Destroy
The Wildhearts? Never. Nobody could anyway;
the Wildhearts and Keith Richards represent
the true spirit of Rock 'n' Roll and are
indestructible, although they have tried
pretty hard to self destruct themselves.
In twenty years time they will still be
out there somewhere rocking their little
wild hearts out, on the brink of stardom,
but, like Strange Fruit from the Movie
‘Still Crazy’, they will still
find some way of messing it up.
The Wildhearts have had top ten hit singles.
‘I Wanna Go Where the People Go’
reached number 6 in the U.K. and the album
'Fishing for Luckies’ actually reached
number one. They somehow managed to get
pulled off the support slot for AC/DC's
Stateside trip due to lack of finances
from the management. Always on the verge
of Superstardom, but always managing to
snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
They succeeded splitting up in 1999,
but here we are in 2004 with a newly released
album and a lineup that would make Spinal
Tap look like a regular gig. They have
managed to patch up the relationships
and returned to the (almost) lineup that
recorded their first album in 1993, ‘Earth
vs. the Wildhearts’. After years
of bickering, CJ has overcome his differences
and came back into the fold (perhaps helped
by the fact that CJ now lives in Japan,
whilst the rest of the band live in England,
only getting together for recording and
touring).
The mighty Stidi is back on the thundering
Wildhearts’ drums. This man sure
hits the bins hard.
Unfortunately Danny McCormack (the only
one with a straight forward name –
“Stidi" indeed), the original
bass player and firm fan favorite, is
presently not in the correct physical
health to re-join the band. However, the
door is apparently always open if he can
get himself into a fit condition. On the
other hand, his bass-playing shoes are
well filled on the road by Jon 'the Loon’
Poole.
Then out front on lead guitar and lead
vocals is chief songwriter and the world’s
most loveable nutter, Ginger, the only
constant factor in the lineup. In fact,
it could be said he is 'The Wildhearts'.
Ginger’s favorite vacation spot
is also Pattaya, which certifies him as
a good bloke, doesn't it?
Has the passage of time slowed down the
Wildhearts? No, not a bit. It’s
still pure straight down the line Rock
'n' Roll with the catchiest hook lines,
crunching guitars, and that certain madness
that sends the blood pounding. It's like
a cross between Led Zeppelin, The Beatles,
Black Sabbath, Heavy Rock, Grunge, Pop,
Metal......... It's the Wildhearts right;
it rocks.
On ‘Must Be Destroyed’ you
get eleven ditties to bang your head to.
Nine were written by Ginger, one co-written
by Ginger/Jagdhar (‘So Into You’),
and one by C. Jagdhar (‘Out From
The Inside’ - funny how they can
remember their real names when it comes
to songwriting royalties). They all have
their little stories to tell.
Opening track 'Nexus Icon' is all about
rock stars who have become a little too
big for their boots. 'One Love, One Life,
One Girl' is all about Ginger’s
new found life in a stable relationship,
and so on. For once in Rock 'n' Roll the
lyric sheets that come with the C.D. are
actually worth reading and not just a
load of words that happen to rhyme. The
booklet with its illustrations makes the
C.D. worth buying alone, especially the
one that goes with ‘Top of the World’.
All sung in Ginger’s distinctive
Geordie drawl. Mind you, I've never heard
a Geordie, or for that matter anyone,
sing that fast on the real belters such
as ‘Get Your Groove’. Ginger
and CJ crank the guitar riffs up to eleven
and just let go. Ginger lays down many
memorable solos that are gut wrenching
in their power, whilst the rhythm section
drives them on faster and faster to ever
greater heights.
You also get guest appearances from Andy
Cairns and some high pitched yodeling
from the now very famous Justin Hawkins
of Darkness. The Wildhearts are at present
(January 2004) out on the road in Britain
with The Darkness, a double bill that
should raise the roof every night. For
tour dates look up the Wildhearts website
at www.wildhearts.com
Wildhearts Must be Destroyed? Rubbish.
They should be cherished as an institution.
Pawed
by Mott The Dog
Re-chewed by Ella Crew
E-mail: review@mott-the-dog.com
