My second installation in an occasional series where I link two albums by two different artists that just go together well.
Izzy Stradklin' & The Ju Ju Hounds - Eponymous [1992] | Steve Conte & The Crazy Truth - Eponymous [2010]
I'll start with the older of the 2 albums on offer here, the eponymous début by Izzy Stradlin & The Ju Ju Hounds. After Izzy left Guns N' Roses, he formed the JJH as an outlet for the more classical blues rock based songs he had been writing that didn't fit in his previous band. The album was recorded by the band comprising of erstwhile Georgia Satellite Rick Richards on guitar, future Buckcherry member Jimmy Ashhurst on bass and drummer Charlie Quintana from Plugz; and released in October 1992, less than a year after Stradlin left GNR. Pretty obvious to say that I came to this album because of Stradlin's work in GNR, and more specifically his 3 'solo' songs on the Use Your Illusion albums - "14 Years", "Double Talkin' Jive" and "Dust N' Bones" - all of which being favourites of mine. His solo album follows those in a similar path, it's a very simple rock album that harks back to the sounds of the Rolling Stones, vintage Aerosmith and The Faces - it comes as no surprise that Izzy gets Faces guitarist Ronnie Wood to write and play on a track on this album. Also included is a homage to 2 more of Stradlin's roots in one song. "Pressure Drop" was originally recorded by Toots & The Maytalls and is considered to be a roots reggae classic. It was, however covered by The Clash, another band who's spirit looms large over Stradlin's work.
The guitar and organ driven first single "Shuffle It All" with it's soulful vibe and sorrowful lyrics is one of the standout tracks and gives the album a real focus point. An album split between straight up rockers ("Somebody Knockin'", "Train Tracks", and "Take A Look At That Guy" with Wood) and more mellow ballads ("Time Gone By", "Come On Now Inside"), it doesn't break any moulds or push any boundaries, but what it does do is prove that Stradlin is more than accomplished in penning an opus of good ol' classic rock as well as the next man...
...especially if the next man is Steve Conte. Conte is most well known for being the man that had the unenviable task to being the "new" Johnny Thunders in the reformed New York Dolls, and more recently of being one of the twin guitar attack (alongside Ginger of The Wildhearts) in ex-Hanoi Rocks front-man Michael Monroe's solo band. So, he must have something about him them. I first came across Conte and his music via the 'Dolls appearance on the TV show 'Later... with Jools Holland' on which they played new song "Cause I Sez So" and the classic "Trash". Conte was, and I know this sounds sad, a freakin' cool looking guitarist on that show and I made note of him when I obtained the 'Dolls latest album. A week or so later I think, one of his tweets on Twitter was re-tweeted by previously mentioned Ginger (who I followed) and I picked up on the name and followed Steve. This album, the debut from his power trio The Crazy Truth is not the first Steve Conte album - he has released albums under various names with various people such as The Contes (with his brother John) and Company of Wolves. Like Stradlin's album, this is a showcase for Steve's song-writing, singing and guitar playing. Kicking off with the classic formula of an upbeat rocker in "This Is The End", the album is a combo of blues licks, punk kicks and glam flicks.
A very New York album, there are hints of the city's famous sons littered all over the album. The swagger and sneer of the Ramones on "Junk Planet" to the 'Dolls pouting campness on "Strumpet-hearted Monkey Girl" (which, incidently wins the battle for most awesome song title), the album is as much a homage to NYC as it is to rock n' roll. A nice addition to the normal guitar/bass/drums formula is the inclusion of sax on most songs, giving them a more bluesy, sleazy edge. The albums highlight for me is "The Truth Aint Pretty", a near perfect classic rock track if ever there was one.
So, why do these work so well together then? Well, just like the last installation of the series [The Distillers | Sorry & The Sinatras], both albums try to capture a period of music that is a golden age to the songwriters. Both Stradlin and Conte have made albums that would not seem out of place if they had been released in the middle to latter half of the seventies, anachronisms aside. Both albums give off a feel of good times, decadent rock n roll party and also that hazy next-day feeling that comes with it.
Check them both out: Izzy Stradlin & The Ju Ju Hounds on Spotify | Steve Conte & The Crazy Truth on Spotify
