Straight outta the Western Star stable come highly tipped trio The Bullets with an array of original rockin’ compositions. ‘Sons Of The Gun’ is the end result of a busy period spent honing and crafting the contents of this long player under the watchful eye of Alan Wilson (The Sharks). Songs brim with a raw energy such as ‘Jump When I Want’ and muscular ‘Mean To Me Baby’ as does the deceptively titled ‘Moonshine’ with its merest hint of twanging guitar yet howling at the moon vocal supplied by Brett Waters. There is petulance afoot with ‘I Don’t Wanna’ whereas ‘The Beast In Me’ contains traces of Johnny Burnette and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Trio which is always a winning ingredient. It is left to the less energized and more country leanings of ‘Desperate Man’ to reveal another facet to The Bullets which is further compounded with the Western flavoured and always welcome brass of ‘Son Of A Gun’. The betting odds have just shortened on The Bullets as most likely artist to breakthrough this year.

The return of Alan Wilson’s The Sharks has been greatly anticipated by the rockabilly and psychobilly fraternity, and what a worthwhile wait new album ‘Infamy’ is proving to be. If it had not been destined for the music world, then a large proportion of ‘Infamy’ could have passed for a criminology thesis concerning the causes and effects of crime, due to its tip of the hat references to the criminal underbelly of society. Despite the darker tones of the lyrical content, ‘Infamy’ is not without considerable humour as ‘House Of Wax’ gives the impression of a silent black and white film complete with hapless victims hotly pursued by a relentless killer, whereas ‘She’s Fallen In Love With The Monster-Man’ conjures up much hilarity with its sweetly seductive girl group vocals and lines offering, ‘Now the monster was weird and just a little unreal, seemed kinda short of that sex appeal’. The swinging rhythms of ‘The King Of London’ and ‘I Can’t Believe You’re Back’ details the infamous exploits of Roy ‘Pretty Boy’ Shaw and Ronnie Biggs respectively, leaving the upbeat tempo of ‘Breakin’ Bones’ to shift theme (Evel Knievel of all things!) along with the intimate ‘Desert Diamond’ making this a true return to form.

The Hoodoo Records imprint conjures up some more magic with the double whammy that is ‘Eddie Cochran’ and ‘Singin’ To My Baby’. With a 16-page booklet providing detailed information coupled with several rare photos, both albums not only provide a healthy dose of Cochran’s well-known numbers (‘C’mon Everybody’, ‘Summertime Blues’, ‘Mean When I’m Mad, ‘Completely Sweet’’) but the bonus material also throws up some wonderful delights such as ‘Twenty-Flight Rock’ and ‘Boll Weevil Song’. Outside of Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochran was definitely one of the pioneers of rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll music as these two albums provide an introduction and timely reminder of the genius at work.

In a recent interview, Bob Butfoy of Jack Rabbit Slim disclosed that the title of the band’s new album had no bearing on the decision-making process of two of its recently departed members but more in conjunction with the rockabilly scene the band continually find themselves lumped in with. In an attempt to move away from said scene, ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ reveals itself as something of two components, with one half still rooted in a rockabilly/rock ‘n’ roll rhythm whilst the other taking on more diverse sounds such as the indie sounding ‘Thinkin’ Of Leavin’. It is the latter component that will no doubt win over new fans whereas the more traditional leanings of ‘Rock n Roll Shipwreck’ and ‘Come Back Baby’ will help to retain the purists.

With a balance of original compositions and cover versions, The Kat Men’s much sought after debut album is reissued on Foot Tapping Records with several added additions. As mentioned elsewhere, and kicking-off proceedings, ‘Domino’ sets the benchmark in the rockin’ stakes with its raw guitar assault and pulsating rhythmic beats providing serious competition for Roy Orbison’s original composition. With no time to come up for air, ‘Dark Haired Woman’ and ‘A Heartache I Can’t Bare’ continue in similar fashion, providing convincing evidence that Darrel Higham should really pen more of his own material because these songs, along with the gripping ‘That Sounds Like Fun’, stand up on their own merits.

Free of any pretence, Real Gone has put together a mammoth box set covering eight classic albums of Elvis Presley spanning from 1956 – 1960 with additional singles included for good measure over four CDs. With minor gripes being a lack of any detailed information regarding the recording sessions  during these years or about the man himself let alone a series of photographs to give the listener some inclination of the King’s inner sanctum, the sound quality and of course the rockin’ tracks more than compensate for any such grievances.