Ditch Boys – “Sabotage”
Ditch Boys play a style of punk, that was occurring as it was first just happening or actually, right before.
This was a time when rock got a little more rockin’, cut out all the flab and excess and had down to earth lyrics that were sensical, rough and city based.
The bands created music with the wildness of Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis instead of the ponderous, lifeless crap of the hippies such as Yes, Greatful Dead and Crosby, Stills and Nash.
Ditch Boys might seem tame to some heavy hardcore ears, but for me they hit hard and strong with a beat that swings and is driven, guitars that growl and wail like an alley cat in heat. And vocals that plead and prance much like Mick Jagger, David Johansen and Michael Hutchinson have.
Sabotage means to “deliberately destroy, damage or obstruct something,” and that sounds pretty punk to me.
And I like how this band does not try to fit in with current trends, and is one of the most unique sounding bands I write about, plus everything from the performance, recording and writing is top-notch.
I’ve got a pretty good imagination but I can’t imagine I’ll review many more releases this year that will be as good as this.
Let’s check it out:
Rather than being a wonderful cover of a Michael Jackson song as I’d hoped it to be, “I’m Bad” is a tune I can picture Elvis Presley singing to Ann Margaret in a race car during one of his Academy Award winning pictures. “I’m going down and it’s a nose dive, baby. The winds blowing and the plane’s going crazy.” I guess it’s the “uh-huh” at the end of lines that make me think of the King Of Rock’N’Roll. “‘Cause I’m bad but you know I’m looking so good,” that’s answered by a neat falsetto “Wooh-wooh-wooh!” This song is equal parts glam and proto-punk and rips hard with an attitude that is frolicking, flippant and fun. “‘m in a bathtub and I’m fully clothed…And I’m laughing. Yeah, I’m cracking up.” This song is so wild, wanton and wonderful. You may be bad, but I know that really means good. But you’re nowhere as bad/good as this song.
“Come on baby now, hold me tight. I’ll lead you out into the middle of the night. Lovin’ you is like a roller coaster…Oh, no you got me asking for more… I’m your saboteur.” Which is both the name of this song and, almost, the name of this EP. It has a great, slammin’ beat that’s adorned with a cool, guitar lick. That’s similar to my favorite AC/DC song “What’s Next To The Moon.” But that’s okay, that’s a great reference and the chorus suggests lewd couplings answered by high-pitched tongues licking points of pleasure. Which is another great reference, indeed. This tune is strong, salacious and sexy. And sounds- satisfyingly superb.
“Tough Break” breaks out with a real, rock solid beat and guitar lick that makes me think of “Search & Destroy” by Iggy & The Stooges. It also sounds like it could be a collaboration between Richard Hell and Johnny Thunders. “It’s who you know, not what you say…The zip code’s got them sounding alarm…It’s a tough break kid, you weren’t made for the privileged world.” Some cool falsetto “woohs” swoop in on the chorus like some mad crazed birds, all New York Dolls like. “It doesn’t matter what you say, they’ll never love you anyway.” Yeah, the corporate world doesn’t want us but should we want them, anyway? For me, to be writing about songs and bands like the Ditch Boys- Well, that the best break I ever got!
“Blood in the streets of the town of New Haven”- from The Doors song “Peace Frog.”
Jim Morrison was backstage before a show in New Haven, Connecticut making out with a girl in a shower stall. A cop walked in on them and ended up pepper straying Morrison.
When The Doors started their set, soon into it, Jim went into a long rap about what had transpired before the show. The police then arrested him, onstage, and a small riot ensued.
I tend to think of Connecticut as a rich, uneventful place. I’ve heard it referred to as “a suburb of New York City”.
But recently, a young fellow from where I work, Jordan, informed me that there are several bad parts of that state- and New Haven was stated as one of them.
Two of my favorite bands are from their- The Lost Riots and The Ratz, and Ditch Boys are from there, as well. I wanna include them, too.
This EP is fun and sexy and kicks ass, which is my definition of rock’n’roll.
The first song on this recording is called “I’m Bad.” And as I stated before “bad” means “good”. James Brown was super bad!
But I don’t want to call this release either good or bad.
I’ll stick with great.
(Slimedog)
