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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This is the real glam/punk revival, 12 Jul 2004
Being in your mid-40s has its advantages. For most musical styles you can say "Been there, listened to that, went to the gig." You can really say that with Pink Grease's debut album, but that's no bad thing. I was a teenager in the early 70s when glam rock was happening and, like many of my contemporaries who were bored with the prevalent west-coasty folk-rock of the time, embraced first glam and, in turn, its bastard child, punk. Pink Grease's roots are in that 71-79 period from the beginning of glam to the end of the first wave of punk with a little bit of modern blues thrown in for good measure.Anyhow, This Is For Real is a good listen. I'm hearing The Glitterband (especially the drums and the occasional sax), The Cramps, Mott The Hoople, XTC, Iggy Pop, New York Dolls, Big Star, just a hint of various aspects the 75/76 CBGBs crowd, a bit of Devo, a snatch of The John Butler Trio and The White Stripes and lots more influences that I can't quite put my finger on, but they're all familiar and they're all fine. These guys have taken all the best aspects of good time rock and blended them all together to create their own unique sound. Hand-claps, weird synthy sounds, all over a rockin' beat and what sounds like a healthy sense of humour. Makes The Darkness look like a heavy metal band (derrrr), makes The Strokes sound tired and, like English bands are often wont to do, gives American rivals the Scissor Sisters a run for their money. For oldie like me it's a nice trip down memory lane to a time when rock was fun (sorry Elton). How exciting it would be to be a 15 year old now with the glam revival in full swing. If you only buy one glam revival album this year, you couldn't go far wrong with Pink Grease. Shadoobee!
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