(SPEED CITY RECORDS)
63 Monroe are neither on the verge of drawing their pensions nor Marilyn-affiliated in any way, though they have long been plying classy old style rock 'n' roll, and these 16 tracks form a compilation of their coolest cuts.
'Rebel Forever' opens with Mark Anderson on vocals, and while Anderson is the singer of the band on most of the songs, a certain Mark Burnaway has his hand-on-mike in a number of tracks. While their style of music really belongs in the 60's, contemporary bands that 63 Monroe remind of include Metallica and The Scorpions, whilst the most melodic songs in 'Sweet September' and 'Strike Three' have a Guns 'n' Roses air of catchiness about them.
A batch of the tracks are craftily preceded by quotes from various movies, including 'Me love you long time' and 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning,' the latter that leads into 'F.Y.M.L.' - whatever the feck that's supposed to mean.
The band assure me they're in London's 'Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame' and that it's been nearly 20 years since they last released something (!). 'Do you ever fantasise about being killed?' so wonders the intro to 'Psycho Bitch,' and the answer is no. Instead I fantasise that 63 Monroe were better known and more widely respected, because they're damn well time-served in their rock field and swagger aloft with a bunch of quality tunes, all laced with punky edginess. 3/5 (Steve Rudd)
www.speedcityrecords.com
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