Smells Like Rock 'N' Roll
© Copyright-illbillysongs (a.s.c.a.p.) 2002
(634479005749)
Record Label: ILLBILLY Records
No items available in your wishlist
COOTERFINGER / Smells Like Rock 'n' Roll
By Milo Ippolito
Anybody can play rock music. But when you call your sound "Rock n Roll" you better deliver the stuff. A rock n roll band gotta twang -- like them good ol' Southern boys, the Rolling Stones. A rock n roll band gotta be smart enough to play dumb, like the Ramones. A rock n roll band gotta know who Johnny Thunders was. ... Cooterfinger plays rock n roll. ... Smells like Rock n Roll is the latest album by lo-fi trashabilly home taper James Richard Oliver, who wrote all the songs and plays all the instruments. The new "band" name, Cooterfinger, is sure to attract new fans and impress the ladies (are you sure about this, James?) ... Oliver is most lyrically inventive on opener "Anita is my girlfriend." The way he drawls it, you can't tell if he's saying Anita or "I need a ..." on lines like "Anita smoke, need a drink, need a pee." He gets funky on "Piss n Moan," a bit of Southern swamp stomp with lines like "Tryin' to keep up with the Jones. Drinking like George while Tammy's gone." (Note to stoners: George and Tammy were like the Tommy Lee and Pamela of the Grand Ole Opry.) "My Karma's Gonna Find You" is equal parts country and punk without sounding like a forced "cowpunk" hybrid. The natural ease with which Oliver blends these two folk forms shows how similar they really are and how much he respects them both. "You broke my heart, now I'm killing my liver, spitting out blood and pissin' a river." That line could have been written by Hank Sr. or Lee Ving (from Fear). "It's Rock n Roll" is the closest I've ever heard James come to Raw Power-era Iggy, and "It's all over but the cryin'" is pure 60s garage band riff rock along the lines of the Seeds. ... If you are a big fan of the Cramps and Jason and the Scorchers, you can't go wrong with this album. Mike Ness fans should dig it, too. (Oh yeah, and guys who dig songs about drinking, crying and peeing will love Smells like Rock n Roll.)
Read more...
Please
log in to review the album.
author: Kick in the Eye
When we first put on the Cooterfinger EP, we thought we were hearing the Jesus and Mary Chain of the new millennium. Raw
and rhythmic instrumentation, clever hooks, and real rock 'n' roll attitude. Then as we listened to the rest of the tracks, we
realized this stuff was more like Chuck Berry. Simply put, you ain't gonna find better music than this in the past, present, or
future. As we played it more and more, we started to get the sense that the last thirty years of popular music were all just a bad
dream. We're waking up to some lost decade after Chuck Berry's heyday, and the new guy on the scene's getting everyone all
riled up: dancin', hootin', hollerin', feelin' good and feelin' loose. James Richard Oliver is rock and roll's child. Do you know
what we mean by that? Do you get it? James Richard Oliver is rock and roll's child. Come on everybody; wake up and
reck-a-nize. This guy has talent. He runs his own label, plays his own music, and even does his own artwork. And the song
writing. The songs on this EP are some of the best ever written. For example, "It's Not Funny Anymore" is a cute song about
an older relative who constantly teases you throughout your life, and "It's Rock and Roll" is an honest look at the musician's life
and what playing rock and roll is really about. That's the kinda stuff we can relate to. Smells Like Rock and Roll has gotten
more than enough spins at our place. How's about you taking a spin on the Cooterfinger Rock 'N' Roll Ride?
Read more...