Description
Deluxe Card Gatefold Sleeve
Disc One Powerglide –Re Mastered
1. Ready to Ball
2. R.I.P Rock n Roll
3. Soulbone
4. Asteroid B-612
5. Tumblin’ Down
6. Love & Learn
7. Sweet Nuthin’
8. Powerglide
9. Hustlin’
10. Thrill
11. Green Eyed Soul
12. Do it Again
13. Electrophonic Tonic
14. Starvin’
15. Hi Jackin Love Amsterdam radio bonus
16. Rip R’n’R Bordeaux 2002
17. You’re So Great Madrid 2003
18. Ready to Ball Cologne 2001
19. Asteroid B612 Amsterdam 2002
20. Tumbling Down Amsterdam 2002
Disc Two: The Perry Como Tape ( unreleased rehearsals) 56 mins
1. Asteroid B-612
2. Do it again
3. Electrophonic Tonic
4. Green eyed soul
5. Hustlin’
6. Love & Learn
7. Powerglide
8. Ready to Ball
9. RiP Rock N Roll
10. Soulbone
11. Sweet Nuthin’
12. Thrill
13. Tumblin’ Down
14. Starvin’
Scott Morgan Guitar & Vox
Tony ‘Slug’ Leeuwenburgh Guitar
Theo Brouwer Bass
Andy ‘Frost Monster’ Frost Drums
All Songs Scott Morgan (Chaucer Bach / Bug Music ) except * Sweet Nuthin’ & Do It Again, Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith & Powerglide Scott Morgan & Tony Leeuwenburgh
The Hydromatics feature a genuine Detroit legend in the form of Scott Morgan, frontman of ’60s soul rockers The Rationals, guitarist in Sonic’s Rendezvous Band (alongside the MC5’s Fred “Sonic” Smith), member of super group Dodge Main (featuring MC5’s Wayner Kramer and Radio Birdman axe-smith Deniz Tek), and leader of his own Scots Pirates. He’s a name that many of you heavy metal dudes may not know but should, as he’s got some of the best pipes in the rock n’ roll game and is a mean songwriter. If you like the aforementioned bands, or dig the Stooges, early Bob Seger, early Nuge, etc then I suggest you start digging up the Scott Morgan catalog. And Powerglide is a damn good place to start.
Morgan formed the Hydromatics alongside guitarist Tony Slug, bassist Theo Brouwer and Hellacopters leader Nicke Royale (back on drums here) in 1998 and released an awesome debut CD in ’99 called Parts Unknown that revisited the Motor City rock sounds of yesteryear in the form of a modern day power punk rawk outfit. Though Royal doesn’t play on this one, Powerglide is more of the same but even stronger song-wise. Featuring brand new tunes alongside several choice remakes, the band delivers a one 1-2 punch after the other and mixes hard rock power with soulful R&B strut.
“Ready To Ball,” “RIP RnR,” and “Soulbone” make for a smashing three-way introduction to this disc, leaping out of the gate, one after the other, with a garage rock fury that would make the White Stripes poop their little red and white panties. “Tumblin’ Down,” “Love and Learn,” and “Green Eyed Soul” delves into rootsy Motown for influence but rock nonetheless, often sounding like Van Morison’s Them if covered by, well, the Hellacopters! We also get three SRB remakes in the form of “Do It Again,” “Electrophonic Tonic,” and “Asteroid B-612,” which is cool considering how hard the original versions are to come by these days.
Morgan sings his ass off and the band provides much sonic firepower to back up his massive vocal gusto, switching gears effortlessly between kick ass hard rock and smoky soul. It’s a potent cocktail for sure and one that fans of this genre would be foolish to pass up on. Not for diehard punk or metal fans, this is a treat best enjoyed by cats who like to rock n’ roll and dig the swingin’ sounds of the ’60s…albeit as pounded through walls of Marshals and a thick curtain of horns and noise.
