I ALMOST FORGOT , X's VERSION OF THE BLASTERS' "LITTLE HONEY" (CO-WRITTEN BY JOHN DOE , AS I RECALL) IS PRETTY ROCKIN' , COMPARED TO THE BLASTERS'
VERSION , WHICH RECALLS THE LOUVIN BROS.....NOT A DAMN THING WRONG WITH THAT....BUT I WAS JUST WARMING UP TO COUNTRY WHEN THAT CAME OUT , AND I LIKED IT ,BUT IT WAS JUST A TAD ON THE SLOW SIDE FOR ME......THE BEST PART WAS THE LYRIC CHANGE . PHIL ALVIN : "LITTLE HONEY , WILL YOU PLEASE COME OVER HERE? LITTLE HONEY , WE'VE GOT TO GET SOMETHING CLEAR......"
JOHN DOE: LITTLE HONEY , WILL YOU PLEASE COME OVER HERE.....LITTLE HONEY ,WILL YOU PLEASE BRING ME A BEER?''........Does'nt save "Ain't Love Grand from being an embarrassment.
John Battles said:
I thought the only really good song on "Rant'n'Rave With The Stray Cats" was "How Long Do You Wanna Live , Anyway?", with it's uncharacteristically raw rock riffage , which sounded more like Cochran than when they were really trying to sound like him. But , that was 30 years ago , I'D PROBABLY THINK IT WAS A PIECE OF SHIT , TOO , IF i HEARD IT , TODAY.
LITTLE RICHARD - "LIFETIME FRIEND" . THE BEAUTY ON DUTY TRIES TO SING ABOUT SUBTLE , AND OBVIOUS , XIAN THEMES TO A ROCK BACKDROP , WHICH ONLY OCCASIONALLY WORKS. "Great Gosh a'Mighty" , the lone standout track , succeeds on both counts by rockin' like fuck , without pushing the religious envelope too hard. The version in the movie "Down and Out in Beverley Hills" is different. You should be able to buy the 45 from the movie , and the "Lifetime Friend" album and have change from your Dollar.
iT'S NOT THE ONLY GOOD SONG , BUT IF ALL OF "SANDINISTA!" ROCKED LIKE THE CLASH'S COVER OF THE EQUALS' "POLICE ON MY BACK" , IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A WHOLE OTHER ALBUM(S).
I LOVE X , I'VE LOVED ALMOST EVEYTHING THEY'VE DONE , OR , AT LEAST , LIKED IT....BUT , "AIN'T LOVE GRAND", THAT'S TOUGH....I LIKED "LOVE SHACK" ALL RIGHT. THEIR VERSION OF "ALL OR NOTHING" BY THE SMALL FACES WOULD HAVE BEEN FINE , IF , LIKE THE REST OF THE ALBUM , IT WERE'NT SO DAMNED OVERPRODUCED.
MIND YOU , THOSE SONGS SOUNDED FINE , LIVE.