Monday, 1 December 2014

BATTLE OF THE ENGLISH DOGS VINYL RELEASES PART 3

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” .


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