Review
Live at the Radium 2019 has just been released and it the first live Radio Rats album.
The album was wrecorded at a live gig at the Radium Beer Hall in Springs with a Zoom Model HN2 Handy Recorder which was placed near Riaan Esterhuizen’s drums ”This stereo SD card recording was transferred to multitrack in Cape Town by David Langemann. All under-recorded parts were bolstered by recordings overdubbed in London, Sweden, Hilton (Natal) and Springs”. For this wrecording the Rats were: Dave Davies – vocals, Jonathan Handley – guitar & vocals, (the late) Herbie Parkin + Phil Erskine – bass (added in Sweden), Riaan Esterhuisen – drums, Gil Gilchrist – lead guitar.
This is like a bootleg with improved sound and you can almost imagine you are there with all the shrieks, applause and Andy Darlington’s glowing introduction. What is a delight is some of the songs feature explanations as to what the songs are about though in most cases we knew anyway. Like on “Welcome To My Car”, Dave mentions that half the population of Springs was conceived at the Nigel Drive-in, on a Saturday night. I am sure they were : “Welcome to my car, steam up the windows please..” and the rest can be left to your imagination. The album get’s off to a rocking start with ‘I’m Not Like That’ which is about a young Rock ‘n’ Roll fan. The song has an early Stones like feel as does ‘Small Town Garage Toilet Blues” and “Cigarette Pack Blues”. The Radio Rats sound is somewhere between the Stones and the Kinks. The songs are different to the songs that were on the other Radio Rats albums and some songs have evolved and the band bear them well. Some have different arrangements like “Omega Man” which has become a really strong bluesish rocker and it is a potential single.
There are some really good slow songs on this album which go down really well live like with “Roads, Hills and Stars” (about Springs), the dreamy pop of “Flesh Temple”, “Welcome To My Car”, “ZX Dan” and “Janis”, a love song for Southern comfort. The latter is preceded by Dave Rat talking about the gold plastic cap of Southern Comfort. The Radio Rats seem to go down well with drinking crowds… “Secret Evil Beam Gun” is a newish song on the album, from Killville which is a pure delight. The song reminds me of Zappa with the Mothers and Dave’s vocals are reminiscent of Captain Beefheart on Big Eyed Beand from Venus but this is still the Radio Rats. No one sings about space and travel better than the Radio Rats, and it is so catchy too.
Highlights for me include the rollicking “Law and Order” about a guy who lost his heart and he wants it back…. “You took me under your rubber wing/you took me down in your submarine/you took me to your breast and I fell asleep/you exposed me to the creatures of your deep, oh yeah.. I want out, I want out..” Nobody writes a love song quite like Jonathan Handley, so clever too. The second last song, “The Key” is an epic Kinks like tale that will leave you with your jaw hanging open. In essence Jonathan is a story teller and each song is like a little city and it’s inhabitants…
“ZX Dan” ends the album in rollicking fashion though this is not the “ZX Dan” that you may know. The latest version is more gentle with some sweet riffs and friendly chords that will lift your spirits and help you soar into space. “The whole of outer space/is tuned into the human race/my galaxy is doomed/so I moved to your moon/so turn on your radio/and play me that Rock ‘n’ Roll/stop feeling so so blue/`cause I’m coming down to you..”
A highly enjoyable album that will probably be appreciated more by RR fans but this will undoubtedly be another future classic. I give this three and a half out of five because live albums are never as tight and polished as studio albums. This and the Killsville album can be ordered directly from Jonathan Handley’s Facebook page or on the Radio Rats page. Get both or you will regret! Unfortunately, this is the last album that will ever feature the late, great Herbie Parkin on bass and I would like to dedicate these reviews to him. Thank you for the music Herbie /M\
Ernesto Garcia Marques, 15 September 2020, Jive Talking and Eyeballing
Radium Wreckords 