| The Barnestormers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by the Barnestormers | |
| Released | 26 May 2023 |
| Label | Bloodlines |
| Singles from The Barnestormers | |
The Barnestormers is the debut studio album by international supergroup [3] [4] of the same name. The album was released on 26 May 2023. [1]
In January 2021, Jimmy Barnes announced he had formed a rockabilly outfit with Chris Cheney of The Living End and Slim Jim Phantom of Stray Cats. Barnes said "Slim Jim and I have been talking about doing this for 20 years. We've got three quarters of a rockabilly album finished, half originals, half old covers." [5] The musicians laid down their parts separately in isolation, across three continents, before Shirley put it together. [6]
In February 2023, Barnes revealed more of the outfit's existence on the first episode of the new season of RocKwiz .The group, called The Barnestormers, features Jimmy Barnes on vocals, Chris Cheney on guitar, Slim Jim Phantom on drums, Thomas Lorioux (Frantic Flintstones/Guitar Slingers) on Upright Bass, Kevin Shirley on bass, and Jools Holland on piano. [7] [4]
The group's first single, a cover of Don Walker's "Johnny's Gone" was released 10 March 2023, alongside the album pre-order. [1] The song's video clip features the comic book artwork of Vince Ray brought to cartoon life by Marco Pavone. [8]
A cover of Johnny O'Keefe "Real Wild Child" was released on 21 April 2023 as the album's second single. Mary Varvaris from The Music said "The joyful, rock 'n' roll cover is perfect for The Barnestormers - every band member has a bit of rockabilly in them, and their take on 'Real Wild Child' solidifies the passion behind this project." [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Newcastle Herald |   [6] |
Josh Leeson from Newcastle Herald said "Holland's boogie woogie piano-playing on 'Lonesome Train' is a scintillating highlight and Barnes sounds inspired throughout by his accomplished bandmates. The Barnestormers are having a blast and if they can ever get the band together for a tour, it'll be one hell of a party-starter." [6]
Ellie Robinson from NME said "While its the Cold Chisel frontman's soulful tenor that piques curiosity at first, that's just one piece of a much more complex and dynamic puzzle: Cheney's rollicking riffs gel wonderfully with Shirley's groovy low-end, while Holland adds some brightness and flare on the piano. This is '50s jukebox jamming at it's[ sic ] rockin' and rollin' best." [9]
Jeff Jenkins from Stack Magazine said "The Barnestormers' self-titled debut is a success from start to finish because the aim is simple: having fun. They've delivered a riotous rockabilly rave-up, with songs celebrating the origins of rock 'n' roll." Jenkins concluded the review saying "The Barnestormers is one of 2023's great party records." [3]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sweet Love On My Mind" | 3:00 | |
| 2. | "Working for the Man" | Roy Orbison | 3:07 |
| 3. | "Johnny's Gone" | Don Walker | 3:44 |
| 4. | "Lonesome Train" |
| 2:35 |
| 5. | "Thirteen Women (And Only One Man)" | Dickie Thompson | 3:10 |
| 6. | "Dear Dad" | 2:14 | |
| 7. | "Crazy Crazy Lovin'" | Johnny Carroll | 2:57 |
| 8. | "Sweet Nothin's" | Ronnie Self | 2:27 |
| 9. | "Land of Hope and Glory" |
| 3:54 |
| 10. | "Real Wild Child" |
| 2:38 |
| 11. | "25 to Life" | Cheney | 3:30 |
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) [10] | 3 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [11] | 57 |
Brian Robert Setzer is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly group Stray Cats, and returned to the music scene in the early 1990s with his swing revival band, the Brian Setzer Orchestra. In 1987, he made a cameo appearance as Eddie Cochran in the film La Bamba.
Stray Cats are an American rockabilly band formed in 1979 by guitarist and vocalist Brian Setzer, double bassist Lee Rocker, and drummer Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, New York. The group had numerous hit singles in the UK, Australia, Canada, and the U.S. including "Stray Cat Strut", "(She's) Sexy + 17", "Look at That Cadillac", "I Won't Stand in Your Way", "Bring It Back Again", and "Rock This Town", which the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has listed as one of the songs that shaped rock and roll.
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blues, leading to what is considered "classic" rock and roll. Some have also described it as a blend of bluegrass with rock and roll. The term "rockabilly" itself is a portmanteau of "rock" and "hillbilly", the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style. Other important influences on rockabilly include western swing, boogie-woogie, jump blues, and electric blues.
Julian Miles Holland is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Marc Almond, Joss Stone, Jayne County, Tom Jones, José Feliciano, Sting, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, George Harrison, David Gilmour, Ringo Starr, Bono, Rod Stewart and Ruby Turner.
The Reverend Horton Heat is the stage name of American musician James C. Heath as well as the name of his Dallas, Texas-based psychobilly trio. Heath is a singer, songwriter and guitarist. A Prick magazine reviewer called Heath the "godfather of modern rockabilly and psychobilly".
