Rock Archeologia

The Forty-Fives - Fight Dirty (2003)

Artist: The Forty-Fives
Album: Fight Dirty
Label: Yep Roc Records
Catalog#: 2039
Released: Jan. 1, 2003
Country: US
Genre: Pop/Rock, Garage Rock, Psychedelic
Format: FLAC (track+.cue)
Cover: PNG, 300 dpi (Booklet)
Duration: 00:38:28

• While I don't subscribe to the Rolling Stone magazine theory that bands like The Hives, The Strokes, White Stripes et. al. are "the saviors of rock and roll," I do subscribe to the theory that this basic, amped-up, hell-for-leather modern garage rock genre is a lot more fun to listen to than the blathering pretentiousness of bands like Nickel Back and all that ilk that seem to dominate the MTV airwaves of late. As much about attitude and sweat as about virtuosity and musical prowess, Fight Dirty will undoubtedly cause an epidemic of tennis elbow among avid practitioners of the fine art of air guitar.
• The band's formula is simple: a mix of snarling guitar riffs, a funky organist who runs his fingers across the keys faster than a mouse on skates, and a rhythm section whose primary goal in life seems to be to make dancers sweat. There are no pretensions of "deep thoughts" on these songs devoted to the core curriculum of rock -- girls, love, sex, and rock and roll ("Trying to Get Next to You," "Lost Track of You," "My Kind of Girl"). They are all manic, barely-under-control, blow-your-hair-back sonic excursions. Stylistically the music owes its soul to Beatles era, pre-psychedilic '60s party records (for some reason, the Electric Prunes leap to mind, and torrid songs like "Lies" by The Knickerbockers or "Kicks" by Paul Revere and The Raiders). There is punk attitude, but the vibe is all garage band, conjuring up visions of mini-skirts and go-go booted dancers in cages. Fly-eyed sunglasses are a must at this heads bobbing, hair flying Frug-fest.
• Although these rockers hail from Atlanta, they also have a lot of Motor City muscle in their sound, like Iggy Pop running head on into Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. The band's secret weapon is the keyboard work of Trey Tidwell. This isn't the slinky groove of "96 Tears" or Augie Meyer's mild Farfisa from the Quintet, this is heavy-handed energetic key flurries, what Little Richard or Jerry Lee might've accomplished had their weapon of choice been the organ rather than piano. With guitarist Bryan Malone's constant riffing complemented by Tidwell's two-handed fill-the-holes keyboard funk, these tracks never stray far from the basic groove.
• Producer Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids has an obvious affinity for these thick, oozing rock grooves, and his production values are huge sound, minimal distraction. It's a formula that seems perfect for the raw energy of The Forty-Fives. - William Michael Smith (www.yeproc.com)

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 • Tracklist:

01. Trying to Get Next to You 03:56
02. Out of My Mind 02:40
03. Lost Track of You 01:43
04. Follow Me Down 03:03
05. Hideout 03:02
06. What a Way to Go 03:17
07. The Devil Beats His Wife 02:00
08. Midnight Creep 04:04
09. My Kind of Girl 03:14
10. Hanging by a Thread 03:03
11. Great Escape 04:08
12. Never Gonna Leave Here 04:18

 

Members:
Bryan Malone - Guitar, Vocals
Mark McMurtry - Bass, Vocals (Background)
Adam Renshaw - Drums, Vocals (Background)
Trey Tidwell - Keyboards  

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