The Quireboys
A Bit Of What You Fancy

THE REVIEW

This album speaks of smoky venues on the docks, dirty and decaying like the figures of their patrons. It talks about lives lived on the edge of a razor. Of boozy nights among vibrant sexual impulses and fierce brawls for some forgotten reason. This album tells of creaking doors opening and closing in front of these yet another losers of rock'n'roll.

Yet at the beginning of the nineties the Quireboys had their brief and fleeting moment of fame, climbing the UK charts and embarking on tours supporting big names like Guns'n'Roses and Soundgarden. But as someone I can't remember said, "at the top of every peak, one is on the edge of an abyss." Whether it's dizziness or simply an inspiration never to be repeated, the fact remains that the group soon returned to their dusty lowlands. Still, not everyone leaves behind such honest and engaging works as “A Bit of What You Fancy.” For heaven's sake, I won't speak of a jewel in this case. This is simple costume jewelry. But the kind that always manages to capture us for some inexplicable reason.   

A music to gulp down in one go, like whiskey just out of the barrel. Pure, fun, and carefree rock'n'roll, a reflection of the energy and recklessness of youth, seasoned with a generous glass of blues. That vibrant and noisy rock'n'roll like a jackhammer, harking back to the usual rolling stones. Those who lived through those years probably remember Spike, the Quireboys' leader. If not for the peculiar name, probably for the inevitable and colorful bandanas. I hope there are also some who, like me, remember him for his warm and passionate voice. That husky and gritty throat that so much recalls the Rod Stewart of the good old days.

What else to say about this album? Twelve songs that invite you to dance, to live life for what it is. With their warm and exciting atmospheres, they know how to warm the bravest hearts. And to those who hate track-by-track, I'd like to describe the hopping piano and boozy howls of the engaging single "7'o clock." Or the touching make-out ballads with any being with semblance of femininity like "I Don’t Love You Anymore" and "Roses and Rings." And again the lazy and effective guitar riffs and those catchy choruses to hum at the peak of a delirious drunkenness of "There She Goes Again" and "Hey You." And here I stop. If I've intrigued you or on the contrary made you mad with a capital K, then now you can damn well release the adrenaline with “A Bit of What You Fancy.”

Don't cling to the bottle though, there are other ways to get to the soul of things. Music is one of them.