jim jones revue

You really don’t want to read another review masquerading as a song-by-song description of an album you’ve never heard? Good. You’re not going to get one.

Drop your preconceptions, too, if you’re a fan of the late great Jim Jones Revue.They’ve been dead and buried for close on three years. His other bands, Black Moses and Thee Hypnotics, have been decomposing in their graves for much longer than that. 

Tell me, was the Jim Jones Revue one of the highlights of the Big Day Out (2011) or fucking what? They were utterly on fire, all Jerry Lee and compressed brutality … I thought the majors would scoop them up and take them to war …

Well… almost. The band broke up after years of battle, but Jones, retaining Gavin Jay on bass, picked up Joe Glossop on keyboard, Phil Martini on drums and David Page on pedal steel and theremin … why?

Well, when the main songwriter is … I think “trangressing” might be appropriate here rather than “progressing”… from one place to another, it’s not fair on the band he’s gathered to try to shove them down a hole they don’t want to go. If you thought JJR were shit hot, wait’ll ya get a load of this stinky skanky beast.

The UK’s most rocking outfit, Jim Jones revue, has announced a farewell tour before a planned October break-up. Seven years, three studio albums and a compilation of their singles will culminate in a sweep through France, Spain and Amsterdam before a lap of honour of the UK that winds up at The Forum in London on October 4.

Why? is anyone’s guess as the band isn’t going into detail. Here’s their last single “Where Da Money Go?”, from the 2012 album "Savage Grace", to see them out.

Forget critical analysis, I am biased towards this CD, okay there you have it! Hear me out on this one, I'll make no bones about it, Jim Jones body of work has always remained a constant on my compact disc player. I love the guy's music. After all, the singer / songwriter has distilled classic influences (Stones, NY Dolls, Stooges/Pop, 60-70s funk/soul), in the process added his own palette of color and created a body of work that is exciting and rewarding.

If you didn't think they were the genuine deal, "The Savage Heart" puts it beyond doubt. The savagery's one aspect, the swing's the real thing. In nine songs, The Jim Jones Revue unleashes energy to fuel a thousand lights.

Seminal English harbingers of the ‘90s garage rock revival, Thee Hypnotics, are reforming for album rte-issues and live dates. A heavyweight vinyl anthology, including rare and unreleased material, is due out via Beggars Arkive, with an accompanying tour of France and the UK ovwr March and April.

Taking their cues from the Detroit militancy of The MC5, the corrupting output of The Stooges and the gospel according to The Cramps, Thee Hypnotics’ devastating brand of rock’n’roll was propelled by near punishing decibel levels and a fervour bordering on the evangelical.

They recorded three studio records and one live album between 1987 and 1999 and were considered highly influential in Europe and the USA. Past members include original drummer Mark Thompson, the late Craig Pike and bassist Adam Sharam.