Jim Bob dmz (verified owner) –
mind blowing….. if youre a fan of detroit rock and sonics rendezvous band get this album you get to hear all those cool songs in amazing quality .. i had this cd when it first came out but it sounds ten times better now with tons of cool bonus material
Craig Regan (verified owner) –
UK label Easy Action is launching into its three-legged re-issue campaign for trans-Atlantic super group the Hydromatics by leading off with the band’s next-to-last studio recording. And with good reason. “Powerglide” is the perfect meeting place of blue-collar Detroit rock and roll and blue-eyed soul.
“Powerglide” came out in 2001 but if you can remember blinking back then you probably missed it. No sooner had it landed in the racks then the Italian label that put it out went belly-up. Fourteen years later, the gap in the market for genuine, rocking soul with power is larger than ever, so it deserves to sell by the truckload.
Featuring the prodigious talents of Michigan legend Scott Morgan up-front, the Hydros became a cult item throughout the rock and roll boltholes of Europe. This record emphatically shows why.
The Hydromatics had assembled to showcase the songs of Sonic’s Rendezvous Band. At that stage their music was mostly the stuff of shoddy bootlegs and a solitary double-sided single. The posthumous “Sweet Nothing” live record and “City Slang” follow-up EP had revived interest. Morgan himself had been keeping the flame burning with his own bands. The studio-recorded “Parts Unknown” was the Hydro’s debut album and, yes, it did the music justice. “Powerglide” distilled all that was great about that and wrapped parts of it in horns and female backing vocals to up the ante.
True to the original charter of the band, the core of the album is seven Sonic’s Rendezvous band songs. By now, however, this was more than a cover band. The Hydros were pursuing their own muse with some killer originals, mostly penned by Morgan.
Morgan’s guitar partnership with Dutchman Tony Slug (Nitwitz, BGK) scorches on raw and raucous tracks like “Ready To Ball” and “R.I.P. R’n’R” and he’s never sung better. By now, Morgan’s Powertrane bandmate Andy Frost had replaced the Hellacopters’ Nicke Royale on drums due to the latter’s other commitments. What the band lost in star power it gained in dynamics. Frost and the fluid Theo Brouwer on bass struck up an instant and enviable partnership.
At 23, Frost was something of a prodigy, coming into Morgan’s Ann Arbor-based band Powertrane after spending time in the orbit of Scott “Rock Action” Asheton. The young man was clearly born to play drums and his precise but immensely powerful work runs through “Powerglide” like a tank through a farmyard. Andy’s death from a drug overdose in 2010 was tragic and the re-packaged album is dedicated to his memory.
“Soulbone” resonates with a glow that makes it sound like it was birthed at Muscle Shoals. There’s a similar appeal to the swelling “Green-Eyed Soul.” “Ready To Ball” and “R.I.P. Rock and Roll” are as fearsome a two-punch opener as you’ll hear. “Tumblin’ Down” swaggers like the Stones all amped-up on quality pharmaceuticals and Memphis soul.
The re-issue maintains the hidden studio track, “Starvin’”, a tightly mixed dose of horns and vocal but without the interminable gap between it and the rest of the record. The first CD is faithf8ul to the original song order and appends half a dozen fiery live cuts from Europe in 2001-02. Then we parachute into uncharted territory with the second disc of unreleased rehearsals, dubbed “The Perry Como Tape” because it was recorded on the same day the old crooner bit the dust.
Think of this as the full album, pared back to its base elements. The guitar partnership of Morgan and Slug is right in your face, but Andy Frost’s dynamism almost steals the show. Sound quality is right up there so be sure to crank it up.
The original album’s been given a db tweak in the mastering and it’s come up a treat. Tony Slug’s production was always a winner and now sparkles a touch more. In-house art guy Les Clark’s kicked another goal with the new packaging.
Ken Shimamoto’s concise liners put the whole story perfectly in perspective and underline that the Hydros were very much a product of the road. They’re also a reminder of how I-94 Bar readers assisted when Theo Brouwer pulled out of an imminent European tour. Thanks to you barflies, we connected the band with Laurent Ciron, a Frenchman who’d played bass for The Dogs (the Gallic ones) and generously got his arse to Amsterdam and strapped himself in for a month-long tour.
Mohair Sweets (verified owner) –
Crazy good and essential listening for any fan of REAL Detroit rock ‘n’ roll.