This is all wrapped up in a crunching mix of duel guitar fury, supplied by Mike Gibson and the newest Godfather member, Chris Burrows. Burrows (ex-President of Explosion) replaced longtime member Kris Dollimore, who left in the winter of 1989. Burrows fit so well in the classically arranged rock format of The Godfathers (two guitarists, singer, drummer and bassist) that he was only in the band 10 days before he toured with them. The group is rounded out by drummer George Mazur and bassist Chris Coyne, brother of vocalist Peter Coyne.
The Godfathers were formed by the Coyne brothers in South London out of the ashes of their previous band, the Sid Presley Experience. After hooking up with Dollimore, Gibson and Mazur - and after facing legal difficulties for the name The Sid Presley Experience - The Godfathers were born. The group's first release, a three track 12-inch EP, "Capo Di Tutti Capi," was released in 1985. In 1986, The godfathers had three Top Ten singles on the UK independent charts. By the end of 1986, The Godfathers' "Hit By Hit," a compilation of UK singles and B-sides, was released.
The Godfathers' Epic debut album "Birth, School, Work, Death," released in 1988, was produced by Vic Maile whose career began in the mid-sixties as an engineer for the Small Faces, The Kinks, The Who and Creation. The title song became a No. 1 college radio hit and this was followed by 1989 album "More Songs About Love and Hate." Although "Unreal World" offers nothing new for Godfathers' fans, it continues to offer loudness without being noisy, engaging melodies without being flimsy and, most of all, gritty rock 'n' roll without taking shortcuts.
The title track and the first single "Unreal World" tries to be the album's equivalent of the college radio favorite "Birth, School, Work, Death." Coyne (from this moment on, referring to singer Peter Coyne) sings the lyrics with the same kind of rhythm scheme as "Birth, School, Work, Death." The song begins with some backward masked chants that wash away to crunching guitar riffs. Coyne's biting commentary about his native London, from its homeless to its hunger, is sung sharply with a pulsating pace. The "Unreal World" that The Godfathers sing about is not unreal at all. Its just an unnerving catalog of modern horror.
Coyne sings with a slow-paced, breathy voice on "Don't Let Me Down." His engaging, rockin' voice successfully rises above the thrashing guitar mix, as if doing battle with the accompanied rhythms. The chorus comes with a sense of urgency, further accented by trembling guitars and pounding drums. The album's only cover "How Does it Feel )To Feel)," originally done by the forgotten Mod band Creation, is complete with Coyne's anxiety-filled vocals and vibrating drums and guiatrs. Coyne asks a series of questions, which are left unanswered, fueled with anger and hostility.
The closest The Godfathers come to resembling The Kinks is on the track entitled "King of Misery." On this track, Coyne's delivery resembles Ray Davis in his intelligence and hostile playfulness. The song's crunch comes from the '60s' chord progression and the biting cynicism of the lyrics. Coyne successfully sings of his anger, whether toward a personal vice, close friend or political leader. "Believe in Yourself" is more carefree and romantic than anything else of the album but rest assured, the song never loses its edge. Although the song is far from being a standout, Coyne shows how easily he can shift gears from the angry rocker to the hopeless romantic.
The song "I'll Never Forget What's His Name," which gets ts name from a popular English film of the mid-'60s, is The Godfathers' attack on everyone they never liked in the music business. And what a fiery and mean-spirited attack it is. The song begins with a moody bass line and continues with a dual guitar assault. You can almost taste the venom as Coyne gives a harsh send-off to "here today/gone tomorrow" music types. A catchy bass line, spirited guitar riffs and pounding drums creates the accompaniment to the biting "Drag Me Down." Coyne convincingly sings, with a raspy, passionate voice, of a lover that doesn't deserve love.
On the offbeat "Something Good About You," Coyne searches for something good in his lover but finds only an endless inventory of negatives. Even though he explains that she doesn't show affection, has a devil on her shoulder and never listened to her mother, Coyne still can't help loving her. His search to find some good is accompanied through accelerated guitar rhythms and pounding drums. It's the perfect combination of spite and rock. Not unlike The Replacements, the song makes you want to shake your head, snap your fingers and stomp your feet.
Introduced with excessive feedback, the psychedelic "I Love What's Happening to Me" sounds like a vivid account of a '60s acid trip. In the song, guitars and bass notes vibrate as drums pound away. This electrical romp is further realized through the carefree swing-sway development of the lyrics. The song, complete with psychedelic "Ohhh" for background vocals, has images of falling and floating, laughing and crying. The closing track "This Is War" come in like a runaway locomotive with its fiery guitar wash and pounding drum beat. The song becomes a powerful protest with out being riddled with political syntex.
While similarities to such vintage groups as the early Stones
and
Kinks still arise, The Godfathers can easily convince anyone that
its
lifeblood is rock 'n' roll. The band has a refreshing rawness
lost
in many of today's bands, even though the sound is many ways is a
throwback. There are times you feel the band can spit fire.