Review – Crazy Cavan ‘N’ The Rhythm Rockers
Rockabilly Crazy!
(Crazy Rhythm)

★★★★½

Nearly five years on and there’s still a big gap in the musical universe left behind by the sad passing of Cavan John Grogan. Since then, there have still been releases to give fans of Crazy Cavan ‘N’ The Rhythm Rockers some comfort, particularly the extensive career-spanning boxset 50 Rockin’ Years and the unissued recordings collection, A Rockin’ Legend.

The vaults of Crazy Rhythm Records are once again the source here and Rockabilly Crazy! presents a generous 28-track selection from the label’s archives. Featuring material drawn from between 1974-2015, the album flips wildly across the years starting with 1982’s Raw Deal and concluding with Who’s Gonna Rock Ya! from 1985, but the band’s full career gets featured along the way.

Early single tracks Bop Little Baby and Rockabilly Star are included and they happily rub shoulders with You Done Me Wrong Domino and Smokey Joe’s from the band’s 2015 album, The Real Deal.

Rockabilly Star

The quality of sound recording has improved through the years but what is immediately apparent here is the consistent level of songwriting that the band displayed. Tracks such as Eddie Bond’s Here Comes The Train, Helen Humes’ They Raided The Joint and Jimmy Haggett’s How Come You Do Me all get the unique Crazy Cavan rejigged treatment, but the band’s self-penned material shines through.

Crazy Cavan ‘N’ The Rhythm Rockers’ songs possess a particular type of ‘kitchen-sink’ lyrical content that really seemed to reflect just how much they lived the rock’n’roll lifestyle in the everyday world. Although they had their share of bright lights, adulation and cruising down the highway, they also had equal portions of hard-as-nails venues, transport café breakfasts and nights spent kipping in a van.

While stompers such as Teddy Boy Blues and Jeezy Peezy are straight-up rockers with a realistic edge, there are also more poignant moments featured here, particularly on Mr Past, Mr Present, Mr Future… and who else could have written Granny Keeps Rockin’?

The Real Deal

While there’s no material from the band’s time at Charly Records and Big Beat (France), that’s not really the point as this does not attempt to be any type of greatest hits package. These tracks are all sourced from the band’s own label and, despite certain elements within the music business believing the band’s time was over when the 1980s rolled along, they just kept rockin’. Sure there were a few fallow years along the way, but their music on the Crazy Rhythm label continued to be strong and later LPs such as Rollin ‘n’ Rockin and C’mon Let’s F***in’ Rock remain highpoints in their back catalogue.

Rockabilly Crazy! is a nicely varied package, equally targeting established followers while giving new listeners a great overview of the band’s career. The enclosed booklet has some entertaining sleevenotes from Geoff Barker plus a selection of great photos, too.

The back cover of the insert also includes a sobering tribute to Cavan bass player Don Kinsella and drummer Brian ‘Bunner’ Davies, on a release that ensures the band’s place in rock’n’roll history remains prominent.

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Words By Craig Brackenridge

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