The
Big Takeover #65
The
Gears
Four On The Floor 10” ep
If I hadn’t seen reunited original punks The Gears in ’07
and ’08 in their native L.A, I’d have never believed
they could manage such equally youthful, enthusiastic music 30 years
later. But like their live act, Four is as fun, enervating, loose,
and roots-infused as the LP they left us with, 1980’s Rockin’
at Ground Zero. Recorded in 2003 but only released now (fittingly
on old What? Records purveyor Chris Ashford’s Wondercap),
its three new originals (plus a wonderfully punked-up cover of Chuck
Berry’s 1958 #2 “Sweet Little Sixteen”—
reclaiming it from nearby Hawthorne’s Beach Boys 1963 #3 “Surfin’
USA” conversion!) could serve as bonus tracks on a Rockin’
reissue without complaint. As anyone who’s seen him (or his
other, also-reunited Controllers) knows, classic axe-man Kidd Spike
is an evergreen riffing maniac storming through this vinyl, the
right man for the right format. Moreover, decades have failed to
dull frontman Axel G. Reese’s natural wildman act, as comically
madcap as he’s still throaty-good. Original bassist Brian
Redz remains rock solid, too, and incestuous fill-in Sean Antillon
is an even match for AWOL (but back now) Dave Drive. Wow-ee! (wondercaprecords.com)
Jack
Rabid
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