Album Review: The Quireboys - Amazing Disgrace

The Quireboys' new record shares a title with a 1996 LP by The Posies, but apart from the quality of the release there is no further ressemblance. This record is pure hard driving, shambolic blooze rock that conjures up the ghosts of acts like The Faces, Nikki Sudden or The Dogs d'Amour.

Like other seventies rock revivalists like The Black Crowes or Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies, The Quireboys get all the cosmetics right: Spike's vocals are soaked in the same barrel as Rod Stewart's, the guitars parts are something Brad Whitford and Joe Perry could have come up with, the horns sound like something out of Exile on Main Street and the keyboards are pure Ian McLagan. Hammond organ, tambourines, fiddles etc. add to the organic feel of the record. But most importantly the songs are all top-notch.

The album went through quite a few misadventures before getting released, including getting stuck in PledgeMusic limbo... But none of that tortuous gestation is felt in the music. This sounds like your typical Quireboys rock and roll party: stonesy tracks like "Original Black Eyed Son," country-infused ballads like "Ever of Summertime," "Dancing in Paris" or the sunny acoustic-fuelled "This Is It," blues rockers like "Sinner Serenade" and its killer slide guitar, funkier numbers like "Seven Deadly" Sins, the Aerosmith-meets-The Who power of "California Blues" and the highlight of the record as far as this reviewer is concerned: an almost traditional folk romp entitled "Medusa, My Girl" that's reminiscent of The Waterboys' early records.

It's been almost thirty years since their debut album A Bit of What You Fancy and the constance in their output's quality is staggering, especially when you figure that when most bands take five years to craft a new LP, Amazing Disgrace is the Quireboys sixth album in seven years. So boys, same time next year then?

Genre: Rock

Release Date: April 5th, 2019

Label: Off Yer Rocka

Rating: 7/10