Spin Doctors
Album: Songs From The Road
Label: RUF
Tracks: 14+14
Website: http://www.spindoctors.com

Those with very long memories or a bit long in the tooth might remember "Two Princes" or "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" which both hit the UK Top 30 in 1991, with the former becoming the Spin Doctors highest-charting single internationally: no. 7 in the Billboard Hot 100, no. 2 in Canada and no.3 here in the UK. Some 24 years later The Spin Doctors are still going strong now back with the original line up of Chris Barron - lead vocals, Aaron Comess - drums, Eric Schenkman - guitar, vocals, and Mark White - bass guitar.

From the heady Epic/Sony Music years of the early nineties there has been many twists and turns, ups and downs: from the platinum albums of 'Pocket Full of Kryptonite' and 'Turn It Upside Down' to being dropped by Epic in 1998, followed by 3 years of inactivity mainly due to the paralysis of one of Barron's vocal chords and to the closure in 2001 of the legendary New York music venue The Wetlands which sparked the original line up to take to the stage in the venue's last week. The success of that show led to more sporadic gigs and the familiar path of relying on touring, rather than radio, to build an audience. Eventually in 2005 the band went back into the studio to record their 5th album and it took a further eight years before the release of 'If the River Was Whiskey', and a return to the band's New York blues roots. Following a spate of rave reviews, the album entered the Top 10 of the Billboard and iTunes blues charts. To further promote the album, the band toured in the U.S. and Europe that led to this release by the German independent label Ruf Records as part of its conceptual audio -visual 'Songs From The Road' award winning series that captures a band as they sound from the front row.

Recorded in October 2013 at Bonn's Harmonia Club; a perfect setting to capture the essence of the Spin Doctors who in turn, deliver a blistering set covering songs from 'Pocket Full of Kryptonite', the band's first live album 'Up For Grabs' and 'If The River Was Whisky'.

The CD kicks off with the blues funk "What time Is It" and bang!! It hits you right between the eyes: high energy, pedal to the floor, sweat pouring off the wall, blow the roof off, adrenalin blues rock. The pace is kept up through "Traction Blues" and "Off my Line" and a brief respite with the slow blues of "Sweetest Portion" before a rendition of their second major hit "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong".

Even though there is 22 years between 'Pocket Full of Kryptonite' and 'If The River Was Whisky' the songs mesh together well even though the new songs have less of a blues funk edge. "Some Other Man Instead", "If The River What Whiskey", "About A Train", "Scotch And Water Blues" with it its Allman Brothers feel and "What My Love?" pays a here and now homage to the New York Blues Clubs where the band cut their teeth.

'Pocket Full of Kryptonite' was one of my favourite rock albums of the early nineties and to hear the fore mentioned tracks plus "Jimmy Olsen Blues" and "Two Princes" again in a live setting sends me down memory lane and it's easy to see why they have stood the test of time and remain audience favourites. The breakneck speed of "Lady Kerosene" and the closing spark spraying "Yo Mamas a Pajama" from the pre Epic/Sony Music days of 'Up For Grabs' remind me why I thought the Spin Doctors were a better band than the Chilli Peppers.

The sound of the Spin Doctors hasn't aged and remains vibrant and fresh. Can't wait to fling open the windows, crank up the volume and give the neighbours a blast of the Spin Doctors as they eat the weekend barbie…. beer anyone?

Chris Light