RSS Feed


THE QUIREBOYS
Beautiful Curse

Off Yer Rocker Recordings (2013)
Rating: 8/10

For some 29 years, The Quireboys have been churning out good ol’ fashioned rock ’n’ roll. Despite having more than 20 ex-members and living through the grunge invasion, this bunch of heartbreakers has ploughed on and Beautiful Curse is the result of that never-say-die attitude.

Beautiful Curse is the seventh studio album by the UK band, and it’s as if the mid-90s and all that nu-metal never happened. Spike (vocals) and his merry bunch of travelling gypsies have returned with another swaggering, sweating, alcohol-fuelled opus which continues to combine cheeky rhythms and that distinctive Faces-style oomph.

Considering these guys have played with such huge names as Bon Jovi and Guns N’ Roses, their no frills brand of rock ’n’ roll has never given them the recognition they deserve. Live however, they are one of Britain’s best bands; The Quireboys are entertaining, hard-working and genuine, and thankfully these qualities have transferred well to Beautiful Curse.

Spike is on his usual form, his gravelled vocals still as endearing as the day they were born. On album opener, ‘Too Much Of A Good Thing’, he proves his worth as one of the country’s most lively of frontmen. Adorned in waistcoat and head scarf, there’s the look of David Essex underneath that Rod Stewart-styled rasp.

Spike is backed on the album by guitarists Guy Griffin (original member) and Paul Guerin (both Griffin and Guerin share bass duties too), honky tonk pianist and keyboard player Keith Weir and stand-in sticksman Simon Hanson. The result of these fine individuals getting together is that ‘Too Much Of A Good Thing’ is one of the best sleaze anthems this side of 1987; the track comes complete with an opening twang, a bluesy sway and a chorus that slips into the ears and stays there for a long, long time. It’s the sort of song – part-AC/DC, part-Faces – that, if released in the 80s, would have been a hit no doubt. Hard to believe that bands such as The Black Crowes and, to a lesser extent, Primal Scream have been churning this sort of stuff out with success and yet with less sincerity than Spike and company.

‘Chain Smokin’’ follows suit, beginning with a Rolling Stones-type of drooling guitar and, again, that AC/DC-inspired bluesy shake. Some would say that Beautiful Curse is already becoming predictable, but those of you who think this clearly don’t understand this type of rock ’n’ roll.

The Quireboys have always been a straight up rock ’n’ roll band combining blues, sleaze, soul and the likes, not to mention the obvious influences of some of Britain’s greatest bands. Expecting anything more seems absurd, especially when such a formula – when displayed correctly – works so well.

The ushered chorus of ‘Chain Smokin’’ is simply infectious. The number eventually melts into what sounds like a lighter version of The Who’s 1966 hit single ‘Substitute’, as a glistening, summery ‘Talk Of The Town’ floats in on the breeze. Again, it’s the usual tale of love as Spike barks, “She’s got heart, she’s got soul… yeah she’s my little rock ’n’ roll”. Yep, it’s nothin’ fancy, just an effective swagger, which drifts into the acoustic charm of ‘Mother Mary’. A mellow little number, ‘Mother Mary’ wouldn’t seem too out of place on an Oasis record with that whining guitar.

‘King Of Fools’ is basically what the band do best, kicking up a storm with that twanging guitar and honky tonk piano. Admittedly, the drums and bass are rather subdued, but for me though The Quireboys’ best tracks have always been written to be played onstage, because only then do they really come alive.

‘Homewreckers And Heartbreakers’ begins life with a funky guitar strut and Hammond groove, which adds a lil’ colour to proceedings. Spike’s vocals are at their most measured as they bleed into that punchy chorus, which features a smattering of the ivories. We’re then introduced to the drum shuffle and bubbly bass of ‘Diamonds And Dirty Stones’, a killer track that reeks of earthy soul.

However, the band really shine on the sun-blessed groove of the title track and the piano-lead ballad ‘Don’t Fight It’, a smouldering smoocher of a tune. Spike ponders another love lost, mourning “It’s another break-up morning and another sleepless night, when darkness comes-a-calling and the future don’t seem so bright”. Lyrically, it’s typical Quireboys, harking back to the glory days of ‘I Don’t Love You Anymore’ (1990).

Track ten is the barroom boogie of ‘For Crying Out Loud’, a real party anthem of piano and drunken guitar, followed by the reflective ‘Twenty Seven Years’ and album closer ‘I Died Laughing’, with its smooching organ and soulful croon. Critics will certainly point out the lack of drum punch throughout the opus, but hopefully real fans will turn this record up loud in preparation for the live shows.

The Quireboys have done it again; Beautiful Curse is another smokin’ rocker of a record that does exactly what it says on the tin, and for that you can’t blame them.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share