DENNIS GREAVES-Two Sides Of The Same Coin

To the average punter in the U.S., the name DENNIS GREAVES may not ring any bells, but to hardcore music fans, he is one of the finest Rock/Blues artists in the UK.

Emerging during the Punk era with his Blues/R&B outfit NINE BELOW ZERO, Greaves and the NBZ boys were one of the best live bands in Britain. Appealing to the Punk, Rock and and Mod crowds and bringing folks of all ages together under one sweaty roof was a feat that few bands could lay claim to!

After a handful of excellent albums (including the classic Live At The Marquee), Nine Below Zero split up, putting an end to one of the finest live acts of the late '70s and early '80s.

Shortly, thereafter, Greaves formed Mod/Pop rockers THE TRUTH and continued his live assault with a new batch of bandmates. After a slew of great singles, the band released their 1985 debut album, Playground.

While still energetic, The Truth's repertoire consisted of Mod-oriented Pop and Rock, sounding like a mixture between The Jam (who had already split) and Style Council (who were moving further away from the musical foundation that Paul Weller had created in The Jam). 

While some may have thought that The Truth were mere Weller copyists, that was actually far from the.... er... truth!  Greaves and Weller had obviously both shared a love for the same music growing up and those influences manifested themselves in similar ways in their songwriting.

Playground was, and still is, a joy to listen to, especially since American Beat has reissued it on CD!  Alongside co-guitarist Mick Lister, Greaves served up a delicious album full of melodic gems that truly excite the senses. They are joyful, uplifting and inspiring even after all of these years. "Spread A Little Sunshine", "Exception Of Love", "Is There A Solution" and the title track STILL make regular appearances on various mixtapes that I hand out to friends or play in the office.  The production might be a little dated, it doesn't take away from the songs.  Even slower tunes like "It's A Miracle" and "Always On My Mind" are top notch. 

Mixing Rock, Mod, Soul, R&B and adding some production polish may not have been new in 1985, nobody did it as well as The Truth.  The album remains an under-rated gem from an era filled with over-rated dirtclods.  Twenty five years on, it's great to be able to have it back on the market!

(For trainspotters, Truth keyboardist Chris Skornia had previously tickled the ivories for The Fabulous Poodles while bassist Richard Parfitt would later form the Britpop band 60 Ft. Dolls!)

By the end of the '80s, The Truth was no more and Greaves reformed Nine Below Zero with original member Mark Feltham, perhaps the greatest British Blues/Rock harmonica player of this generation!  The band went back to gigging and recording throughout the '90s and into the millennium.

In 2009, Nine Below Zero released the excellent It's Never Too Late album on the Angel Air Records label.  While the band no longer play their R&B/Blues at a frantic pace like they did 30 years ago, Greaves, Feltham and rhythm section Gerry McAvoy and Brendan O’Neill are as hot as ever. 

Following up their Blues covers album, Hats Off (2004), It's Never Too Late represents the best of both worlds as it offers up Blues-based rock tunes mixed with some poppier tracks that have hooks that would make a trout farmer nervous! 

The album starts out heavy on the Blues ("Mechanic Man", "Breakin' Down") but by "Little By Little", the band are beginning to stretch out and let other influences start to creep in.  Standouts include "The Story Of Nathan John", "Hit The Ground Running", the funky title track, "It's Never Too Late", the poptastic "You" and, of course, the tasty, bluesy tracks that hold it all together.

The band sound like they are having fun in the studio, as opposed to many other po-faced Blues artists who seem to take their art a little too seriously.  NBZ know how to rock and enjoy it... and it shows.

So, now that you are familiar with Dennis Greaves, do yourself a favor and check out Nine Below Zero and The Truth for yourself!  Not many musicians can combine Blues, sweat, tears, conviction and Pop as successfully as he does...

Your lil' buddy,

Stephen SPAZ Schnee

THE LAUGHING DOGS/The Laughing Dogs & ...Meet Their Makers CD review!

Yes, folks, the first two albums by THE LAUGHING DOGS have been officially released on one CD, courtesy of the American Beat label.

I've been a fan of this relatively unknown band for three decades and can still remember the first time I heard each of these fab albums. In fact, I even reviewed the individual albums (then only on out of print vinyl) for All Music Guide.

Now that they've been made available on CD, I get another go round to heap my praises on these two albums... and I'll share my All Music Guide reviews with you right here on this blog!



