- (1000CD - 028) -
S.H. - "Levi and I are quite connected - first and foremost we're famous friends and both Essex blokes, secondly not only do we love Rockabilly, but we both knew Johnny Thunders and liked him and admired him - hence "Rockabilly Dolls"! "Snake Eyed Mama" was written by Lee Hazlewood, we based our version on Don Cole's - as I almost recorded this with an earlier Hooker Band line up at Boz Boorer's studio the night it was shut down by complaints from a nasty neighbor - I was glad Levi pulled it out of the bag!"
S.H. - "Levi was hell bent on recording "Jack The Ripper" - so we called Inmates bass player Ben up for this last minute session just before he went home to The States. That's Mrs Bernie Dexter screaming, panting and clicking her Elite Heels!"
3.
"Downtown"
S.H. - "Downtown" is from the first batch of tracks with Vibrators
Eddie drumming. I always liked this song and wanted to record something
of Johnny's with Levi. Leee Black Childers managed Johnny Thunders And
The Heartbreakers and Levi and The Rockats - he also gave us the 1977
photo on the inside cover taken backstage at The Rockats first gig when
Johnny jammed with them onstage!"
S.H. - "G.L. Crockett's"Look Out Mabel" was a DJ favorite back in L' Age D'or of Foot Stompin' Rockabilly. With this contemporary band with Terry on Bass and Brian Drumming - we played a few gigs around Southend and London too!"
S.H. - "I picked "Blame It On Mom" because I ran into Johnny in London quite often in 1985 around the time he recorded it for his "Que Sera Sera" album and although I didn't play on it I was invited to 313 Studios one afternoon to jam with his band!"
S.H. - "Levi usually does "Motorhead Baby" Johnny Guitar Watson style but I think we give it a bit more bar room rock 'n' roll raunch when we play it together?!"
S.H. - "I had the idea for "The Only One Round Here" at a festival in Holland - I was up onstage playing but watching a country girl dancing in her western boots and thinking that every guitar player that came through town probably did the same!"
S.H. - "'Tore Up' is a Hank Ballard tune made famous by Harmonica Fats and Ray Campi - we stick close to Campi's version here. This is the only track I played a Gretsch on - I used my old faithful Les Paul Junior on the others."
S.H. - "We recorded "Wicked Blues" with the band while Levi was smoking outside the studio on the first night. It has appeared elsewhere but this version was re mastered for the album. I think I used a brass bottleneck?"
BACK
IN '56 THEY SAID THAT ROCKABILLY WAS THE PUNK OF ROCK 'N' ROLL WE'RE HERE
TO REMIND YOU THAT IT STILL IS!