The Vibrators - Past, Present And Into The Future (2017)

1 	Loose Change 	
2 	Rock 'N' Roll Rescue 	
3 	A Life Lived Badly 	
4 	Dark Star 	
5 	Strangers Never (Friends Forever) 	
6 	Just Another Day 	
7 	Dirty Games 	
8 	Wild Cheetah 	
9 	Wrapped Cat 	
10 	You're The Prize 	
11 	Hand Of Mercy 	
12 	Keep On Telling Me Lies 	
13 	Please Mr. Cancer 	
14 	Sweet Trouble 	
15 	Public Enemy 	
16 	Stiff Little Fingers

Vocals - Everybody
Guitars - John, Darrell, Knox
Basses - Gary, Pete
Percussion - Eddie, Gary

This album was recorded with past and present members of The Vibrators.

This was a turn up for the books: a brand new Vibrators album featuring seven members of the band - hence the title. Knox sounds in great shape vocally and the songwriting is of the expected very high standard, as is the exceptional playing a given.

Half a dozen Knox-penned tunes plus a couple from MR Bath are always going to raise the bar round here.

Kicking off proceedings with 'Loose Change', it's repetitive riff that rolls on gathering no moss as Knox's distinctive voice part talks / part sings the thought provoking words: yet all I can think of is how underrated as a band they are. No matter who's currently sailing round the toilet circuit in the good ship Vibrators, they have a canon of songs that would put many a more successful band to shame.

'Rock N Roll Rescue' - sharing the same name as the Camden shop that Knox co-founded - is a vibrant little ditty with a really raw caustic guitar riff that is swirling round a solid back beat, before ripping out a great little solo before the handclaps lead us back into the song: a great start for sure.

The sound is really vibrant and the guitars are raw as, whilst the drums are crisp, the band knock out a bluesy shuffle in 'A Life Badly Lived' that sounds London (if there's such a thing): it sounds born from the capital and its suburbs, with a bit of Dr Feelgood and Small Faces in its DNA. 'Dark Star' starts with some prog stabs before the bass glugs hard and the catchy ditty is up and running with some great guitar work - and I breathe a sigh of relief as I don't have to invest in a safety pinned prog cape - phew!

'Strangers Never' is vibrant and sprightly, as is the riffy 'Just Another Day', as it picks the listener up and kicks back on the verses, then builds towards the chorus. Possibly the finest few minutes of the first half of the record.

'Dirty Games' sounds like it should, with a big brash sound and a solid pace on the rhythm, and some suitably dirty guitar soloing. At the halfway stage, the band turn up the rock for 'Wild Cheetah', whilst 'Wrapped Cat' gets its hepcat on and swings and jives like a stray cat.

The album has a jewel in its crown - and that jewel is called 'You're The Prize'. A laid back number with some exquisite guitar playing that has Mr Bath all over it (I stand to be corrected), it's a superb song from top to bottom as it meanders along to the gang vocal that take this home - simply brilliant!

'Hand Of Mercy' see's Mr Bath step up to the mic for another great tune. With 14 songs crammed into this album, it ebbs and flows really well and offers fans old and new a really solid record that doesn't drop its standards as it goes on; if anything, it gets stronger as we get deeper into the second half.

Eddie, Darrell, Pete, and the V2 version of the band Knox, John and Gary, have captured some magic round at Pat Collier’s studio on this unique record that pulls off the unbelievable feat featuring all seven members collaborating throughout to release. This album, worthy of the band’s name, is a triumph in quality and craftsmanship and proof that seven heads are better than three or four even. Past, present and future, the Vibrators are still doing it and doing it exceedingly well. A really strong album that deserves to be heard! ---Dom Daley, uberrock.co.uk

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