Wow, this is really something different. THE TWO MAN GENTLEMAN BAND harks back to the golden age pre rock ‘n’ roll. Comprising tenor guitarist Andy Bean, on vocals and a 1961 Gibson ETG-150, and Fuller Condon on vocals and string bass, this duo pumps out tracks that sound like they were recorded in the late 1940s – early 1950s.
Everything about this band has been done strictly with an eye for authentic recording practices and production techniques, from recording live to mono analogue tape using period equipment, to the printed packaging (which is excellent) and used hand set lettering and an old linotype machine. As a result you have a complete package that if it were vinyl rather than the CD, would be indistinguishable from something produced over sixty years ago.
So, what of the music? This dynamic duo play swing, jazz, and there are also country elements on some of the twelve tracks on this album.
Opening with the wonderful ‘Pork Chops’ the sort of swing track that bounces along, with good clear crisp vocals, perfect sound and good harmonies. The lyrics are amusing and are delivered in a style which makes it difficult to believe that this isn’t some lost classic that has lain undiscovered in a vault for the last half century: “Pork chops, my girl tastes like pork chops, my girl tastes like pork chops/ When I kiss her, I wonder what she had for dinner...Pork chops, I’ll bet it was, Pork chops, I’ll bet it was pork chops/ An’ I got a hunch; I could tell you what she had for lunch.” As a starter (pun intended) this is great, and lets you slide into a world of music that’s been sadly pretty much forgotten.
Following on from that is the upbeat jazz of ‘Please Don’t Water It Down’, an ode to heavy drinking which is humorous and punchy at the same time, while tracks like ‘Panama City Beach’ are played at a breakneck pace, and glorifies loafing and letching in equal measure: - “Oh, sunburn, I’m gonna get one. Bikinis, I’m gonna see some/ Oh, greasy fried stuff, I’m gonna eat some/ Oh those pretty girls in the sunshine, I’m gonna meet one.”
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There are two covers on the album: ‘Let’s get Happy Together’, and ‘Shut That Gate’, a country style song that was co-written by Ted Daffan who composed the country anthem ‘Truck Driver’s Blues’. However, the real highlight of the album is surely the amazing ‘Prescription Drugs’, a song with a choppy rhythm that revels in the fun of “mixing Ritalin and any brand I can take”! This was a real joy, with laugh out loud lyrics: - “Oh, daddy’s just had surgery, and mamma’s got depression/ Oh, I smell medicine in the medicine chest/ We’re havin’ a party, do ya wanna come?/ We’re havin’ a party we’re gonna get our stomachs pumped/ We’re havin’ a party, try my luck, oh sneakin’ p-p-p-prescription drugs.”
As an album, this was a real blast, something well worth investing in which will appeal to fans of many genres. These guys are looking to tour the UK in 2013, so buy the album now, sit back, enjoy and wait patiently for the tour. You won't be disappointed.
Two Man Gentleman Band at Bandcamp
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