The Living End is an Australian punk rockabilly band from Melbourne, formed in 1994. Since 2002, the line-up consists of Chris Cheney, Scott Owen, and Andy Strachan (drums). The band rose to fame in 1997 after the release of their EP Second Solution / Prisoner of Society, which peaked at No. 4 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. They have released eight studio albums, two of which reached the No. 1 spot on the ARIA Albums Chart: The Living End and State of Emergency. They have also achieved chart success in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
James Dixon Barnes is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer. His career, both as a solo performer and as the lead vocalist with the rock band Cold Chisel, has made him one of the most popular and best-selling Australian music artists of all time.
James McDonnell, known by the stage name Slim Jim Phantom, is the drummer for Stray Cats. Alongside bandmates Brian Setzer and Lee Rocker, he spearheaded the neo-rockabilly movement of the early 1980s.
Kevin Shirley, also known as The Caveman, is a South African–born music producer, engineer and audio mixer for many artists, including Aerosmith, The Black Crowes, Silverchair, Journey, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Joe Bonamassa, Beth Hart, Dream Theater, Jimmy Barnes, Cold Chisel, Joanne Shaw Taylor, The Springbok Nude Girls, All Night Radio, Steve Louw & Big Sky, HIM, Mr. Big, and Europe.
Christopher John Cheney is an Australian rock musician, record producer, and studio owner. He is the founding mainstay guitarist, songwriter, and lead vocalist of the rockabilly band The Living End, which was formed in 1994 with schoolmate Scott Owen. Cheney wrote the group's top 20 hits on the ARIA Singles Chart: "Second Solution" / "Prisoner of Society" (1997), "All Torn Down" (1999), "Pictures in the Mirror" (2000), "Roll On" (2001), "One Said to the Other" (2003), "What's on Your Radio" (2005), "Wake Up" (2006), and "White Noise" (2008). In 2004, Cheney joined the supergroup The Wrights which put out a cover version of Stevie Wright's epic 11-minute track, "Evie" as a single. At the 2009 APRA Music Awards, Cheney won Song of the Year for writing The Living End's track, "White Noise". In 2005, he married his girlfriend Emma; the couple has two daughters and are co-owners of a recording facility, Red Door Sounds. In 2011, the Cheney family relocated to Los Angeles.
Dead Men Walking are a British based rock supergroup with a multi national line-up, who have toured the UK, Ireland and the United States. From 2001 to 2006 they were led by Mike Peters of the Alarm and Kirk Brandon, of Spear of Destiny, with a varying cast of musicians. Since 2015, they split into two bands, one led by Peters called the Jack Tars, and another led by Brandon keeping the Dead Men Walking name.
Lee Rocker is an American musician. He is a member of the rockabilly revival band Stray Cats.
Robert Gordon was an American rockabilly singer.
13 is the thirteenth solo album from American musician Brian Setzer. It was released in 2006 on Surfdog Records, and contained the Japanese hit single "Back Streets Of Tokyo". Setzer had originally intended for the album to have one direction, or sound, but after thinking about how The Beatles' albums were so diverse, he decided to include many different styles on the album.
Out in the Blue is the twelfth studio album by Australian singer Jimmy Barnes. It was released on 24 November 2007 as both a single-disc and limited double-disc edition. The majority of the songs on the album were written by Barnes, many of them in relation to his recent heart surgery. Neil Finn contributed the track "Blue Hotel" and Kasey Chambers performs a duet on "When Two Hearts Collide". Jim Moginie of Midnight Oil also appears on the album.
The Head Cat is an American rockabilly supergroup formed by vocalist/bassist Lemmy, drummer Slim Jim Phantom and guitarist Danny B. Harvey. Lemmy died in 2015 and as of 2017, former Morbid Angel member David Vincent took Lemmy's place as vocalist and bassist.
"The Race Is On" is a song written by Don Rollins and made a hit on the country music charts by George Jones and on the pop and easy listening charts by the unrelated Jack Jones. George's version was the first single released from his 1965 album of the same name. Released as a single in September 1964, it peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and at number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1965. Jack's version topped Billboard's Easy Listening chart and reached number 15 on the Hot 100 the same year. The two recordings combined to reach number 12 on the Cashbox charts, which combined all covers of the same song in one listing and thus gave George Jones his only top-40 hit. The song uses thoroughbred horse racing as the metaphor for the singer's romantic relationships.
The Knockouts are a Swedish rock band from Stockholm that formed in 1996.
"Dixie Fried" is a 1956 song written by Carl Perkins and Howard "Curley" Griffin and released as a single on Sun Records. The song was released as a 45 and 78 single, Sun 249, in August, 1956 backed with "I'm Sorry, I'm Not Sorry". The single reached no. 10 on the Billboard country and western chart in 1956. The single was also released in Canada on the Quality label as #1557. The record was reissued as a 45 single in 1979 on the Shelby Singleton-owned Sun Golden Treasure Series as Sun 10.
Choo Choo Hot Fish is an album by the American rockabilly band Stray Cats, released in 1992. The first single was "Elvis on Velvet". The band supported the album with a North American tour.
