THE BAMBI SLAM
'The Bambi Slam' -  Album (1988)
The album opens with 'Ba Ba Ba Boom', (which is an adequate description of the pounding drums that drive the track), displaying the Bambi Slam trademark of treble-heavy buzzsaw guitars and an anthemic chorus recalling Jesus and Mary Chain.

'Long Time Comin'' follows with a more funky, acoustic sound over a dirty bassline that wouldn't sound out of place on a Primal Scream album.  Track three, 'Now', also begins acoustically, featuring strings and saxophone under a whispered vocal, until the chorus crashes in with distorted guitars, and in classic Nirvana style, manages to be both moody and moving.

'Outa My Head' is fairly unmemorable, mostly due to Roy's vocal limitations and a schizophrenic approach that makes the song seem cobbled together from bits and pieces.

A new version of 'The Awful Flute Song' (from the independent 12" single 'Don't It Make You Feel') closes side one of the vinyl version of this album.  One of the best tracks simply because of a perfect mix of mellow melancholy and aggressive despair, moving from flutes and acoustic guitars into a drum-crashing distorted guitar ending.

Track six 'Thinkin'Bout Chu' again displays a mix of styles that Primal Scream would later use successfully - funky bass and filthy guitars. The addition of strings towards the end even suggests a few flourishes that Prince would be proud of, although the production sadly finds these lost in the mix to a large extent.

'Summer Smilin'' is another Jesus and Mary Chain type anthem, with distorted electric and strummed acoustic guitars mixing together to create a summery feel that also manages to feel a little claustrophobic.

'Take Me With You', is effectively the earlier independent label single 'Happy Birthday' with new lyrics.  As you'd expect with a track that was released as a single, there are guitar hooks all over the place, and the song builds up in each verse from a slightly funky acoustic riff into a driving distorted chorus, with another vocal delivery that brings to mind Bobby Gillespie when he discovered soul music.

Track nine, 'I'm Left Wonderin' is a bit of a filler, and although fairly inoffensive, may well have sounded better if they could have afforded better production for the album.

The official closing track is the acoustic lament, 'So Long', which contains longing and regret in bucketloads. Despite having a fairly simple, repetitive chord progression throughout, the track hits the right tone of melancholy with Roy's softly pleading vocals and a tear-jerking cello melody layered over the instrumental break.

A 'hidden track' appears after this; a reprise of 'The Awful Flute Song' again with different lyrics, although there's no real discernable difference musically from the version on side one of the album.  As a closer though, it works very well, ensuring that the mixture of quiet reflection and angry despair that runs throughout are both featured as the album draws to a close.
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