Rebels Without Applause

The Sid Griffin/Coal Porters Fanzine Homepage

Welcome

News

Fanzine

Sid Griffin

Coal Porters

Western Electric

Discography

Long Ryders

Reviews

Lyrics

Photos

Links

Email

Whoah, Big Fella! The Coal Porters Live
(Cassette only, no catalogue number)
This cassette only release could easily be classed as the follow-up to Rebels Without Applause and is very similar to The Long Ryders' Metallic BO in it's arrangement. Bringing together 10 tracks recorded live in concert or in radio sessions during 1992 and 1993, it is more representative of The Coal Porters' sound than Rebels Without Applause, being a more recent recording.
 
Side One opens up with Sid introducing himself (several times!) before giving us a beautiful version of I Tell Her All The Time. Crackin' At The Seams sees Sid saying au revoir to California before coming to this country and contains the classic line "It's the right church baby, but you're sitting in my pew"! Everybody's Fault But Mine is another beautiful track showing the band's softer side and is followed by a storming version of Rhythm And Blue Angel before Side One climaxes with a cover of NRBQ's I Want You Bad - the hit that never was.
 
Side Two opens with a welcome airing of The Man Who Invented The Blues before Ivory Tower is performed: always a live favourite with fans and clearly Sid too, especially since the death of Gene Clark who sang backing vocals on the original. The Danny & Dusty song Song For The Dreamers is another popular one at concerts and will do as much as anything to make people dig out that Lost Weekend LP and play those songs again. The tape ends with two of my less favourite tracks, What Am I Doin' and It Happened To Me, but beggars can't be choosers and any Coal Porters material is always welcome. If the new album is on a par with the music and lyrics on Whoah, Big Fella! then we're in for a treat!

Back to Reviews Page

Back to Top 

This page last updated 05 October 2000