Gather round, for this a thread where whose with an interest may talk about Gallon Drunk

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I used to think they were amazing. What would I think, I wonder, were I to revisit them today? For a start, they had a song about the drunk's hospital on Arlington Road in Camden (called "Arlington Road"), which I used to pass all the time.

I once saw them play and the whole place erupted into some kind of insane riot. It was good.

Perhaps "You Should Be Ashamed" isn't that good, though.

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 24 October 2003 00:08 (9 years ago) Permalink

As DB knows, I was initially down on them for a while but came around -- and their most recent releases I've heard from the late nineties were really quite good. I know there's a newish album out, I gather...hm...

*checks*

Yeah, here we go:

http://www.gallondrunk.co.uk/

Fire Music, that's it -- I should order it. In the Long Still Night and Black Milk both very good albums, I think I've reviewed them on the AMG.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 24 October 2003 00:14 (9 years ago) Permalink

Ah, I see James Johnston was replacing Blixa for Nick Cave tours recently -- he's done that before back in 1994, guess it was permanent now.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 24 October 2003 00:15 (9 years ago) Permalink

Really? Wow-I wondered where JJ went. In the Long Still Night, now that's a doozy.

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 24 October 2003 00:19 (9 years ago) Permalink

Possibly the best cover of "To Love Somebody" ever, at the least. I see there's also some two-disc best-of/rarities thing out, and they're about to rerelease all the old albums with B-sides and bonuses and etc.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 24 October 2003 00:21 (9 years ago) Permalink

In the US too?

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 24 October 2003 00:36 (9 years ago) Permalink

Doubtful.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 24 October 2003 00:39 (9 years ago) Permalink

(Oops, just noticed the typo in the title)

― adaml (adaml), Friday, 24 October 2003 00:45 (9 years ago) Permalink

Saw them live in the early 90s and they smashed up some of their equipment at the end. Now while this would be a very passe thing to do and come across as cringy if the vast majority of bands did it, with them it seemed kinda appropriate.

― David Gunnip (David Gunnip), Friday, 24 October 2003 10:29 (9 years ago) Permalink

I saw them in belgium, and they were shockingly bad. The local spacemen 3 rip-off band blew them off stage, as did the 2 brit bands on the bill (the sunflowers and earwig) It put me off them for ages.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Friday, 24 October 2003 10:35 (9 years ago) Permalink

but now i suppose i think they're all right-ish.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Friday, 24 October 2003 10:53 (9 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

Revive! Are most of their records similar in tone to the brutal Tonight...The Singles Bar comp? I know precious little about them beyond that record, but it always impresses whenever I drag that mysterious artifact out. (As I just did!)

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Friday, 17 June 2005 04:45 (7 years ago) Permalink

Weren't they one of the first bands to cover Silver Apples? ("Ruby"?)

― donut e-goo (donut), Friday, 17 June 2005 04:57 (7 years ago) Permalink

I sort of knew people who were part of this band. Clive Duerdin, for one, but he left after the first two albums.

I remember their advert for a bass player (was tempted but didn't). "Elvis/Nick Cave" noted as influences. oh but in interviews they denied old nick, more than three times too.

"Ruby" was a silver apples track? "I'm justa boy with a heart full of lurrrve..."

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 17 June 2005 09:13 (7 years ago) Permalink

5 months pass...

REVIVE!

I just put their "May the Earth Open Here" on a mix.
I heard about them through a Volume magazine/sampler thing that I picked up for a quarter, which has a live version of their Ruby cover on it. I then saw their Tonight... The Singles Bar in a free bin at the local vinyl hut and grabbed it as fast as my little fingers could.
I saw in another thread that their proper album is super cheap on Amazon? I may go and pick that up, thanks.

― js (honestengine), Friday, 18 November 2005 14:16 (7 years ago) Permalink

3 months pass...

there's suppose to be a cover e.p of them doing lee hazlewood "look at that woman" among others.
can someone tell me what's title and if iys available?!

― frenzy, Wednesday, 22 February 2006 00:56 (7 years ago) Permalink

I prefer The Flaming Stars (GD drummer's band) to Gallon Drunk itself, but I'm probably the only one.

Great band, though.

