Los Wavy Gravies

Kings Of The Underground

Format: LP

RELEASE DATE: May 2018 

LABEL: Family Spree Recordings

 

Rock 'n' Roll? Who really cares about this term nowadays?

Rock 'n' Roll has been overused since Alan Freed promoted it in the early 50’s to name a new musical style, a mixture of country and rhythm & blues, and to coin a concept that would embrace a whole generation united by rebellion and fun. A term so much in vogue that almost anything related to show business or action life is called such, regardless of the musical form it takes. For now, let's keep the rebellion and the fun, unmistakable and tangible for everyone who has experienced it.

 

 Let's talk now about the underground: what underlies the prevailing mass, what interests a few, what is about to emerge and does not, because it will never be accepted by the majority, because freedom and rebellion are inherent to minorities in a world that is increasingly globalised by the established and the controllable. It is only in the underground that' Rock 'n' Roll retains its original meaning.

Los Wavy Gravies, from the stimulating Rías Baixas (Galicia, ES), are pure fun, they come from underground and therefore we can also say that they are people who live and work in' Rock 'n' Roll. They do not follow fashions, rules or false doctrines. They're here to have fun and to excite you.

They are the KINGS OF THE Underground!

From the initial laughter of the surf instrumental track Kasha Fo-Ho, the madness is unleashed, because we are in front of an album with no speed limit, no brakes... "Don't worry about us, baby... We're as happy

as we can be", the album title statement arises like a thunderbolt, with the scent of The Sonics and Bo Diddley, and gives way to one of the jewels of the album: I Will, authentic anthem of ROCK 'N' ROLL with capital letters, acid, refreshing, catchy and sexual, authentic beat from the Lorre Brothers factory. . . . Without time to catch our breath, we find the first of the two versions in the album, Karate (The Emperors), a sweaty rhythm & blues from the soulin’ bowels of Philadelphia. And then, Wild, Wild, Wild, which is the quintessential Los Wavy Gravies sound: direct, nocturnal and brazen frat rock, an invitation to endless spree and hip break; I Stay Away, an accelerated and anxious cut, with a New York punk-like feel, closes the A side.

The only concession to calm opens the second side. Crawling To You is dense, dark and exotic, in which we find The Cramps and Radio Birdman strolling hand in hand through swampy terrains, opening the way to the border instrumental El Ringo, the second and final foray into foreign themes, covering The Fireballs this time, great strangers from the frat scene of the early 60’s. With Howlin' they return to the path of vitaminic rock, adding B-Movies imagery, and it is possible to guess the influences of the rowdiest Flamin' Groovies in the intention and immediacy of the song, as well as in 'Cause Of You, a good example of their brilliant garage trademark. Vampire's Bopper, breaks the LP's pattern, with a rough, arid boogie that resuscitates the most primitive Screaming Lord Sutch in a letter that smells of dried blood, in a new twist on the "wavy gravy" theme that permeates the disc.

Tremor closes the album as it begins, accelerating, asking for more through wild guitars and sharp rhythms in another frenetic instrumental cut, which fills your head with voices: The night is ours, the night smells like Chuck Berry, it smells like celluloid and beer foam; we are creatures of the swamp, kings of the subsoil, the night is ours, let's dance until we die, play this damned vinyl back on. Will you do it for me?