With apologies to Neil Fallon for mangling the lyrics: let’s break it down to brass tacks.
Let’s break it down to just… well, just my opinion.
“Earth Rocker” is getting the Clutch re-release treatment as part of their Collector’s Series and, even if I’m not one of those collectors — I do own the original vinyl LP, though — it gives me a chance to write about one of my very favourite records.
Back in 2006, I saw Clutch open for Corrosion Of Conformity and immediately became a fan. How could you not?
In 2010, I saw them again, opening for Thin Lizzy. A fact that paled into insignificance at the time because Ricky Warwick was fronting arguably the world’s greatest rock band, but Neil Fallon and his boys were incredible that night too. I listened to them for about a month solid after that, which had a lot to do with the fact these were the days before streaming and my brother had “borrowed” all my Thin Lizzy CDs.
But anyway, by 2013 and their tenth album, “Earth Rocker”, let’s just say I was ready for new Clutch music.
And it’s weird, because listening to the album to do this is the first time I’ve played it in full for about a decade. You might have noticed MV takes up a lot of the time. But that title track — blimey. It’s good.
That bit where Fallon sings, “I don’t need your stinking laminate, I don’t need your VIP, don’t need your validation, ’cause I wear it on my sleeve”? That is spat out with bile — and ranks as one of the few Clutch lyrics I can actually fathom — but doesn’t it sum the band up too? Proud outsiders for 30 years and counting.
“Crucial Velocity” is perfect Clutch. If you know what it’s about, you’re a better man than me, but try and resist it. Go on. That is what they do.
Those two are still staples of my listening and of the live sets they still play, but the others here are astonishingly good too. The cowbell on “Mr. Freedom”, the swing, the chorus — is it too much to call it genius? I’m saying no.
The harmonica comes out on “D.C. Sound Attack!” and things get bluesy, and if you intend to let the rhythm hit you, do it like this.
“Unto The Breach”, which sometimes starts shows — although no two Clutch shows are ever quite the same — has such energy that it feels like it could power a small town.
They’ve always followed their own rules, but even allowing for that, “Gone Cold” is superbly offbeat. Lurking in the shadows, if you like, with its spoken-word vocals and Spanish guitar, it is Clutch doing the unexpected and somehow still sounding exactly like Clutch.
Most — not all — of the best bands have a distinctive sound. Only one has an absurdly catchy chorus that begins, “1000 Les Pauls smoulder in a field.” Clutch, ladies and gentlemen. It’s called “The Face.”
“Book, Saddle And Go” is another that swings, and is the sort of thing only these four men would think of. Indeed, perhaps they all are. “Cyborg Bette” appears to be about a robot that becomes self-aware, and this was before AI was ruining everything, so maybe they were soothsayers all along.
“Oh, Isabella” changes tack, both musically and lyrically, and as the ship goes down, it sounds dramatic, strange and oddly magnificent.
“The Wolfman Kindly Requests…” doesn’t so much tie up the loose ends as ask more questions, but one thing is clear: the party’s over. It still finds the time to add some psychedelics to the proceedings, though, because of course it does.
A truly wonderful record. We can all argue about whether it’s Clutch’s best, and it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that “Earth Rocker” was released in March 2013 and now sounds arguably even better than it did back then.
Forty-four minutes you’ll never regret, and some of the best rock on earth.