― cdwill (cdwill), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 02:02 (7 years ago) Permalink

Yeah, one of the unfortunate ones to be overlooked. In my dream world, the Arctic Monkeys forsake their fame and fortune to promote Gallon Drunk to the world.

― js (honestengine), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 03:14 (7 years ago) Permalink

xpost Gay Dad's drummer has a band?

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 11:49 (7 years ago) Permalink

10 months pass...

So the band's myspace site claims this:

YOU, THE NIGHT...AND THE MUSIC (1992)
TONITE, THE SINGLES BAR(1992)
FROM THE HEART OF TOWN (1993).
ALL RERELEASED, REMASTERED, IN MARCH 2007 ON SARTORIAL RECORDS. ALL REISSUES INCLUDE MULTIPLE EXTA TRACKS.
NEW LP DUE IN AUGUST 2007

Which could be nice. That double-disc B-side etc. comp I mentioned upthread is good but most of the early B-sides aren't on there.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 7 January 2007 05:59 (6 years ago) Permalink

Good lord, I haven't thought about them since...well..since they opened for PJ Harvey circa '92.

― Good Warlock of the West (Bimble...), Sunday, 7 January 2007 06:01 (6 years ago) Permalink

Sorry I think I mean '93.

― Good Warlock of the West (Bimble...), Sunday, 7 January 2007 06:16 (6 years ago) Permalink

Them opening for PJH circa whenever was one best shows I've ever seen- them pulling out the bowel-rupturing bass saxophone, while whats-his-face played keys and banjo fills, followed by PJ and her estrogen explosion. Never been in a room where so many people (all the females in the audience) were elevating the presence of the person on stage. It was like she was shooting out laser beams to people hearts.

― bendy (bendy), Sunday, 7 January 2007 07:00 (6 years ago) Permalink

I saw them play some amazing shows early on, when they were making a tremendous Moodists-type rumble. Ritual audience abuse of their maraquista - who added an essential pinch of exotica to the sound - was a regular feature.

― Soukesian (Soukesian), Sunday, 7 January 2007 18:50 (6 years ago) Permalink

2 months pass...

Has anyone seen Gallon Drunk live recently? Were they any good and who was in them. I notice that they are playing live in London next Friday, and I would like to go and see them, but not if they will just remind me of former glories.

― The Real Dirty Vicar, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 21:48 (6 years ago) Permalink

The myspace site sez this is the current lineup:

James Johnston (guitar/vocals/organ),

Terry Edwards (sax/organ),

Ian White (drums)

Simon Wring (bass).

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 21:51 (6 years ago) Permalink

their first record is brilliant

― Zeno, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 22:02 (6 years ago) Permalink

They are a great underrated band and I like them very much, which is why I done this thread. Been listening to them a lot recently and they still sound good.

― admrl, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 22:05 (6 years ago) Permalink

I should check on those reissues they mentioned...

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 22:13 (6 years ago) Permalink

as if the Birthday party plays lounge and african music...yammy..

― Zeno, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 22:14 (6 years ago) Permalink

...okay, due for release in April.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 22:14 (6 years ago) Permalink

if i like flaming stars would i probably like gallon drunk?

(cuz i do like the flaming stars)

― M@tt He1ges0n, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 22:16 (6 years ago) Permalink

i've never been able to get into the flaming stars, but they don't sound THAT similar to me. They just have the same Soho reprobate look.

― admrl, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 22:18 (6 years ago) Permalink

This is the wrong thread to admit this on but since Matt asked... I loved the Flaming Stars to death a few years back - probably still would if I ever thought to dig their stuff out - and never quite got into Gallon Drunk, not even seeing them live in around 2000 (which is probably not considered a classic GD era, but there you go). So: not necessarily.

It's a long time since I heard either, though, so I ought to do that sometime soon.

― a passing spacecadet, Thursday, 29 March 2007 02:11 (6 years ago) Permalink

One thing that makes the Gallon Drunk reissues tempting is that maybe they will be better mastered than the old ones and have more than puny volume.

Seeing Terry Edwards with GD again would be nice, but I'd miss Mike Delanian and Joe Byfield.

