Now here’s a great surprise, Izzy Stradlin Pressure Drop, 12″ picture disc from 1992. Now I didn’t buy this one, just inherited it from my brother and my recollection of it from way back when was that it was pretty much a cover of the Clash cover version of ‘Pressure Drop’, the original of which is one of my fave songs ever, plus some other vaguely okay stuff. Wrong.
I need to declare an interest here before I go any further, Guns ‘n’ Roses were the last band I can remember where everyone I knew had a favourite member* – for every girl I ever knew it was Steven Adler, but mine was Izzy Stradlin. I always loved him for just being a million miles away from all that was 80’s hard rock and seemingly effortlessly channelling 30 years of the Stones and the Clash cool through every pore, hell it was even rumoured that he preferred to ride his Harley across the States between gigs rather than travelling on the tour bus. Depending on my mood ’14 Years’ can be my favourite GNR track. I wasn’t surprised at all when he left, he always seemed a little disconnected from all the hoop-la and at least they had the taste to replace him with another of my faves, Gilby Clarke
Despite all that I was busy having no money and using the little I had to explore other areas when Pressure Drop came out so I passed on it. It’s credited solely to Izzy Stradlin and so although the band were all in place, most notably Georgia satellite Rick Richards on guitar and Charlie Quintana on drums who’d played with Dylan at one point, no-one had called them the Ju-Ju Hounds yet.
First up is ‘Pressure Drop’ and I humbly beg the band’s pardon, this is a really great cover, punky as hell. A quick drum roll, then all the band come crashing in and head for the horizon as fast as they can. Izzy’s croaky Keith Richards-esque vocals just fit it all perfectly over the top of the speeding tune, singing with no hurry at all and then it all breaks down to a slow reggae groove around the two-minute mark and then it’s over and done in 2:40, far more Rancid than Clash if truth be known. It’s just a great mix of really great elements all dovetailing together and sounds like it was a hell of a lot of fun to make.
Next up is ‘Been A Fix’ a classy Stones/Georgia Satellites hybrid which struts in from the desert with the opening lines, ‘Got something to say, say it to my face / Stop fucking around, bringing me down’, which does the job fine for me. We aren’t exactly reinventing the wheel here, although I’m pretty sure the Stones played at the presentation when the first wheel was unveiled, but this is a terrifically well done homage. It has to be said that there is some really excellent guitar flickering all around the song towards the end.
‘Came Unglued’ is a faster-paced version of ‘Been A Fix’ and some nice guitar aside a bit undistinguished, proper B-side material. Last track ‘Can’t Hear Em’ is a different kind of beast entirely, featuring a flotilla of backing singers and the vocal talents of Jamaican toaster^ and Clash associate Mikey Dread AND side man extraordinaire Nicky Hopkins. What emerges is a surprisingly credible reggae track, a slow-burning loping beast, an awful lot better than most rockers dabblings in these waters and a pointer to some real versatility in Izzy’s bones.
Interestingly ‘Pressure Drop’ was the only track here to make it onto the Izzy Stradlin & The Ju-Ju Hounds album, which is a shame because ‘Been A Fix’ and ‘Can’t Hear Em’ would have improved it, at the expense of a couple of the less-inspired rockers on it^^.
A pleasantly surprisingly good despatch from before Izzy named his hounds. Izzy definitely Iz.
440 Down.
*Apart from the Spice Girls, maybe. I mean I love Godspeed You! Black Emporer but I’d struggle to tell you who my fave was**.
**okay, I lied, it’s the drummer who always wore a Dog Faced Hermans T-shirt and actually seemed to be enjoying himself while he played.
^not a device to brown your Pop tarts in Kingston.
^^the frankly awesome, @Shuffle It All’ notwithstanding.
I remember buying ‘Ju Ju Hounds’ because Rick Richards from the Georgia Satellites was on it. Still listen to that album. (I was going to skip this post. Glad I didn’t)
He was always my favourite member of GNR by far. I still quite want to be him.
Never listened to GNR but I like Izzie
Yup. Izzy was my favourite too. I actually wanted to be a rhythm guitarist cause of him. Not lead. No way.
My favourite album of his is 117° … I still listen to that regularly. Brilliant.
Never heard anything not on the 1st LP (bad syntax there, but you know what I mean).
I always respected the way he never seemed that arsed if it sold, or not, as long as he didn’t have to promote it.
Yeah. He’s got a bunch o’ fine albums that just appeared from nowhere. Heck, even the fan site has no idea stuff is released. Makes it pretty difficult to get hold of, right enough.
Not my cup of tea I’m afraid. But Louis Jordan sure is. Can we look forward to a companion piece?
Mwah-ha-ha!! I lured you in under false pretences. I don’t own any LJ on vinyl but I used to play my parents’ Saturday Night With Louis Jordan a lot, there was a track called Saturday Night Fish Fry I just loved.
I’m going to have to buy it, aren’t i?
Fraid so. But your life will be enriched as a result.
Choo Choo Ch’Boogie on!
Rethink: It was called ‘Halleluhjah! Louis Jordan’s Back!’, I think.
Also interesting they weren’t the Ju Ju Hounds yet!
I was really chuffed to notice that, I assumed they were always the Ju-Ju Hounds
Me too. So Pressure Drop must have come out before the album I guess? I have the single for Shuffle It All and’s credited to the Ju Ju Hounds too.
I WANT THAT SINGLE. I ripped all my Izzy to PC and I don’t have those B-sides.
Yours for $400.
Pressure Drop and Shuffle It all I love off that record!
Shuffle It is a stone cold classic. Wish I’d seen him on that tour.
I’m only a casual G’nR fan so I don’t have that much interest in Izzy’s solo material, but I had to stop by & give you kudos for a fantastic post title. Well-played, sir.
Thanks Rich, sorry if I lured you here under false pretences!
Nope, I knew what I was getting myself into. I just wanted to make sure you knew that your creativity did not go unnoticed.
Excellent choice of GNR member & track!
I hadn’t thought about the Keith Richards parallels but now that you’ve mentioned it, it’s all I see/hear.
I was pleased to play “14 years” as a class-starting/name that tune song of the day for my grade 12s in June last year (they sadly didn’t know the tune, what are they teaching in schools these days???) – a bit cheeky having the ’14 years of pain’ line of course, instead I was meaning to say with your 2 years of Kindergarten + 12 years of grade school, your 14 years of schooling are almost done!
Thank you – I think I actually want to be Izzy.
Cool! What a great song to use, but why on Earth didn’t you consider Back Off Bitch?
Get in the ring almost made it as well!
What a lesson that would have made. That bit where Axl names names is one of my all-time fave bits in music, period.
Priceless – I particularly like his closing argument of ‘all opposed?’
Great formal debating skills there.