Another CD to review. Another CD that defies being shoved in to any one 'box'. In fact I quiet like this cos the only thing you should find in pigeon holes is, surprisingly(?), PIGEONS.

NO NONSENSE STANCE is a 5 track EP with bonus tracks – a further 16 'live' bonus tracks from X-RIPPERS a band that prove there is more to Barnsley than the chop and retired cricket umpires (Dickie Bird!) - Taking the 5 official tracks first we have:

WHO'S THE DOCTOR – The opening track. Uses the basic elements of the theme tune of Dr Who to build the song on. Phased and down, deep, dirty guitar interchange nicely. The bass underpins the guitars and there is decent drum work with some rather intricate rhythm patterns that add depth, and the echo on the minimalist vocal gives the whole thing a slightly Sci-Fi feel. An interesting opener and being the first thing I have heard from the band, I did wonder what the rest of the album was going to be like.

JIMMY KELLY – Relates the tale of Jimmy Kelly who in June 1979 was arrested in Liverpool's Huyton area for being drunk and disorderly. He later died in police custody. Kelly's death was investigated and deemed to be reasonable and lawful, despite eye witnesses stating they had seen Kelly being assaulted by the police. Merseyside Police – (K Division) had a less than savoury reputation and was subject to several allegations of violent behaviour and brutality to prisoners.

The late 70's early 80's were a time of great unrest in the inner cities in the UK and 1981 saw some of the worst displays of civil unrest since a certain Oliver Cromwell decided Charlie had to go.

The song has a real feel of angst and tension capturing the mood of the 'time'. Thought provoking punk, and bloody good thought provoking punk at that.

WHAT WE WANT – Something different again. A driving relentless bass line grabs you by the danglies and drags you bodily through the song. The repetitive bass riff makes the song feel dark, and very claustrophobic. The drums add to the melancholic atmosphere. The guitars swarm in and out and sound like a nest of hornets on the attack. Layered over the top of all this is some rap style vocal delivery that heighten the sense of urgency at the core of the song.

At 4:42 easily the longest song on the CD. It happens to be the track I like best of all those on offer including the bonus material.

POP IDOL – With more faces than a politician the band show another facet of the collective psyche with an unmitigated, unrepentant,wonderfully politically incorrect, slating of that hideous, heinous, insidious example of entertainment called Pop Idol. If the previous three tracks, although different in style, had a 'night time of the soul' quality about them, this is light, poppy, even a tad frothy.

Flipping the bird at GGGGGGGareth, giving two fingers at the oversized Michelle and standing with its back to the wall for the 'nice' boy Will. The chorus says loud and proud “STICK POP IDOL UP YOUR ARSE!” If only the moguls at the TV production company Simon Cowell took the original idea to had had the bollocks to say these 6 little words to his face, what a better place the world would now be!

SEE MY ROLEX – 48 seconds of rather clever punk. “See my rolex? It's from Harrods. It cost thousands. You ain't got one!” Although a case of “its over before it began” the song is joy and a delight.

So that's the official tracks on the EP taken care of lets now have a look at the bonus material.

All of the bonus material is listed as 'live'. Some of the tracks sounding as if they are being played to an audience, and some have a definite feel of the 'demo' you record playing live in a rehearsal room.

MAGNET BLUES is a fairly standard punk number. The vocal is a bit muffled, the guitar is a bit quiet.

YOU DON'T LIKE US – starts of with a clean sounding guitar doing a bit of a Bowie “Andy Warhol” thang. The first part of the song is just the clean sounding guitar and the vocals, before launching in to a more frenzied tempo with heavy guitars, bass and drums, not sure if these were added to the track afterwards as there is a definite feeling of you can see the join and the tempos are slightly out of sync. Not one of my favourites being honest!

WE'RE THE RESTRICTED – another change in tempo. More upbeat and bouncy than some of the tracks. I love the vocals and there guttural almost primaeval utterance. After to you with the Jeyes Fluid and Iron Fillings Gargle mixture!

RIPPERS LAMENT – Bass drum lead intro with down n dirty guitar chugging away to be joined by the vocal. Then it's kick the pedal to floor. This is the one track that has done nothing for me every time I have heard it. Sorry guys.

JANIE JONES – The Clash classic given the X-Rippers treatment. Not bad!

RICHARD HILLMAN – the second song based on the brutality of man on his fellow man , or in this case more accurately fellow (wo)man as it tells the life story of one the most reviled characters in British Soap, the eponymous anti-hero from Coronation Street and how he sorted out a little problem of someone being in the wrong place at the wrong time with a crowbar. For all that quiet a catchy little tune!

TERRY – A nice piece of good old rock n roll that recounts the tale of blighted childhood when the only pet a father would by his son is not a dog or cat or even a frog but a terrapin. The song borrows heavily from the old standard Johnny B Goode! and is often the way in such tales, tragedy is never far away!

“He'd go out on his own, Prayed he'd not go far, One day the sheriff called, He'd been run over by a fucking car, I never knew there was so much, in a terrapin”

Humorous punk, which seems to fragment a bit towards the very end, but it should still elicit a smile! (please note no terrapins were injured in the writing of this review)

EYES OF THE DEVIL – Showing yet another side to the band a more traditional rock based punk song, with some good vocal interchanges.

TOMORROWS GIRLS – once more on more traditional territory – good honest punk done live and done well the harmonies are worth listening out for.

4 INCH – Foot planted to the floor for this punken rampage. Full on, flat out, in yer face. Sound quality on this track is a bit in and out (but this is live don't forget)

JIMMY KELLY – Live version of the 2nd track on this CD. This where this song should be heard in a live environment as the extra energy should give more snarl and bite, although in this case I was a little disappointed as if anything the vibe is more muted – may be being in the room when it is being played is the very best way – and felt the studio version was markedly better.

Although JIMMY KELLY is the last listed track, there is a bonus bonus track as JK runs straight in to another cover of a punk classic – CID by UK Subs, and of all the live material this is probably my favourite of the lot.

So there you have it. An interesting CD to review. I liked it a lot more than I thought I might and I think a lot of that is down to the range of styles, rhythms and tempo's along with the occasional moment of levity to sunshine in the darker side of the albums psyche. The quality of 'live' bonus tracks is variable but nothing so bad that it makes it un-listenable. A CD well worth giving a listen if only to broaden your horizons, and based on this, a band I want to see play live!

X-RIPPERS are:
Freddie Red – Vox
Rots – Bass
Brainy – Drums
BIG Al – Lead Guitar
Pat - Rhythm

http://www.x-rippers.com
and
http://www.myspace.com/thelegendaryxrippers

Respectfully Submitted By


A Man Called Moose