ELECTRacoustic Vol 3 continues Ruts DC collection of acoustic and stripped back versions of the bands catalogue, sounding a lot like the acoustic sets they often play live as the long-time line-up of Dave Ruffy, Segs Jennings and Leigh Heggarty.
The album opens with Vox Teardrop a very cool song about one of the coolest looking guitars, although the song is more about another relationship hitting the rocks, with nice laid-back percussion from Dave Ruffy the guitars really chime, they try to find out where it all went wrong.
Dope For Guns is one of those songs we all wish had ceased to be relevant, but of course as long as there is a drugs trade, then they will be swapped for guns, the acoustic guitars have some good spacey parts that chime nicely with Segs singing Dope For Guns.
Formula Eyes is as much in demand as an acoustic classic as the full-on band versions, this stripped back version allows the lyrics to really hit home, you never want to see those hateful Formula Eyes staring down on you, especially after the searing guitar solo.
Too Much has a nice laid-back edge as they sit back watching you smoke your Virginia Plains nicely referencing Roxy Music while having a more country rock edge.
Secret Soldiers are lying in wait for when the government falls and we all descend into anarchy, something we managed avoid while getting rid of the Tories on this albums release date, here's hoping the USA manages the same as things have got properly stirred up, the decay this song predicts is very close to the mark now, like when it was originally written in 1980.
Pretty Lunatics is played as a hushed folk song, worried about all the Pretty Lunatics in charge, so stand tall and fight against the madness.
Jah Wars is striped to the bones dub version of this stone-cold classic, hopefully we can escape having too much tear gas floating through the air, but the oppression is still far too prevalent, so enjoy the laid-back vibe, but be ready for action to make sure no one ever gets treated like Clarence Baker by the police ever again.
Tears On Fire has a nice shuffle going on while feeling angsty for what's been going on. Bound In Blood is the only new song on the album, pledging that they bond Segs and Ruffy has is and forever will be Bound In Blood despite anything that may have happened along the way, Leigh Heggarty's guitar goes all western in places.
Human Punk almost has a soulboy disco edge to the acoustic guitar playing as Segs vocals have all sorts of echo added staying closer to the original version, but they add loads of cool touches including Leigh's electric solo.
Whatever We Do asks the crucial question of what you have to do to change the minds of the worst people in society, all the useless comparisons of what people think you are, like the ones reviewer like me make all the time. The soulful edge to the pleas to not be restricted, to be allowed to roam free making and doing Whatever We Do.
Criminal Minds has an urgency, with slap bass at the heart driving this along, that habit just stinks, unlike the pure unabashed rock & roll joy this version brings.
The album closes with a brilliant version of the all-time classic Society that never forgets the outsider status they have always taken pride in, as you really don't know too much about them or vice versa as this has a whip cracking edge to the way it flies along.
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