By Monk
Rock ‘n’ roll and warfare are very similar, in that they are littered with the stories of casualties, the victims, the cannon fodder. In the case of rock ‘n’ roll, it is also peppered with the has-been wannabes, the wannabe has-beens, the coulda/shoulda/woulda soldiers of misfortune. The acts/artists who weren’t quite in the right place at the right time, but rather in the wrong zone in either regard. The “he’s missed a sitter” penalty kickers wearing the wrong boots in that vital final shoot-out… bands like Jones Street, if you want to look for a case in point.
Jones Street came riding into the LA on the coat-tails of the glam metal scene, battling their way up the Strip with an attitude more equipped with combat boots than stilettos, kickin’ down doors and takin’ names with an attitude more akin to the street-metal dominated back alleys of Noo Yawk than the hairspray-choked dressing rooms of the Whiskey and their ilk..
Despite having some seriously heavy scene hitters on their side, from KISS/Mötley Crüe manager Barry Levine (who actually bought the quintet a house when they first moved to LA) to Crüe vocalist Vince Neil, and a $10,000 development deal with Sony Records, Jones Street ultimately were destined to walk that road into that “what if?” oblivion, sharing their story with plethora of similar acts who, unfortunately, have a trod a similar path… until now, when all of a sudden, this retrospective compilation arrives out of nowhere to remind of just a smattering of the talent that has fallen by the wayside and filled the archives of studios and the dusty attics of their producers.
Musically, JS ploughed a furrow that will be more than familiar to fans of the heavier side of the LA glam/hair metal scene, such as Skid Row, Ratt, Winger et al. Big crunching riffs matched with soaring harmonies, blitzkrieg solos, angst-ridden lyrics/vocals and catchy melodies abound in this round-up of their brief career, which like so many of their contemporaries came to a shuddering halt in the mid-Nineties when the music business, as is its wont, decided to build up the next big by demolishing the previous one.
‘Out Of The Gutter’ is an ironic title for a compilation – itself essentially a remastering of their debut album with a few demo tracks thrown in for good measure – by a band who ultimately found their careers lying in one, but it also is apposite, as it epitomizes the spirit of bands such as Jones Street who clawed and fought their way to the attention of what ultimately proved to be a disinterested and disengaged industry who shattered their dreams without a second thought. Thank goodness, however, that this fine band have been given a second chance to have their material brought back into the spotlight, to remind us just what could have, and maybe should and would have been, if they had been given the right breaks back in the day…
- ‘Out Of The Gutter’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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