New Releases

Scots Pirates, Revolutionary Means, Schoolkids' Records 

  It's easy to make mediocre rock music: an electric guitar, an electric bass, a massive drum kit, pedestrian lyrics, a muddy production, and an element of musical bravura. Great rock music requires much more. Not to claim that every cut on Scots Pirates' new CD Revolutionary Means is a rock masterpiece, but every cut on this recording does contain elements found in great rock music. 

  First, great rock music is a sound--a combination of instrumentation and production. It requires a screaming electric guitar, a booming amplified bass guitar, and a ringing drum kit. It is the sound of electricity that defines the energy, power and aural quality so important to the genre. 

  Besides exceptional musicianship, great rock music also depends on the ensemble working as a unit, understanding both the abilities of the bandmates and the aesthetic they are trying to achieve. It is this unified vision and understanding that separates the great rock groups and their music from the mediocre. For instance, Led Zeppelin's rock music is more than guitarist-extraordinaire Jimmy Page. The power and definitive mastery of their music is equally due to their brilliant drummer John Bonham and the superlative bassist John Paul Jones. Similarly R.E.M.'s rock music is memorable not because of Michaels Stipe's singing or lyrics but because of the way the group works together on the music. Likewise, Bruce Springsteen's work has never been as strong as when he worked with the masterful rock ensemble, the E-Street Band. There the band augmented his musical vision with the aural power of rock. And contrary to some critics' assertions, much of the chemistry of the Rolling Stones' sound is gone with the absence of bassist Bill Wyman.

  Great rock music also needs to say something both lyrically and musically. It has to make a statement--be it through musicianship, energy, and drive; a musical hook; an inspired lyrical phrase; or an attitude that challenges the listener--which transcends the hackneyed. And no matter how the statement is made, great rock music must use thundering power chords, searing guitar wails, heavy rhythmic bass lines, and bone-crunching drumming. Great rock music must be electric. 

  From the opening of Revolutionary Means - the electric feedback-laden wah-wah guitar licks on the first cut, 88, through the ethereal siren-guitar squeals found on Flawed Diamonds, it is clear that this ensemble understands the defining element of rock music. From the ensemble's tightness, it is likewise clear that Gary Rasmussen on bass; Scott Asheton and Johnny Arizona on drums; Scott Morgan, Bobby East and Mike Katon on guitar; and Kathy Deschaine on vocals; understand the necessity of a sense of camaraderie and single vision a great rock band must have. 

  Stylistically, each song on this album seems have a musical antecedent. Not to call them derivative, but some tunes do have the similar guitar harmonies found in many of the great southern rock ensembles of the early seventies, e.g., The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Some songs have hooks like those found in the late '60s British groups Traffic and Ten Years After. You'll hear more than one passing musical reference to Jimi Hendrix on virtually every cut. But this album is by no means a throw-back. On the contrary, the energy, power and drive found on the up-tempo Stick to Your Guns and Lover's Leap put Scots Pirates in a class by themselves. Scots Pirates make great rock music.

  A real strength of Revolutionary Means is the audio production. This recording is a sonic gem. The vocals are clear and distinct, the guitars are evenly balanced, the bass line is succinct and the drums are centered perfectly. Scott Morgan and Gary Rasmussen seem to understand the point of exceptional audio production-- to present the music as uncluttered as possible. 

  Each time I listen to this recording it gets stronger. Upon one listen the drumming of Scott Asheton and Johnny Arizona dominates, the next time its the contrapuntal work of bassist Gary Rasmussen, or the soaring harmony of Kathy Deschaine. This recording is a real joy. I recommend it wholeheartedly.