THE SHANES/SHANES AGAIN SSX 1022 (-66) MONO SWEDEN

For more background also check post on their second LP "Shanegang". I'm not sure about everything going on in and around the band at the time for this third album, but cleary something was off. The two former had been good r&b/freak beat with rattling guitars, live-in-the-studio feeling and lots of presence. Not always in tune or pace, but the flaws totally forgiven because of the youthful energy and good will making it top garage all together. Here they're suddenly trying to do pop songs - slower and more melodic reaching for love and the result just sounds wry. Band core - guitarist Tommy Wåhlberg, bassist Svante Elfgren and drummer Tor-Erik Rautio - are still the same rude r&b guys from the mining districts above the arctic circle and them going soft is like dressing a porcupine in velour - it doesn't fit. Maybe this time they could have been saved by professional production or mixing, but I don't hear much of that. Some of it is unevenly balanced and the audio quite bad - going from dense to very loud with the treble partly so sharp it'll damage your ears. On the positive side - the cover of Righteous Brothers "Justine" is good rock'n'roll and Paul Anka's "Lonely Boy" done very dirty - both reminding of earlier days. To my knowledge this was the only issue. It came with label as shown here and thin fully laminated cover. (CCÖ*) (SCÄ) (XHÄ*)