Sean Tyla’s archetypal British bar band fell victim both to the punk explosion of 1977, which swept away a generation of long-haired hangers-on, and a fall out with their Californian label Beserkley.
This, their famously lost third album, has been rescued by labelmate Gary Philips of Copperhead fame, and features a pretty fair approximation of their sound, heavily influenced as it was by garage icons The Flamin’ Groovies.
Former Charlatan oddball Darrell DeVore’s grouchy Styrofoam, and stage favourites like Dust On The Needle and the pub anthem Out On The Run, have got a certain throwback charm, while there is also a live set recorded, appropriately in a wine cellar in France, to remind old-timers of the Gang’s full-tilt amphetamine-soaked boogie prowess. Rock on.
