing Rock Drill album . He was unable to tour due to health problems at the time, and he was totally disgruntled with poor management and the fact that the band owed the label a ton of cash after having a semi-successful career with sold out tours. It started to all to go South for Alex after the death of his friend and long time manager, Bill Fehilly, a few years earlier. Alex surprised everyone by returning to the scene with this album and The New Band, proclaiming that the guitar player was the new best thing. Not sure he did a lot after this to be honest. The only leftover from the recording of the last SAHB album was keyboard player Tommy Eyre.
A bit of a left turn for the opening track, Don’s Delight, as it’s an instrumental and features horn player, Don Weller, who wrote the track. Back to more usual Harvey fare with Back In The Depot, again it features horns as the main instrument. Wait For Me Mama is more of a traditional Scottish arrangement, which Harvey had visited throughout his career. The last song on this Side is the title track, and is the first time you get to hear what Matthew Cang can do on the guitar (after all the boasting). Not a bad riff and is reminiscent of times past.
Over to the flip we go and a cover of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates’, Shaking All Over. Alex, once again, showing his love for all things rock and roll. Well, he did win a competition back in the fifties and was heralded as the Scottish Tommy Steele. It’s actually a really good cover, and adds a lot to the original with some tasty guitar from Mr. Cang. Next up is The Whalers, where Alex gets to show us what a great storyteller he is, and is the big production of the album with a great middle section. Oh Spartacus follows and wins the most unusual track on the album award. The album closes with a cover of Just A Gigolo/Ain’t Got Nobody, and is a very lounge lizard version of this classic.
Not loved by SAHB fans, as the classic band were not involved. I think that was the point, and it was to be a new beginning for Alex. Unfortunately, a couple of years later he died of heart failure in Belgium whilst waiting for the ferry back to the UK. I was a big fan of SAHB when I was a lot younger. I even had the band name painted on my school bag, as you did in the bad old days. I do like this album.
8.5/10 from The Grooveman.
