SPIDERS & SNAKES – London Daze 2012 Reissue

Shane | 12 September 2012 | Reply

Cleopatra Records, 2012 reissue
By Shane Pinnegar
8/10

Lizzie Grey was a big feature of the Sunset Strip scene for many years, but he never cracked the big time like some of his former band mates.

Originally released in 2000, this fifth album from his outfit SPIDERS & SNAKES is a sugary sweet and highly addictive mainline of bubblegum hooks, sleazy pop punk attitood, bluesy riffs and Lizzie’s quirky vocals.

Grey is no slouch – remember this is the guy who played alongside Nikki Sixx, Nigel Benjamin, Blackie Lawless, Slash, Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin’, Fred Coury and more in close-but-no-cigar outfits like London, Sister and St Valentine. He even co-wrote Public Enemy #1 with Sixx, which went on to feature on Motley Crue’s debut album. A feisty version of the track is featured here, alongside the Mott The Hoople classic Rock and Roll Queen and a collection of insanely catchy originals, the best of which are Party In Hollywood, Radio Stars, Elvis’s TV and 2000 Rock & Roll.

Upon its initial release a mixup at the label left the pressed CDs warehoused, before the tragic death of bassist Leigh Lawson 4 weeks after release saw their entire tour in support of the album cancelled and the release all but shelved.

Tacked on to this reissue as a bonus is the 3 tracks comprising the original 1980 demo from London, featuring Grey, Nikki Sixx and ex-Mott The Hoople mainstay Nigel Benjamin. Quality is dubious on this demo, which sounds like it’s been tracked from a soggy cassette tape that’s been thrown around for years, but the power and wow factor of the songs are undeniable.

That Lizzie Grey didn’t hit the big time with London, Spiders & Snakes or one of his other outfits is impossible to fathom based on the strength of this album, but thankfully we have “London Daze” and his other albums to enjoy.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spiders-and-Snakes/208670952570091?ref=ts

http://www.spidersandsnakes.com/