First off, here's the review I did for the first album (The Laughing Dogs):

"Born out of the New York underground music scene of the late '70s, the Laughing Dogs were a band looking for a good time. With a cache of snappy pop songs chiefly written by main men Ronnie Carle (vocals/bass) and James Leonard (vocals/guitar), the band's sound was elegantly arranged with the help of keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Carter Catchcart, and fueled by the powerhouse drumming of Moe Potts. None of the members were new to the music scene, so each brought plenty of creative ideas and strong musicianship. By borrowing from the past, the Dogs created a timeless sound that was as exciting as the explosive punk scene, but was also completely different. This was power pop with a raw edge, yet very commercial. If Billy Joel's Glass Houses album was recorded by a band with 'street cred', then that band would have been the Laughing Dogs. "Get 'Im Outta Town" and "Reason For Love" should have been huge radio hits worldwide, both filled with catchy hooks, bubbly harmonies, and real joyous energy. "No Lies" and "It's Alright, It's OK" could have been unpretentious Steely Dan if they had been formed during the new wave era. "Round And Round" mixes classic rock clichés with a White Album flair. That's not Badfinger's Tom Evans and Joey Molland singing the chorus to "It's Just The Truth," but if you close your eyes and pretend....Even the rock and roll basics of "Johnny Contender" and "I Need A Million" are fun. A gem of an album just waiting for you to discover it." (Stephen SPAZ Schnee-All Music Guide)

And here's the review I did for the second album (The Laughing Dogs Meet Their Makers):

First off, the Laughing Dogs are funny guys. The album cover has all four band members being scolded and punished by their real-life mothers (get it?). Based on that cover alone, you've got to love these guys. But you can't read an album by its cover, can you? Fortunately, the music contained within is just as fun, even when it's more commercial than their debut. Dynamic musical arrangements, fabulous harmonies, and great songs seem to be the Dogs' forte, and they use all three very wisely. Though the rawness of the debut is missing here, the sympathetic and warm production allows the songs to breathe, and the songs can be stunning. Pop meets a funky groove with the album opener, "Zombies," with great musical interplay. With originals like "Formal Letter," "Take My Chances," and "Reach Out For Me," who needs covers like "Don't Bring Me Down" (the record company, obviously)? Carter Cathcart's "Not What I Used To Be" sounds like a power pop band doing Motown with Walter Becker producing. When the band slows everything down for a ballad ("Stand Up" and "Two Who Are Willing To Share"), you can't help but reach for the hankies! Like other 'Two Album Deal' bands of this era (ie: Four Out Of Five Doctors, Scooters, Hawks, Sorrows, Electrics, etc), fans are torn between the raw feel of the first album, and the 'label pressure' vibe of the second. Whichever way you choose, you can't lose." (Stephen SPAZ Schnee-All Music Guide)

And finally, here's the CD review (which does contain a few elements from the above... but not much):

"When I first reviewed the first two Laughing Dogs albums years ago, they were only available on black wax… and long out of print. Heck, I was certain that no label would ever be brave or smart enough to actually put these albums out on CD! But, lo and behold, American Beat has risen to the occasion and now you can own these two great Power Pop albums on one CD. Though they never made much of a dent in the charts, the Dogs’ reputation as skilled musicians is legendary. The fact that they would masquerade as The Kojaks (complete with bald caps) and be their own opening act is STILL talked about! But none of this holds a candle to their knack for serving up melodic hooks galore on these two albums.
The quartet’s 1979 self-titled debut was energetic and laced with musical nods to their ‘60s influences, right down to the production. Still, the band were able to maintain their own identity and forge a ‘Laughing Dogs’ sound, especially with album opener “Get ‘im Outta Town” (a sound which they fully explored on their second album). Apart from that lead-off track, album highlights include the Pop-errific “Reason For Love”, “No Lies” and the Beatles-esque “Low Life”.
Their sophomore album, …Meet Their Makers, was released in 1980 and showed a maturity in the band’s songwriting and arrangements. Though the rawness of the debut is missing here, the sympathetic and warm production allows the songs to breathe, and they are often stunning. With originals like "Formal Letter," "Take My Chances," “Zombies” and "Reach Out For Me," who needs covers like "Don't Bring Me Down" (the only lukewarm tune here). When the band slows everything down for a ballad ("Stand Up" and "Two Who Are Willing To Share"), you can't help but reach for the Bic lighter!
This Laughing Dogs two-fer is an essential purchase for any Power Pop and Rock music fan. Although they may have been lumped in with the other New York-based Punk and New Wave bands from the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, the Laughing Dogs were a Rock ‘n’ Roll band at heart and this excellent release proves it." (Stephen SPAZ Schnee-All Music Guide)

And, finally, here's a clip of the band performing the fabulous "Get 'im Outta Town":

So, do you own this CD already? What are you waiting for?

Get Spaz Outta Town,

Stephen SPAZ Schnee