Ian Hunter

Dirty Laundry

An All Star Rock n Roll Circus!

Review Score:

(10/10)
Nice to see such praise for this rock n roll masterpiece! I'm a bit perplexed by the negative reviews here, though. I don't think a band composed of "obscure European" musicians immediately equates to substandard music. Such an indictment notwithstanding, the music-smiths contributing to this album are far from obscure. On the contrary, on guitar and vocals we have both Honest John Plain and Darrell Bath, the duo that formed the brilliant good-time rock n roll band, The Crybabys in 1990. Plain is a founding member of the seminal punk rock band, The Boys, and Bath's exhaustive resume includes work with the UK Subs, The Vibrators, and Tempole Tudor, as well as such jewels in the crown of rock n roll as The Dogs D'Amour and The Quireboys. Darrell has since found success both as a solo artist and with his own band, Sabre Jet, has most recently performed with Dan Baird (ex-Georgia Satellites) and is also the newest member of The Chasers with Danny McCormack of the Wildhearts (Whew! Now that's what I call an impressive career!). Completing the band on Dirty Laundry are Casino Steel, also from The Boys, Glen Matlock, bassist for the Sex Pistols, and Vom, drummer from the quintessential German punk band Die Toten Hosen. So much for "obscure."
Regardless of the ensemble band, it is still a formidable task to find even a single fault with an absolute gem of an album like Dirty Laundry! I suppose if one is a Mott the Hoople/Ian Hunter traditionalist, perhaps this piece is too much of a departure from Hunter's previous work. Remember, though, that this only became an Ian Hunter album after his contribution to the project gradually increased to the point where it simply made the most sense to release it under Hunter's name. The project actually began life as Casino Steel's Gringo Starrs, and if one approaches this album out of appreciation for the work of the all star musicians showcased here, it's absolutely irresistible! I for one, arrived at Dirty Laundry following years as a die-hard fan of The Dogs D'Amour and Quireboys and Darrell Bath's work with both of those bands. Delving further resulted in the discovery of Darrell's earlier band, The Crybabys, and subsequently Dirty Laundry. And with both Bath and Plain back together again on this album, as well as Steel performing and Matt Dangerfield, yet another member of The Boys contributing to the song-writing (as does Andrew Matheson of the Hollywood Brats by the way!), Dirty Laundry rightly should be considered a The Boys/Crybabys collaboration, with Hunter the ring leader of this rock n roll circus!
As for the songs, first of all I must admit to a bias toward the ones that Darrell Bath had a hand in writing (as he holds the illustrious title of My Favorite Guitarist on the Planet Earth!), but in my opinion, the songs that truly steal the spotlight are the opening track "Dancing On The Moon," "Never Trust a Blonde" (also featured on the Sabre Jet album, but done miles better on Dirty Laundry), "Everyone's a Fool," and "Scars." The first three are straight up good time rock n roll that positively ooze swagger and groove, complete with sassy guitars and honky tonk pianos. "Scars" is superbly atmospheric, slowing the pace down to conjure up vivid images of late-night, post-party solitude, when you're struck-out and drifting slowly back to sobriety. "Invisible strings," written solo by Hunter, bears an uncanny resemblance to Rod Stewart's earliest solo work. If you didn't know better you'd swear it was a "lost " track from "Every Picture Tells a Story," or "Never A Dull Moment." Of the comparatively less satisfying tracks, I find "Another Fine Mess" A bit too pedestrian for my tastes, and the remake of "Good Girls" from the Crybabys debut album, while more up tempo and polished here, pales in comparison to the original. Still, two mediocre tracks out of 12 isn't bad at all! Hunter and friends sound like they're having a blast (which apparently actually was the case in the studio, by most reports) and the album is non-stop fun straight through. And just like the reluctant acceptance that even the greatest of parties has to end sometime, the only real somber piece is the closing track, "The Other Man," though it still manages to serve as an appropriate coda to this cornucopia of gritty, honest to goodness rock n roll.
That this record was produced and actually released in a decade that shunned true rock like an embarrassment is further testament to Hunter, Plain, Bath, and their comrades' dedication to real rock n roll, the way it was meant to be played and heard!
Incidentally, Bath and Plain also contributed songs to Hunter's follow up offering "Artful Dodger," which is, alas, harder to find than the proverbial needle in the haystack.
To anyone who enjoyed Dirty Laundry, I would highly recommend giving a listen to Plain and Bath's Crybabys (the sophomore album of which is currently only available through small independent French label, Action Records, but well worth the hassle to one's hands on!), plus Bath's work with The Dogs D'Amour on the "All Or Nothing" EP and the "More Uncharted Heights of Disgrace" CD, as well as his solo work.

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