Music Review: Eric Ambel - Knucklehead (1990-2004)
Published September 08, 2004
There are 15 tricks on this CD, all of them good, and an interesting cross-section of the many roads of Ambel's career. I had the good fortune and opportunity to hear a few of the tracks live on a recent Yayhoos tour, and one of those, "Does It Look That Bad", instantly caught my attention upon first listen to the CD. Other highlights from the CD include "It'll Only End In Tears" and "Lonely Town". There is many an Ambel moment that sounds like it could have stepped off a Stones record without completely nicking the Stones record in full, and that is part of the Ambel appeal - good hooky songs surrounded by old fashioned jamming. There are a number of great covers on the album, including "Shake Some Action", which manages to top the only other version I had ever heard of the tune, done by Cracker. You'll also find a choice Tom Waits cover in the form of "Union Square", and reminding me that I still need to pick up the recent CD release of On The Beach, a cover of Neil Young's "Revolution Blues." You even get a cover of Ambel's old band, The Del-Lords just in time for the end of summer, in the form of the Yayhoos version of "Judas Kiss", complete with Steve Earle helping out on vocals. Not too shabby in my book! There are quite a few folks helping out on this album, Earle and the Yayhoos of course, various Del-Lords alumni, and the Bottle Rockets, to name a few.
I could go on and on. Eric Ambel is one hell of an interesting dude. Depending on the day, he might be a lead singer, or playing guitar in the band you go to see, producing an album by your favorite band, or maybe he just happens to own the favorite bar that you go to. You never quite know where you are going to see Eric Ambel pop up next. Here's one thing that you can take to the bank: Knucklehead is solid good time rock and roll from top to bottom, and it plays more like a fully new album, less like a "hodge podge" collection of odds and ends. Next on Matt's list? Must pick up reissues of Loud And Lonesome, and Roscoe's Gang!
Link to purchase all 3 Eric Ambel CD releases
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- Music Review: Eric Ambel - Knucklehead (1990-2004)
- Published: September 08, 2004
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- Section: Music
- Writer: Matt Wardlaw
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yeah -
I am lucky to have a friend that is pretty close with Ambel (Eric produced a couple of his albums), so I stay pretty up on all things Yayhoos and Ambel.
The Yayhoos absolutely did not break up:-) I saw them do a show late last year, and they were road testing tunes from Dan's Out Of Mothballs release, as well as some of Eric's "new" tunes that have now found their way to Knucklehead. New Yayhoos album has been talked about and in the works for some time now, and it looks like for all of the "recording" talk, they finally got their shit together and got in the studio and got it done!
Further Yayhoos info - they were talking at one point in 2002/2003 about putting out a live album, and even recorded two nights in NYC.
You'll absolutely enjoy Knucklehead. It's a slam dunk in the same vein of the Yayhoos CD - just great from top to bottom.
got a lot of favorite Yayhoos moments - their live covers of Love Train and Roam were cool, but one of the coolest things I saw them do was a scorching 12 minute cover of Down By The River by Neil Young at one of the past few Cleveland shows....
Thanks for the comments!
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I absolutely love the Yayhoos, who are bar-rock at its grinning, stupid best. Guitars guitars guitars. Loud. Four guys who have done this before.
Eric seems to turn up at every other good rock show on the Lower East Side. He's always welcome.
Your post sent me to the Yayhoos web page, where I see that joyfully there will be a new album. Amazing news!
But I seem to remember a very drunken, very loud "farewell" show in 2002....
Thanks for the heads-up. I'm ordering the new Eric right now.
The Yayhoos' amps all go to 11.