Heavy
Pettin "Rock Ain't Dead" Album Review
From
Kerrang! June 1985 Issue # 97
'ROCK
AIN'T DEAD', eh? Never behind the door when it comes
to extolling their own virtues, Heavy Pettin are at last
back
on this septic scene! They're wearing hard rock hearts on
sweat-stained sleeves and they're laying down the law to
the doe-eyed dimwits at MTV who are attempting to
asphyxiate Metal in the Land Of The Free!
No fluffy concept waffle, no attempt at R*kE***tt school
of
artistry. As you might expect "Rock Ain't Dead"
is a
fanciful frolic through the hard rock undergrowth,
emerging
as a work that is very much rock 'n' roll, very much
Heavy Pettin. And yet in some ways it's also vastly
different from what we might have expected.
Whereas "Lettin Loose", 83's Pettin debut, was
hardly
lacking in sophisticated vocal and instumental awareness,
it was essentially the brash, cock (yeah, definitely
cock) sure
Pettin' bluster that slammed down on to the 'ol adrenalin
button. "Rock Ain't Dead" engulfs a more song
orientated
approach, and while I'd be a liar if I said it wasn't a
fraction
less tough then it's predecessor, the P's youthful
exuberance
assures that guitarist Gordon Bonnar and Barton fave
Punky Mendoza always have their balls on the line. The
more
I listen to "Rock Ain't Dead", actually, the
more I like it,
the more I know that Heavy Pettin have turned in the
blinder
I expected, nay DEMANDED!!
I've clutch a demo of most of these tracks to my breasts
for
a good eight months now already and it's swell to see
how the combination of AC/DC sidekick Mark Dearnley and
Jim Steinman's associate producer John Jansen have at
long
last kicked the tunes into sweet, sweet shape. There's
nothing too innovative going on, but the sounds are
solid,
sufficiently sophisticated and satisfying. 'Big Rock' was
a
term invented for HP!
So let's get some dirt under our fingernails shall we and
unearth the treasures on offer? Like the clap, there's
alot of
it about!
Opener and title track "Rock Ain't Dead" is the
kinda 'standup
shout, wave yer knob about!' anthem that your gonna love
in spite of (or maybe because of) the high gonzoid
quotient!
Check out Hamie's helium-inflated vocals too. The man is
quite ridiculous in his delivery, but spend time with his
voice
and you'll soon feel totally at home with it.
"Northwinds", too,
is where you'll see the Pettin of old, chock-a-block with
what
should rightly be termed 'power pop' riffs and gutsy
'sing it,
shout it' backing vocals that will huff and puff and blow
your
speakers down!
And spreading their wings to reach out into pastures new,
those Pettin boys have pulled off classics with the ease
of
Doc Doom penning another Fiona eulogy! Try "Lost In
Love"
for size - a plaintive Hamie bemoaning his fate with his
lady
(lying bastard!) - or maybe the ballad "Dream
Time", an
accou-sticky interlude of the sweetest nature. Wimpy?
Maybe, but tell me it ain't good and you'll get a slap
from
my scented silk glove!
You want the ultimate hoe-down mebbe? Then " Throw A
Party" is a must. "Throw a partae - an 'throw
it ma wae!' holler
the boys. Sheesh, I can smell those warm cans of McEwans
already!
Even funnier is the addictively melodic "Angel"
where Hamie
lays his poor tormented soul on the line.
Get this for size - neckin' in the back seat of my
Cadillac/
Window steaming up from the cold/A lady comin' on it made
my zipper catch/The girl just wouldn't leave it alone'.
Sexual bulls**t of the first order, but if you knew ol'
Stevie
like I do, you'd know it was all true - an' more!
And just to round things off, let's rave on down with
"China Girl", Pettin's most sophisticated song
to date and
absolute peach! Gary Moat's... well... emoative
computerised
drums and a pulsing bass beat from Brian Waugh (or is it
Wooargh?) push this beauty to a stunning refrain that's
gonna stay with you until... ah... until the next Pettin
album!
If you love pure rock 'n' roll, and if you love to see a
band
progress, then you can't help but fall in love with Heavy
Pettin's
'Aural Sex' attack!! Get your partners in on this one!
HOWARD
JOHNSON Kerrang!
|
