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Oriphiel · 01-04-2015, 06:15 AM

Boys Versus Girls - "Thee Headcoats" Versus "Thee Headcoatees"!

In the late 1980's, Billy Childish, Johnny Johnson, and Bruce Band, created a Punk band dubbed "Thee Headcoats". Focusing on attaining a sound influenced by 1960's era Garage Rock, they quickly gained a reputation as one of the premier Garage Rock bands of their generation, and needless to say developed a cult following. Their female counterpart was a band named "The Delmonas", who later came to be dubbed "Thee Headcoatees". Comprised of Ludella Black, Kyra LaRubia, Debbie Green, and Holly Golightly, they were one of the staples of Thee Headcoats' live performances, adding female vocals/harmonies and extra instrumentation to flesh their songs out. However, Thee Headcoatees weren't content to be just a backing band, and with Billy Childish's support (the two bands often shared songs. Billy had a knack for writing original material, while Holly was apparently a collector of odd and obscure music, songs that were just asking for a good cover), they began cutting their own albums.

Today, we'll be looking at the debut albums of both halves of Thee Headcoats, comparing them to see which was ultimately the stronger LP. I haven't listened to either band very often, so both albums will be very new to me. Now, it's time to begin. Will it be the burned-out boys, or the girls in the garage? Let's find out!

Headcoats Down

1. "Smile Now" - Kicking off with a heavy and solid drum beat, as well as a healthy dose of fuzz-guitars, Thee Headcoats promise to deliver a fun and vintage sound. While the instrumentation is strong and recorded very well to have a retro feeling, the vocals are a bit weak (and the analogue-style effect over the lead singer certainly sounds cool, but only adds to the shakiness). This is not the worst Garage Rock song I've ever heard, but certain parts of it, namely the vocals, lack the explosive energy and charm that vintage material has.

2. "Please Little Baby" - A great mixture of Surf-style drum rolls and electric organ work! They did a fantastic job with getting their sound just right, to the point where I wouldn't be surprised if this song popped up on a compilation like Pebbles or Nuggets. The vocals fit better here than in the last song, although they still seem rather weak.

3. "You're Looking Fine" - This steady rocker has a great beat, and a fair amount of style to it! The guitarist and drummer really work well together, creating a simple yet compelling beat. The vocals actually fit in pretty well with the rest of the song, making this the most solid song so far.

Thee Headcoats, looking quite dapper.

4. "In Your Hand" - My favorite song so far, this one really hits the vintage sound in the bullseye! All it's missing is the distant fuzz of a beat-up 45. I think the guitarist (Billy Childish, who also happens to be the vocalist) does especially well with this one, keeping things steady until the fantastic break!

5. "Child's Death Letter" - A cover of a song by Blues legend Son House, this cover definitely shows it's roots. With all the melancholy twang of the indigo notes, this fantastic tribute is a welcome change of pace!

6. "I'll Make You Mine" - After that brief departure into the Blues, we're grabbed by the legs and dragged back into the muddy grave of psycho Garage Rock! Similar to the first four tracks of the album, this one is a bit more solid than the opener, and has a nice frantic sound to it (especially when the vocalist laughs menacingly during the chorus).

7. "Headcoat and the Mortar-Board" - A very odd and almost comically frantic song, with lyrics like "Put on your head coat! Strap that thing upon your head!" Definitely the weirdest track so far, although the fuzz-guitar sounds fantastic.

8. "Wily Coyote" - Another fun Blues number, this one stands up tall with the famous "Hoochie Coochie Man" as it's backbone. Definitely a tribute to chaps like Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley. I actually really liked this one!

9. "Let Me Touch" - Another Garage-style psycho scramble, the drummer and bassist hit the listener hard while the vocalist pleads for some lovin'.

10. "I'm the Doctor" - The rising and falling tune of the electric organ and guitar remind me of a whole mess of vintage Garage songs, like Keith Kessler's "Don't Crowd Me", although that song is much more upbeat than this one. Slow and Blues-y, this one has a great tone to it.

11. "John The Revelator" - Another Son House number. Just like the original, this one is purely an unaccompanied vocal number. It lacks the raw authenticity of Son House's version, but is still a fun version in it's own right.

