Last year, the re-issue of THE WOODENTOPS' 1986 debut album "Giant" reminded fans and critics alike that Northampton's finest were one of the better reasons to get out of bed during the musically murky mid-1980s.
So it's great to know that the ever-discerning Cherry Red have also taken up the option to re-release THE WOODENTOPS' second (and sadly, final) album "Wooden Foot Cops On The Highway" - originally issued by Rough Trade - from 1988.
With a title coined by the legendary LEE "SCRATCH" PERRY and guest spots from the likes of TACKHEAD'S DOUG WIMBISH, BERNIE WORRELL (PARLIAMENT/ TALKING HEADS alumnus) and SCRITTI POLITTI/ LOU REED collaborator FRED MAHER and a production credit going to long-time REM dial twiddler SCOTT LITT, you'd expect this to be a memorable opus, so it's satisfying to concur.
In his sleevenotes, WOODENTOPS' vocalist/ leader ROLO McGINTY suggests that "Wooden Foot Cops…" was ahead of its' time and there's plenty of evidence to support his claim here. First, although THE WOODENTOPS were always skilful and rhythmically-inclined, quite a few tracks here are hard-edged and funky, pre-empting the Madchester explosion by a good twelve months or so.
The band's willingness to both embrace technology and leave the door open to sympathetic collaborators certainly helped. CAPTAIN BEEFHEART sideman GARY LUCAS teams up with regular 'TOPS guitarist SIMON MAWBY and really makes both "Wheels Turning" and "Stop This Car" with smouldering slide contributions.
WORRELL, meanwhile, pumps a mean 'n' funky clavinet during "What You Give Out", recalling the disciplined hard funk he helped instil in TALKING HEADS circa "Remain In Light", whilst the gentle "Tuesday Wednesday" features some stunningly inventive bass playing from DOUG WIMBISH alongside congas and sampled (!) raindrops. Honestly.
But this shouldn't diminish the importance of the band's own input. Working to a strict 6-week writing deadline, ROLO came up with a series of affecting, exciting songs that the band moulded into their own image; telling contributions especially coming from bassist FRANK DE FREITAS and violin/ keyboard player ANN STEPHENSON, whose poppy and economic contributions pepper most of the tracks. The energetic, funky end result also brought the best out of ROLO himself: his vocals ranging from slinky ("Tuesday Wednesday") to frantic ("Maybe It Won't Last") and are a joy throughout.
|
Of "Wooden Foot Cops…" nine tunes, THE WOODENTOPS only over-reached themselves on the concluding "In A Dream", which is repetitive and stilted, though the five bonus tracks are something of a mixed blessing. That said, "I Want Your Love", with its' fluid, gospelly backing vocals is the equal of anything on the LP proper, and the live take of "Why" reminds the listener why THE WOODENTOPS built up such a fearsome live reputation during their criminally short career.
Because of their relatively brief tenure, THE WOODENTOPS are likely to remain little more than a respected footnote in rock history. However, re-evaluation of both "Giant" and "Wooden Foot Cops On The Highway" should definitely be seriously considered by anyone keen to search out the cream from the past 20 years of Indie glory. In fact, this reviewer would even rate "Wooden Foot Cops…" as one of the two lost classics from SCOTT LITT'S production canon: the other being THAT PETROL EMOTION'S brilliant "Chemicrazy" from 1990.
|
