The Philistines

THE PHILISTINES - HARD WORK (PEPPERMINT PRCD001)
Running Time: 44.19 mins

The 12 songs featured here all sounded great live, but they're even better in the studio. Here's a run down of what to expect...

HIDING TO NOTHING: Really catchy opener. Strong, tuneful guitars, and buried at just the right level under Gerry Foster's vocals. Pick out Glen's backing vocals towards the end.

HARD WORK: A more laid back effort, the powerful bass line keeps it ticking over really well. Glen adds his vocals to the chorus.

PROBLEM: First of all, not the Pistols song! No, instead, a lively cut, Paul O'Brien's guitar work admirable, and co-penned by Keith Levene who was in the band in the early days.

WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA: One of the best on the album, brilliant!

GET REAL: One hell of a song. Honestly, worth buying the album for this alone. Again, co-written by Levene, and it's the guitar sound which makes it superb. Paul is magnificent on lead, Glen ditto on bass, Paul Simon gives his usual whack on drums, and Gerry sings it like he means it. Once you've heard it, you won't forget it.

WRITTEN ALL OVER YOUR FACE: The impressive drumming at the beginning kickstarts one of the newer Philistines songs. Another really catchy chorus, brilliant bass, Gerry comes into his own and sounds so crisp.

MY BIG MOUTH: Written by Glen and Paul O'Brien, superb chorus, another fine effort. What more can I say?

ON THE HORIZON: A much slower track, hard to get used to at first. I didn't really like it at first, but it does grow on you and demonstrates the bands versatility. The group are heavily influenced by The Faces, and Gerry actually sounds remarkably like Rod Stewart on this one!

MODERN METAL: Absolutely brilliant! co-written by Keith Levene, it's a bit heavier than most of the others, and powerful with it. Catchy as hell chorus. It teasingly winds down towards the end, only to fire back in the bands usual style.

SUCK IT AND SEE: Paul lets his guitar go wild at the start. Glen's repetitive, throbbing bass line builds it up, and the chorus explodes into what's another fine composition. Gerry is a great singer, but when Glen adds his vocals to the proceedings it's the perfect match. I don't seem to be mentioning Paul the drummer much, but he does a great job throughout.

ELECTRICITY: I never thought this was good live, but the band have transformed it in the studio to something a whole lot better. The echo on Gerry's vocals is good, Paul and Glen make a deadly combination, and the robotic voices towards the end add a touch of oddity.

RATTLE YOUR CAGE: Another strong track, very much in the same vain as 'Get Real' and 'Modern Metal'... 'Hard Work' really is a magnificent album, definitely worth buying, and it's one of the most essential of Glen's post-Pistols projects since the Rich Kids. The band are that good! There's a nice picture cover and for the singers among you, the lyrics are contained in the inlay.