12. "Young Blood" - The final track of their debut, the Headcoats part with a heavy Garage Rock number (complete with randomly explicit lyrics!). This one is just as solid as their other Rock/Punk numbers, with a few nice touches (the guitar break was pretty fun, as well as the howling at the end).

And so Thee Headcoats' first album comes to a close. It's definitely a fun album, however it certainly has flaws to it. The first is that for most of the album, Thee Headcoats stay very closely to their core Garage Rock sound, which results in most of the songs sounding very similar. The analogue-effect that is placed over the vocals takes a lot of the energy out of their songs, and is just one more thing that makes almost all of their Garage tracks sound like the same song played in a slightly different way. Their saving grace is their experimentation with the Blues, which provide a handful of fresh songs to help keep the album interesting. It's a good album, and I think most fans of Garage Rock will find a few songs to their liking (or maybe even the whole album, who knows?), however it simply lacks the magic of vintage Garage Rock. Now that the boys have gone, it's time to see if the girls have what it takes to reign supreme over the Garage...

Girlsville

1. "Wild Man" - Damn! Right off the bat, The Headcoatees are already slaughtering the boys! This fantastically odd cover of the obscure original by The Tamrons is a delight to listen to, with almost-moaning minimalist vocals, clean background harmonies, and a very solid backbeat as provided by the loud drummer and rough guitarist! Their debut is off to a great start!

2. "When the Night Comes" - Remember Girls in the Garage? This song seriously sounds like it belongs there. A perfect harmony of rough and smooth, the soft vocals and harmonies add a nice contrast to the heavy drumming and sharp guitar riffing.

3. "Stolen Love" - A slow and melancholy number about a girl who confronts the woman who stole her man. The highlight of the song is the chorus, when a fuzz-guitar kicks in to great effect! This song has both grit and class, giving it a fun and compelling sound.

Thee Headcoatees!

4. "Round Every Corner" - This gritty rocker has a Blues-y feeling to it, adding to the odd variety of the album. A very solid song with a fun guitar riff and good amount of vocal harmonies to flesh things out!

5. "Run for Your Life" - A fuzzed-out cover of John Lennon's oft criticized number from "Rubber Soul". It's got a fast pace and a fun shuffle backbeat, giving it a good amount of energy.

6. "Give it to Me" - Forgoing their earlier sound, they dive right into straight Punk Rock with this raw number. Still, their signature Garage sound emerges in the odd harmony and the twangy guitar solo. This track has a fantastic wildness to it, with screaming and thrashy guitars all over the place!

Thee Headcoatees in their early days, as The Delmonas.

7. "Dirty Old Man" - Emulating the classic riff-rock of bands like The Kinks, this is a fun tribute to the aging local drunkards that seem to pop up in every town! Though it's a comedic song, it's still got a great beat to it, putting it on par with any other Garage Rock number.

8. "Melvin" - Remember this one, from "Girls in the Garage"? The Belles' cult classic gender-reversal of the band Them's "Gloria" gets a fantastic tribute, with just as much punch as the original! Grand and strange, it has plenty of nice touches to it, like the Psychedelic electric organ in the background and a few tweaks to the lyrics ("Boom boom!").

9. "The First Plane Home" - Taking another change in direction, this one is a clean Beat-style Pop-Punk number. The guitar riff sounds great and vintage, as well as the vocals and harmonies, and I love the harmonica break!

The two bands played many live shows together.

10. "Meet Jacqueline" - A great tribute to Pop-Rock, particularly from the 1950's and early 1960's (with a deep voiced male vocalist making doo-wop style embellishments)! The ever-rolling drums and simple guitar riff add to the fun, mixing with the vocals to create an oddly charming song.

11. "Boysville" - A solid Blues number with a "Hoochie Coochie Man" style backbeat. Compared to The Headcoats' "Wily Coyote", which follows the same beat, this one has much more variety and excitement to it, having a 1960's Garage Rock chorus injected into it.

12. "Money" - And Thee Headcoatees' wrap things up by trying their hand at the classic "Money ("That's What I Want"). This one is actually a tribute to the Beatles' version, rather than the Barrett Strong original, being almost identical to their Liverpool Lads' take on it. Definitely the most unpolished song of the album, this one aims for raw Punk intensity and hits it right in the nose.