― The Real Dirty Vicar, Thursday, 29 March 2007 17:12 (6 years ago) Permalink

I only finally got around to hearing the Flaming Stars a couple of months back when I picked up that very handy double-disc overview of their stuff that come out last year -- got it for cheap via the Tower implosion, doubly-handy. Definitely not Gallon Drunk but Max Decharne works his own thing really well. I'm also a fan of the one Earls of Suave album, which was the transitional thing he did post-GD and pre-the Flaming Stars (who were essentially the same lineup, I think).

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 29 March 2007 17:19 (6 years ago) Permalink

the pj harvey/gallon drunk peel session collab is friggin' amazing. too bad she left both of those songs off her recent peel sessions cd. if she had done an album with gallon drunk and her original rhythm section it might be my favorite thing ever.

― Edward III, Thursday, 29 March 2007 17:54 (6 years ago) Permalink

anyway, have a listen:

pj harvey gallon drunk peel session

― Edward III, Thursday, 29 March 2007 18:38 (6 years ago) Permalink

thanks!

― admrl, Thursday, 29 March 2007 19:58 (6 years ago) Permalink

2 months pass...

I just pulled out my copy of You, the Night...And the Music and I'm really blown away by it. I haven't listened to it in years but it holds up remarkably well mainly on the intensity of the performances. Plus, I liked the idea that there's one guy in the band who just plays maracas. I remember not liking From the Heart of Town that much, but I should probably check it out.

Are there any plans to reissue In the Long Still Night? I've never heard this one and it seems completely unavailable from the usual channels.

The funny thing is that I learned about them from the list of bands thanked by Stereolab on the back of Switched On way back when. Anything I tracked down from that list never really disappointed me (Faith Healers, Moose, Moonshake, etc.).

― Bill in Chicago, Wednesday, 27 June 2007 19:51 (5 years ago) Permalink

3 months pass...

just seen them live. They were awesome. Don't stop, BELIEVINNNNNN!

― The Real Dirty Vicar, Thursday, 18 October 2007 23:16 (5 years ago) Permalink

2 weeks pass...

Saw them last night and DV is OTM. Also, this exact thought from him went through my head:

Seeing Terry Edwards with GD again would be nice, but I'd miss Mike Delanian and Joe Byfield.

James Johnston seems to have aged into Ricky Ross circa 'Dignity', which is just bizarre.

― aldo, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 12:04 (5 years ago) Permalink

little video i took last year, but with the same lineup:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r--tOQaNu-M
they can still be really amazing live... unfortunately won't be able to make their London show on Sunday

― lynshroom, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 13:12 (5 years ago) Permalink

3 years pass...

big sexy noise @ corsica tonight

love these guys

terry has an excellent label http://sartorialrecords.greedbag.com/ i highly recommend the dear thief stuff.

― Crackle Box, Thursday, 9 December 2010 17:20 (2 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

http://vimeo.com/37880962

new album, yahhhh

― pagan diskow (Crackle Box), Monday, 2 April 2012 12:46 (1 year ago) Permalink

3 months pass...

The only great London band besides The Clash (The Stones are from Kent).

― www.gbokchoymail.com (admrl), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 16:49 (10 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

Great raw-sounding band. I love their heavy, sweaty, organ-drenched urban blues rock. Live they used to be very loud, probably more so than MBV. I didn't know that they still existed. They have a new album out. The title says it all: "The Road Gets Darker from Here". Definitely a return to form.

― alex in mainhattan, Saturday, 15 September 2012 09:45 (8 months ago) Permalink

used to be a bunch of people you'd see at Scientists shows and a few other bands CAve, Gun Club etc dressed in a style reminiscent of Dylan in 65 but with greaser/Cave hairstyles. They turned out to be the original members of Gallon Drunk including Kim Salmon's flatmate who was the original drummer or percussionist.

― Stevolende, Saturday, 15 September 2012 10:50 (8 months ago) Permalink

4 months pass...

the new album is grand, this is my favourite:

― Crackle Box, Monday, 11 February 2013 12:56 (3 months ago) Permalink

currently on tour too, worth seeing! bring earplugs, because yes, they are very very loud.

― Crackle Box, Monday, 11 February 2013 12:57 (3 months ago) Permalink

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