UK Subs – XXIV/Yellow Leader Reissues
UK Subs – XXIV/Yellow Leader Reissues
Captain Oi/Cherry Red Records
Release Date: XXIV10/06/2022
Yellow Leader08/07/2022
Running time: 38:00/ 52:00
Review by Alun Jones
XXIV:9/10
Yellow Leader: 8.5/10
Recap time: regular readers may remember that yours truly recently reviewed the re-issue of “Work in Progress” by punk veterans UK Subs. You may also recall that that album covered the letter W in the bands ongoing mission to release an album for every letter of the alphabet. Well, the good news is that Captain Oi/Cherry Red Records are also releasing the next two instalments in the series – that’s the letters X and Y (but you knew that).
Working through chronologically, we have “XXIV” – which the lovely record company peeps have released on drool-worthy double 10” vinyl, one green, one clear. Yummy. Our first song is an absolute belter: the full-on turbo romp ‘Implosion 77’. Hold on tight and buckle up! There’s plenty more fast’n’nasty thrills on offer too: ‘Speed’ has a merciless UK82 vibe; ‘Monkeys’ has a classic Subs singalong chorus; ‘Garden of Good & Evil’ is another pogo-till-your-pants-fall-off rocker.
There’s some well-placed variety too, with the harmonica adorned political thrust of ‘Coalition Government Blues’, and Bo Diddley swagger of ‘Wreckin’ Ball’ – both showing hints of the bands R’n’B origins (like as in, what R’n’B used to be). Lyrically there are plenty of targets for Charlie to attack, both politically and socially. ‘Memento Mori’ finishes the album off with one most aggressive tunes on offer, leaving us with a great album of 14 adrenaline infused songs.
“Yellow Leader” follows in a similar fashion, featuring 18 songs (whereas the original vinyl was cut to just 14 due to running times). To be released on slinky, divine double 10” vinyl (one red, one turquoise here), it’ll be a feast for the eyes and ears. Again, the album is crammed with more relentless Punk Rock shenanigans like ‘Sick Velveteen’, ‘Chemical’ and ‘Heathens’, all of which will have you jumping around the room like a monkey on a lava stream.
As with the previous record, there’s plenty of other sounds and ideas here. The single ‘Sin City Blues’ has a killer rockabilly feel, and ‘Rebellion Song’ breaks out the acoustic guitar. The only mis-step is ‘Archaeology’, a strange Post -Punk/ Goth style experiment that, while not awful, isn’t a total success. All in all, the quality of music is impressively high and the recordings sound excellent.
And there you go, music lovers! Not one, but TWO albums of mighty UK Subs songs, lovingly compiled and curated by those nice folks at Captain Oi/Cherry Red Records. You lucky people. Pick ‘em up while you can, nobody is this fortunate twice.
TRACKLISTING:
XXIV:
01. Implosion 77
02. Coalition Government Blues
03. Speed
04. Rabid
05. Monkeys
06. Black Power Salute
07. Las Vegas Wedding
08. Stare At The Sun
09. Garden Of Good And Evil
10. Workers Revolution
11. Wreckin’ Ball
12. Detox
13. Failed State
14. Momento Mori
15. Workers Beer Company
Yellow Leader:
01. Sick Velveteen
02. Artificial
03. Bordeaux Red
04. Chemical
05. Deconstruct
06. Diatribe
07. Feed The Whore
08. Heathens
09. Prime Evil
10. Rebellion Song
11. Sin City Blues
12. Slave
13. Big Bug
14. Suicidal Girl
15. Virus
16. Cry Wolf
17. Archaeology
18. 611
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Alun Jones and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