Having finished Thee Headcoatees' debut album, there is only one thing I can say; I need to listen to more of their music! They have an amazing amount of versatility and variety throughout their songs, and have the unique ability to make their songs sound both hauntingly vintage and incredibly modern. This is one of the rare albums where I found myself constantly in anticipation of the next track, wondering what kind of crazy song they would come up with next! I don't say this often, but this album is a must-listen, being quite possibly the most fresh and engaging album by a Garage Revival band that I've ever heard.

Now, who won the battle of the sexes? Was it the boys or the girls? Well, if you read my closing commentary on both albums, I think you already know which band takes the cake here. Without a doubt, Thee Headcoatees blow their male counterparts out of the water with an almost effortless ease! Where the boys are fairly formulaic in their approach to Garage Rock, the girls go all out with a wide array of sounds and techniques that makes "Headcoats Down" look like an amateur effort in comparison. So, the girls are the clear winners in this match, becoming the reigning queens of the garage!

01-04-2015, 06:15 AM	#67 (permalink)
Oriphiel Ask me how! Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: The States Posts: 5,354	Boys Versus Girls! Boys Versus Girls - "Thee Headcoats" Versus "Thee Headcoatees"! In the late 1980's, Billy Childish, Johnny Johnson, and Bruce Band, created a Punk band dubbed "Thee Headcoats". Focusing on attaining a sound influenced by 1960's era Garage Rock, they quickly gained a reputation as one of the premier Garage Rock bands of their generation, and needless to say developed a cult following. Their female counterpart was a band named "The Delmonas", who later came to be dubbed "Thee Headcoatees". Comprised of Ludella Black, Kyra LaRubia, Debbie Green, and Holly Golightly, they were one of the staples of Thee Headcoats' live performances, adding female vocals/harmonies and extra instrumentation to flesh their songs out. However, Thee Headcoatees weren't content to be just a backing band, and with Billy Childish's support (the two bands often shared songs. Billy had a knack for writing original material, while Holly was apparently a collector of odd and obscure music, songs that were just asking for a good cover), they began cutting their own albums. Today, we'll be looking at the debut albums of both halves of Thee Headcoats, comparing them to see which was ultimately the stronger LP. I haven't listened to either band very often, so both albums will be very new to me. Now, it's time to begin. Will it be the burned-out boys, or the girls in the garage? Let's find out! Headcoats Down 1. "Smile Now" - Kicking off with a heavy and solid drum beat, as well as a healthy dose of fuzz-guitars, Thee Headcoats promise to deliver a fun and vintage sound. While the instrumentation is strong and recorded very well to have a retro feeling, the vocals are a bit weak (and the analogue-style effect over the lead singer certainly sounds cool, but only adds to the shakiness). This is not the worst Garage Rock song I've ever heard, but certain parts of it, namely the vocals, lack the explosive energy and charm that vintage material has. 2. "Please Little Baby" - A great mixture of Surf-style drum rolls and electric organ work! They did a fantastic job with getting their sound just right, to the point where I wouldn't be surprised if this song popped up on a compilation like Pebbles or Nuggets. The vocals fit better here than in the last song, although they still seem rather weak. 3. "You're Looking Fine" - This steady rocker has a great beat, and a fair amount of style to it! The guitarist and drummer really work well together, creating a simple yet compelling beat. The vocals actually fit in pretty well with the rest of the song, making this the most solid song so far. Thee Headcoats, looking quite dapper. 4. "In Your Hand" - My favorite song so far, this one really hits the vintage sound in the bullseye! All it's missing is the distant fuzz of a beat-up 45. I think the guitarist (Billy Childish, who also happens to be the vocalist) does especially well with this one, keeping things steady until the fantastic break! 5. "Child's Death Letter" - A cover of a song by Blues legend Son House, this cover definitely shows it's roots. With all the melancholy twang of the indigo notes, this fantastic tribute is a welcome change of pace! 6. "I'll Make You Mine" - After that brief departure into the Blues, we're grabbed by the legs and dragged back into the muddy grave of psycho Garage Rock! Similar to the first four tracks of the album, this one is a bit more solid than the opener, and has a nice frantic sound to it (especially when the vocalist laughs menacingly during the chorus). 