Rockabilly

It's taken AGES because of our refusal to give any record label the time of day and because we've funded and produced the whole thing ourselves... But these 11 tracks of psychobilly agro are FINALLY on their way!

And starting now you can pre-order a copy to be sent out to you the minute we recieve them.

Just send £10 via Paypal to speedkings@hotmail.co.uk along with your name and address and you'll be among the first to recieve a copy.

We'd like to thank everyone on here who's come to gigs and supported us in the run-up to getting this album out and we'll be throwing a big party to celebrate soon where everyone'll be invited! 

Cheers! Johnny Speedking

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KI NG KURT CD/DVD release

King Kurt release for the first time on CD, their debut, break-through Stiff Records album ‘OOH WALLAH WALLAH’. It comes with seven extra tracks, being all the early singles, including their chart entries Destination Zululand, Mack The Knife and Banana Banana; plus a DVD – featuring all the video promos, documentaries and much more.

In 1983 King Kurt hit the Top 40 with ‘Destination Zululand’ on Stiff Records. They’d already built up a frenzied following at their riotous gigs, famously strewn with all sorts of muck thrown both at and from the audience whilst also offering haircuts and drinking competitions!

Their first release was on Thin Sliced Records with the ‘Zulu Beat’ 7” in numerous vinyl editions. ‘Smeg’ soon replaced original singer Jeff Harvey and the band – ‘Thwack’ (Paul Laventhal), ‘Maggot’, John Reddington, Bert Boustead and Rory Lyons – started hamming it up wearing dresses and having food fights. They signed to Stiff Records and Dave Robinson’s video of ‘Destination Zululand’ showing their cartoonish tongue-in-cheek style helped propel them to the top 40.

Musically a bizarre mix of roots rock-a-billy, funk, African rhythms and pop infused with their own unique humour, they followed up with the Top 50 singles ‘Mack The Knife’ and ‘Banana Banana’. Regular TV shows increased their notoriety as the rat-fixated nutty mohican kids of rock’n’roll.

The bonus DVD contains all their promo videos plus additional footage from that time. It comes packaged in a 6-panel, all-card digi-pack with an 8-page booklet with the King Kurt story. This is the ultimate, definitive King Kurt, and the only authorised release from the original line-up!

CD: Zulu Beat, Destination Zululand, Bo Diddley Goes East, Hound Dog, Wreck-A-Party Rock, Ghost Riders In The Sky, Gather Your Limbs, Rockin’ Kurt, Lonesome Train, Mack The Knife, Oedipus Rex, Do The Rat. Bonus singles: Zulu Beat, Rockin’ Kurt, She’s As Hairy, Mack The Knife, Bo Diddley Goes East, Banana Banana feat. General Pirate, Wreck-A-Party Rock. (19 tracks total)

DVD: ‘The Switch’ with Mark Issue, Destination Zululand promo, Mack The Knife promo, Banana Banana promo, Road To Rack’n’Ruin promo, America promo – directors’ cut, Austrian documentary, Bonus bits’n’pieces, etc. (approx. 40 mins)

More info: http://www.jungle-records.com

You can order the CD here: http://bit.ly/3HiW9s

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Rockabilly Walls / Wild Little Suzie / What To Do! / Cruisin' For Bruisin' / How Long Will It Last? / Twenty Flight Rock / Red Hot Mama / Believe You Pretty Baby / The Way We Used To Be / Out Of Your Door / Hot Rod Kid / Who Slapped John

The Breathless from England? No. Mr. Breathless from Finland? No. Those Breathless are from Greece and have been playing together already for 6 years! So far their songs were appearing only on compilations, but finally the time has come for their very own debut album! It includes 12 tracks with ten originals (written by the vocalist and rhythm guitar player Manos Wild) and only two covers.
Let’s get right to the point. I will start from the covers. The first one is “Twenty Flight Rock” (number six; just right in the middle of the list). The band added to that classical song a neo sound. Even though voice of the singer has got reflection of Eddie Cochran vocal, Gretch guitar player Johnny Iron brings you stright to the 1980's. And it is played very well.
“Who Slapped John?” (the last one) is another cover song. This one has been changed a lot. Not much reminds of Gene Vincent style. It has lost authenticity, but has more craziness. And it has Breathless style in it. Oh yes, was very good idea to make it “live” and add applauses to the end, which gives you a double idea: "thanks to heros who have given us that music", but also “wow, we like this band!” The own song probably can make the most proper description of Breathless and their style. To judge their “story writting” skills will help booklet, which contains all lyrics. In all songs you can see direct influence of 1970’s and 1980’s neo rockabilly sound. Seems like Stray Cats, the Polecats, the Jets (and so on) were the main teaches of those rockin’ Greece guys; and looks like they were good students. The recording itself is very professional, I would say on very high level. And if the band had to wait to get that quality for their cd for six years, they were absolutely right. It certainly was worth of it.
Concerning the songs, I must also mention one of the slow compositions “The Way We Used To Be”. It is kind of a “big” song, which has some extra guests: two violins, a piano (which also stayed for the next song “Out Of Your Door”) and additional vocal. Rest of the repertoire is equally good. Being slow or wild, all compositions are excellent performed. The drums give more support than lead, all guitars are working in balance. And let’s say the band together makes that Breathless sound.
To make it more interesting, I want to add that the Thunderbirds were invited as the backing vocals; and they did perfect job. The cover also says that drumming was recorded by Breathless’ previous drummer “Muppet” Alex – just to inform his big fans.

Now it is time to make the final line. If the band wanted to show their abilities, to make their debut cd interesting, to prove that they also deserved the place on world-wide neo-rockabilly scene, then I am sure, their mission is for hundred procent fulfilled.

The vocalist of Al and the Black Cats abandons the band during their European tour

25-09-2009

During the European tour, the bass player and vocalist, Eric Soules, from American rock'n'roll band - Al and The Black Cats - decided he doesn't want to tour and play rock'n'roll any more.

So early in the morning he left the band behind, took a train to Brussels and caught a plane back to United States.

After a lot of thoughts and phone calls, the band decided that a few days Grischa From Demented Are Go will join them on tour Playing upright bass and teaching the instrument to the drummer, Hugh Skiffington.

When Grischa leaves, the line up to continue the tour will be Tony on guitar and vocals, Hugh on bass and vocals & long time tour manager and Friend Arno Stumpf picking up the drums.

"We will continue to play and not let this stop us. It's not the first time tragedy has struck this band. And knowing our luck, wont' be the last. But hey, that's rock'n'roll, right?Hope to see you on the tour!" - Al and The Black Cats