ENGLISH DOGS – TWO DIFFERENT BANDS; two separate vinyl
releases in 2014
The UK PUNK Version with - WE DID, WE DO, WE ALWAYS FUCKING
WILL! Versus The Metal Dogs version with THE THING WITH TWO HEADS.
Separate reviews are below in full.
Content/Integrity
WE DID, WE DO, WE ALWAYS FUCKING WILL! Wakey’s lineup stick to their original ethos
of sharp punk songs laced with astute lyricism. The integrity of this release
stacks up to the English Dogs early material with Wakey, and is a worthy
addition to the English Dogs somewhat patchy output post 1985.
THE THING WITH TWO
HEADS Adey, Pinch and Gizz stick to
their “metalmorphosis” and largely disclaim their punk origins, to their
detriment. Despite Pinch’s claims that it would be the missing link between
their landmark crossover punk metal gems To
the Ends of the Earth and Forward
into Battle, it misses that mark in their mission to be metal. It doesn’t
quite stack up to the legacy of those records, and whilst it’s an OK English
Dogs release from core members of the “metal” line up, they needed to infuse it
with a bit more punk energy.
Playing/lyrics
WDWDWAFW features a rejuvenated line up that’s having fun.
The playing is great, and showcases their punk energy. The lyrics encapsulate
Wakey’s warped outlook and shrewd
observations.
TTWTH features a tight band and sound for sure. But they’re
almost too spot on and technical, in contrast to the unbridled energy of To the Ends of the Earth and Forward into Battle. The lyrics are a
bit too comic book Tolkienish. One song
keeps referring to a retard.
Production
The production on WDWDWAFW captures the band perfectly. The
spark’s there, and there’s a full stereo sound that’s solid.
Production on TTWTH is good, that’s about all I have to say,
except well, it’s a bit clinical.
Packaging
WDWDWAFW isn’t overstated, but does the job effectively good old black and white, it’ put
together well, nicely set out with inner sleeve.
TTWTH tries its best with gatefold sleeve, great cover art,
and coloured green vinyl. It’s nice, but it doesn’t seem quite right.
CONCLUSION
The UK PUNK Version with - WE DID, WE DO, WE ALWAYS FUCKING
WILL! Emerges victorious and wins the
battle.
At the end of the day, it’s a stronger release as a whole,
and it’s the one that had me singing along. There’s a bit more integrity to it.
If you read the lyrics to Death to the
Dogs from WDWDWAFW it kind of says it all really. They laid down a
challenge to the Metal Dogs – and they win.
There are loads of
positive reviews for TTWTH, and it’s only my opinion. As a fan of the English
Dogs I did buy both, and I remain a fan of both versions/line ups. I saw
Wakey’s lot when they came out last year, and they were great, it was great to
see them play the old stuff alongside stuff from WDWDWAFW. If the Metal Dogs
version came out I’d go and see them.
I like TTWTH – it’s still an English Dogs release and it has
some good bits on it, I’ve played it a fair bit. There’s some bits that I’m
just not too enamoured with. It’s let down by some songs which just don’t
use enough of their original DNA.
Here’s an idea. Perhaps if they hadn’t had their
differences, the two bands could have released a split LP. Then it really would
have been “The thing with two heads” .
