Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
There is no such thing as an overnight success…not if they are worth anything of true value and not if they have come through everything the world can throw at them and still shrug their shoulders and smile with a glint in their eye and a mischievous song in their heart. For nearly 30 years that sense of beautiful mischief, the sense of wanting to impart some sort of musical heritage onto their fans has seen The Lennerockers celebrate the release of 14 albums and now their 15th studio recording, the superb Rustin’ and Rollin’, will surely have the fans clambering over each other to be taken in hand once again.
The thrill of their music certainly is captivating, it knocks at the door of foot taping spectacular and grins as it watches the country style infectious beat just show who is boss. There really can be only one winner after all.
The album title alludes to the band starting to perhaps feel their 30 years as supplying great tunes to the masses but judging by the knock out tracks that have been placed on the C.D. for all to listen to, the thought of The Lennerockers rusting away silently, unloved, untouched and starting to crack under the merciless heat of musical introspection is as far from the truth as you are possibly able to find. When a band shows to the world that they are still having enormous fun in what they do, in the songs they produce, then how can they be corroding away?
From the opening of the album, the very cool Try Hard, Dig Deep, Break Through, shows this enjoyment to its fullest, almost unbreakable stance. A declaration is made, is unfurled like the proudest flag which flutters strong against the mightiest wind, that these songs will have the fans understanding that their music is made to last and be appreciated fully. Whether it is the superb Freckles, the attention grabbing Detroit By Dusk in which the taste of motor oil sits upon the tongue and images of that city filter through, to the balmy brilliance of the finale in Pullman City Mud and Crazy f****n’ Rocker, all songs are equally a testament to letting the music talk for you. The music after all is what it is all about.
After nearly 30 years there are those who start to slow down, life weighs heavy upon their shoulders, not The Lennerockers, certainly not by how good this 15th album Rustin’ and Rollin’ is.
Ian D. Hall