The Crazy Squeeze “Savior Of The Streets”

Now to call The Crazy Squeeze a super group may be a bit of a big call especially here in the UK. But they do consist of musicians that have paid their dues on the US underground punk/rock scene in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. That includes a former member of The Richmond Sluts (our ‘new’ favourite band).

The moment you see the spelling of opening number “Be Your Dryver” you might be able to guess there’s an element of glam rock to this band (if the name alone wasn’t enough!). Indeed, on songs like “That Little Girl’s Gone Way Too Far” and “Let’s Go Let’s Go” there is sa real bubble-gum glam rock feel to their sound. It may not be a style to appeal to the ‘cool kids’, but it’s really good fun.

The band really excel with the throwaway gutter rock of The New York Dolls on tracks like the brilliant “Ooh Baby I Love You” and She’s A Runner”. However, as glam fans know, you also have to be pretty tough to deliver this style (and especially the look). It shouldn’t therefore come as a surprise that there is an element of street punk on “Hard Livin’ Man” and “Savior Of The Street”. A song like “Lessons ‘Bout Love” shows a streetwise swagger that recalls the gutter rock masters, Hanoi Rocks.  A special mention must also go to “Twisted Little Secrets”, which adds a Spector girl group feel into the mix. Yeah, it’s a bit cheesy… but we love it!

Whilst listening to this, we were reminded of The Star Spangles. A band who brilliantly managed to resurrect a dirty glam rock n roll sound. Like with that band, the fear is that The Crazy Squeeze will remain a hidden gem known to only a select band of people who are fans of the often-derided sleaze rock genre. Music snobbery amongst both the press and fans means they can’t recognise the joy in fun filled rock songs like this. But that’s their loss, for those of us that can appreciate the need for catchy, throwaway rock n roll, that provides the accompaniment to a good time, then this is definitely an album to check out.