Spike: 100% Frankie Miller

Safe in the knowledge that out of their own band the majority of The Quireboys have released some of their best music by recreating Mott The Hoople (and related) classics alongside Joe Elliott in the Down N' Outz, I approached Spike's tribute to the one and only Frankie Miller in the same frame of mind. The basis of the idea is simple, take a collection of previously unrecorded Frankie Miller originals, gather together a cast of Rock's elite…

Ronnie Wood, Andy Fraser, Bonnie Tyler, Simon Kirke, Ian Hunter, Luke Morley, Guy Griffin, Keith Weir, Paul Guerin, Tyla, Chris Corney, Mark Stanway, Mick Roobotham, Matt Goom, Pat McManus, Lorraine Crosby, Stuart Emerson, Cherry Lee Mewis, Simon Hanson and Jimi The Piper.

…and cast an authentic spell over twelve tracks which belong to a golden age of Rock n' Roll that now seems long gone and savour the results.

It sounds simple and with great credit to Spike, his Quireboy buddies and the assembled throng of Rock royalty, the end results confirm it as such, a grace, beauty and ease of pace that so much music seems to lack these days locked down by simple arrangements and stunning performances.

I'd go as far as to suggest that this is the best thing Spike has put his name to, with opener "The Brooklyn Bridge" a crawling slither of lithe sultriness, while "Intensive Care", which carries a certain precognitive melancholy, given that it was written before the brain haemorrhage which left Miller in a coma for a prolonged time almost two decades ago and cut short his stunning singing career, has a Faces swagger which under their own steam The Quireboys could only dream of. Bonnie Tyler's appearance for the gloriously rasping duet with Spike on "Fortune" is a genuine highlight and "Cold, Cold Nights" a well pitched Country tinged stroll of real quality.

100% Frankie Miller arrives with the full backing of Miller himself and it has to be said that Spike and the many guests on this album have done him proud. If you're looking for a window into the authentic Rock n' Roll of yesteryear, which tugs at the heartstrings while raising the spirits, then pop on this album and raise a class to Frankie.

Track Listing
1. The Brooklyn Bridge
2. Cocaine
3. I'm Losing You
4. Intensive Care
5. Fortune
6. Amsterdam Woman
7. Other Side of Town
8. Cheap Hotel
9. Cold, Cold Nights
10. Did You Ever Wanna Go Home
11. Keepin' It All For You
12. Bottle of Whisky

Added: September 27th 2014
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: The Quireboys online
Hits: 1652
Language: english

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