White Heat is the latest comeback album by 70's punk legends Slaughter And The Dogs who have had some personnel issues, that have been sorted enough to allow them to use the band's name. The current line-up of Slaughter And The Dogs are Mick Rossi, Howard Bates and Phil Rowland with special guests Billy Duffy, Morgan Fisher and Jerry Evans the album was Produced by Mick Rossi and Craig Parker Adams who also recorded and mixed it at Winslow Ct Studios, Los Angeles, which was Liberace's old studio. Having seen Slaughter And The Dogs at this year's Rebellion Festival where they played several songs from the album, inevitably they need to be heard live where they have greater energy.
The album opens with the pointed Get A Life that may or may not be a dig at former members throwing lawsuits around, they want you out of your life and suggest you get on with yours, you are on the outs and are staying there, over a slow loose riff and eventually a coruscating guitar solo while Phil Rowlands caresses his cymbals.
White Light White Heat is a song they have been covering for decades, they mainly use Mick Ronson's arrangement either with or without Bowie, Mick Rossi swelters on the solo and this is a good sing along version, but with none of the original's danger. But I always need to own more versions of this classic and one of the reasons I bought my first Slaughter And The Dogs album.
I'm Too Much is a chugging rocker begging and pleading to be allowed your evil way, proving you are still Too Much for any one person to handle. Shut Your Mouth takes aim at all the backbiting and sly digs, that eventually lead to eruptions of bile, anger and splits in friendships that can never be repaired, Mick Rossi's guitar is full of pain and anguish for the never-ending bile spewed his way at times, for carrying on regardless.
City Of Rain takes them back to the band's youth on the dreich streets of Wythenshawe, they can't face another day of all this misery, they need to head out and grab life by the hands, to that inimitable bassline that Howard keeps rock steady, Mick adorns it with some magically incisive guitar lines.
Be Yourself make the music you want to, with the people you want to make it with, get away from being a tower block kid, learn to grow tall and have pride in what you do, Morgan's piano upping the positive message of empowerment.
Love Inside will be delivered to a super insistent riff, pumping, grinding away insistently, making clear the passion he needs to share with you babe, you dare not resist this all-encompassing embrace, that's ready to shoot its Love Inside you, right here, right now, in time for the cataclysmic drum explosion ending.
Stay is almost Led Zeppelin style boogie blues rock for all the begging and pleading for you to stay and keep him company once more. Blink Of An Eye the relationship is over, either you're out the door or he is, they don't want no arguments and fights, just go, this is down at heart, gloomy for the breakup, the guitar is wailing out the tears.
Light Me Up he'll write a song for you, yep just fire up that spliff and change the world, while doing it all night long, this is world weary riffing action, dying to give you one more explosive glam guitar freak out.
Save Me reuses a Mick Ronson Ziggy era guitar line for a slow evocative plea for redemption, the freedom to carry on living and playing rock & roll, making sure to get that guitar tone just perfect for the things its emoting.
Calling Out To You is one last plea for you to join his gang and lean on each other, making sure you rise up and take life by the balls once more, this sounds like a song to sing at the end of the set, to thank the audience and tell them to not be afraid to have a go.
The album closes with Lust full of brushed drums, loose louche guitar and Mick slowly telling you, just how he lusts after you each and every day, he isn't going to let you alone until you've given him all the lust you've got.
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