When Black Rebel Motorcycle Club broke with their debut, ‘B.M.R.C.’ in 2001, their rock ‘n’ roll swagger – which was unashamed in its drawing significant inspiration from The Jesus and Mary Chain circa ‘Darklands’, as well as 90s alternative acts and the more vintage rock pantheon – felt pretty exhilarating, and the immediate grab of ‘Spread Your Love’ and ‘Whatever Happened to My Rock ‘n’ Roll (Punk Song)’ was undeniable. In short, they made their impact early. There was nothing to suggest that they’d still be going strong almost a quarter of a century later, and even less to suggest that they’d be marking the twentieth anniversary of their third album with a massive expanded reissue (it wasn’t the standard marketing thing it is now back then) and colossal tour.
‘Howl’ marked a substantial shift: the proverbial ‘difficult third album’ emerged from difficult times – not least being dropped by Virgin and the departure of drummer Nick Jago. As a consequence, remaining core duo of Robert Levon Been and Peter Hayes stripped things right back and took a new tack, exploring gospel and country. It proved divisive among fans and critics alike, and on the merits of the audience reaction to their Leeds show just before Christmas, remains so.
While anniversary releases have become a justification to reissue and repackage with a bunch of bonus stuff that wasn’t deemed worthy of the original release, they also afford a valid opportunity to reappraise.
There’s no escaping the fact that the slide guitar and harmonica stomp of ‘Ain’t No Easy Way’ represents a massive shift from anything they’d done before. ‘Complicated Situation’ is more Bob Dylan than Bob Mould or Verve, and on hearing it, some were probably justified in wondering whatever happened to their rock ‘n’ roll. The title track is a drifting indie-influenced anthem, but it’s something of an outlier. As a whole, ‘Howl’ is spartan, downtempo, and sounds more like a couple of guys in the corner of a bar than a major-league rock ‘n’ roll band (I must have seen dozens of solo artists and duos doing blues / Americana in pubs around York circa 2004/5, and nice enough as it was, its ubiquity meant I was never tempted to pay to see similar stuff in larger venues) – but most bands in their situation would have either called it a day, or roped in some hired hands to recreate a facsimile of their earlier work. ‘Howl’ was a risk in terms of their fanbase, but in commercial terms, without the backing of a major label, they had nothing to lose, so if they were ever going to break the mould, this was the time to do it. Judged on its own merits – that of a gospel-infused, bluesy slice of Americana with some indie leanings as performed by a couple of guys cut adrift by the industry and finding themselves at a crossroads – ‘Howl’ is a bold, raw work, soulful and soul-searching.
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The full expanded edition contains not only the original album, but an expanded version of ‘The Howl Sessions EP’, released in 2006 (the 6 outtakes augmented by a further 2), and then there are the bonus songs, which include an instrumental version of ‘Open Invitation’ and alternative recordings of ‘Sympathetic Noose’ and ‘Restless Sinner’, as well as demos of ‘Weight of the World’ and ‘Wishing Well’ – which don’t add a great deal, in real terms, largely because there are no major differences. Hardcore fans will absolutely require all of this, but for the less devoted, slimmer versions of this reissue provide a prompt to explore a lesser-known period defined not by hits but by exploration and discovery.
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