Shane’s Rock Challenge: THE HEAD CAT – 2006 – Fool’s Paradise
Shane’s Music Challenge: THE HEAD CAT – 2006 – Fool’s Paradise
8/10
Originally released as just Lemmy, Slim Jim & Danny B in 2000, this album is raucous by the standards of the (mostly) 50’s original rock n’ roll songs covered herein, but certainly tame when help up against Lemmy’s Motorhead catalogue.
Joining the living metal legend on this foray into rockabilly n’ roll is The Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom and Danny B Harvey of The Lonesome Spurs and Rockcat, who handles electric guitar, keys and bass. Lemmy, unusually, plays acoustic guitar and harmonica throughout.
The group apparently formed after all three contributed to an Elvis tribute record. Whilst hanging around the studio after their sessions, Lemmy picked up an acoustic guitar and started bashing out some of his favourite Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran tunes, Slim Jim and Danny B joined in and the rest is history.
The band rock and roll through 18 tracks (15 on the 2006 reissue) including Cash’s Big River and Carl Perkins’ Matchbox. Buddy Holly is heavily represented, with Not Fade Away, Peggy Sue Got Married, Crying Waiting Hoping and an excellent heartstring tugging Learning The Game, amongst others. It’s hard to imagine anyone familiar with rock n’ roll’s universe being unfamiliar with too many of these tracks, from You Got Me Dizzy to Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Stuck On You to Heartbreak Hotel or Fool’s Paradise to Love’s Made A Fool Of You.
Plenty of people simply won’t dig this: it’s raw and has a jam room feel to it, but that’s part of its organic charm to my ears. Lemmy’s vocals are as rasping and gruff and wheezy as always, which may also be a sticking point for some, but in an age of over-produced guff, the sound of three fellas, all well versed in the ways of rock n’ roll, going back to the source of that well and bashing some tunes out for fun is, quite literally, music to the ears.
By Shane Pinnegar
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Category: Shane's Rock Challenge