Prologue
All music lovers will probably agree that there are not many things in this life that gives as much pleasure that finding a bargain in a record store or charity shop brings. Whether it is finding a rare print or just getting an album that you already have on cassette and cd on vinyl for the first time at a bargain price or taking a chance on an artist or band solely because you like the cover and the price is £1!!
There is a genuine thrill to be had and a way in to discover old, or even new artists, sometimes by browsing the bargain racks. Sure the condition is not mint but as long as the record plays ok and the price is favourable then it is almost impossible to resist.
It is with this mindset that I introduce this new way of reviews albums that takes into account the full journey from buying the vinyl to listening to the album for the first time.
Background
I have been a music lover for over 40 years and although I am doing these type of reviews for the first time it is not a new experience for me to purchase albums solely because they are dirt cheap and I like the look of the cover!!
Back in the mid 1990’s I used to work in my hometown of Birmingham, UK and amongst the HMV’s, Tower Records etc there will also plenty of gems of independent record shops. One such shop was in Paradise Circus, a very short walk from the Xposure Rock cafe, where many great gig was seen. The shop was Highway 61 and it was here that I first made the type of purchase, or should that be purchases, whereby i effectively had no idea about the music that I was buying. I wasn’t exactly flush with cash at the time so the offer on the racks of 10 cd’s for £10 seemed too good to turn down. Now, of course, these racks are not going to be filled with Black Sabbath or Iron Maiden cd’s and in fact I can confidently state that I had never heard of a single one of the artists I purchased that day. To that end I can actually only remember one track of one album that I bought and needless to say none have survived the great cd culling of one summer back in the early 2000’s. That band was Stripmind and track was “Bastard” from their 1993 album What’s In Your Mouth. A cracking track if memory serves. the drummer, Sully Erna, would later form Godsmack.
However enough reminiscing…..onto the present. The question is does a now 50 year old man still indulge in such futile practises as buying dirt cheap albums he’s never heard of in the hope that one or two might expand his musical universe? Of course he does!!
Who Are Good Rats?
Good question!!! In my 40 years of non-stop GBH of the earholes they had never come to my attention before. In short they are a New York Rock band formed in 1964. They challenge Hawkwind for having a ridiculous amount of band members in their history, over 30 at last count including a certain Bruce Kulick of the makeup-less Kiss fame.
The band are still a going concern as a four-piece and last released an album in 2016. their style incorporates a healthy mixture of rock, blues and pop. The band enjoyed great success in their native Long Island, NY but apart from the odd moment have never really broken out from their locality. Their best known album is 1974’s Tasty. However, here we focus on their fifth studio album.
Birth Comes To Us All – The Album Review
“You’re Still Doing It” is the album opener and an easy, slow lead into world of Good Rats. A nice guitar solo from John Gatto elevates the track above the average with a female chorus. A nice start.
The hardest rocking of the tracks on offer are “Cherry River” and “Gino” both are which are standout tracks on an album that seems at times a little confused and random in it’s musical delivery. One minute they are rocking with the very best and then they turn into Queen in their most theatrical and then it switches to almost reggae-ish rhythms. None of tracks on the album could be considered bad tracks by any means but taken as a whole it doesn’t quite match up to their best work.
The Vinyl Review
I purchased this vinyl for the paltry sum of £1 in my regular haunt of Rough Trade in Nottingham, UK. The condition of record was fine and nothing a cloth and spray couldn’t fix. No major scratches or anything of that nature. The sleeve was in excellent condition and the inner sleeve has the bonus of the lyrics included, although in very small print.
Interestingly the sleeve and inner sleeve both say the album was released in 1978. But i seems that the album was actually released in Spring 1979.
Label: Passport Records
Catalog Number: PB9830
Bargain rating: 9/10 – cannot be faulted to pick up this album in this condition for a solitary golden nugget.