7. "Headcoat and the Mortar-Board" - A very odd and almost comically frantic song, with lyrics like "Put on your head coat! Strap that thing upon your head!" Definitely the weirdest track so far, although the fuzz-guitar sounds fantastic. 8. "Wily Coyote" - Another fun Blues number, this one stands up tall with the famous "Hoochie Coochie Man" as it's backbone. Definitely a tribute to chaps like Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley. I actually really liked this one! 9. "Let Me Touch" - Another Garage-style psycho scramble, the drummer and bassist hit the listener hard while the vocalist pleads for some lovin'. 10. "I'm the Doctor" - The rising and falling tune of the electric organ and guitar remind me of a whole mess of vintage Garage songs, like Keith Kessler's "Don't Crowd Me", although that song is much more upbeat than this one. Slow and Blues-y, this one has a great tone to it. 11. "John The Revelator" - Another Son House number. Just like the original, this one is purely an unaccompanied vocal number. It lacks the raw authenticity of Son House's version, but is still a fun version in it's own right. 12. "Young Blood" - The final track of their debut, the Headcoats part with a heavy Garage Rock number (complete with randomly explicit lyrics!). This one is just as solid as their other Rock/Punk numbers, with a few nice touches (the guitar break was pretty fun, as well as the howling at the end). And so Thee Headcoats' first album comes to a close. It's definitely a fun album, however it certainly has flaws to it. The first is that for most of the album, Thee Headcoats stay very closely to their core Garage Rock sound, which results in most of the songs sounding very similar. The analogue-effect that is placed over the vocals takes a lot of the energy out of their songs, and is just one more thing that makes almost all of their Garage tracks sound like the same song played in a slightly different way. Their saving grace is their experimentation with the Blues, which provide a handful of fresh songs to help keep the album interesting. It's a good album, and I think most fans of Garage Rock will find a few songs to their liking (or maybe even the whole album, who knows?), however it simply lacks the magic of vintage Garage Rock. Now that the boys have gone, it's time to see if the girls have what it takes to reign supreme over the Garage... Girlsville 1. "Wild Man" - Damn! Right off the bat, The Headcoatees are already slaughtering the boys! This fantastically odd cover of the obscure original by The Tamrons is a delight to listen to, with almost-moaning minimalist vocals, clean background harmonies, and a very solid backbeat as provided by the loud drummer and rough guitarist! Their debut is off to a great start! 2. "When the Night Comes" - Remember Girls in the Garage? This song seriously sounds like it belongs there. A perfect harmony of rough and smooth, the soft vocals and harmonies add a nice contrast to the heavy drumming and sharp guitar riffing. 3. "Stolen Love" - A slow and melancholy number about a girl who confronts the woman who stole her man. The highlight of the song is the chorus, when a fuzz-guitar kicks in to great effect! This song has both grit and class, giving it a fun and compelling sound. Thee Headcoatees! 4. "Round Every Corner" - This gritty rocker has a Blues-y feeling to it, adding to the odd variety of the album. A very solid song with a fun guitar riff and good amount of vocal harmonies to flesh things out! 5. "Run for Your Life" - A fuzzed-out cover of John Lennon's oft criticized number from "Rubber Soul". It's got a fast pace and a fun shuffle backbeat, giving it a good amount of energy. 6. "Give it to Me" - Forgoing their earlier sound, they dive right into straight Punk Rock with this raw number. Still, their signature Garage sound emerges in the odd harmony and the twangy guitar solo. This track has a fantastic wildness to it, with screaming and thrashy guitars all over the place! Thee Headcoatees in their early days, as The Delmonas. 7. "Dirty Old Man" - Emulating the classic riff-rock of bands like The Kinks, this is a fun tribute to the aging local drunkards that seem to pop up in every town! Though it's a comedic song, it's still got a great beat to it, putting it on par with any other Garage Rock number. 8. "Melvin" - Remember this one, from "Girls in the Garage"? The Belles' cult classic gender-reversal of the band Them's "Gloria" gets a fantastic tribute, with just as much punch as the original! Grand and strange, it has plenty of nice touches to it, like the Psychedelic electric organ in the background and a few tweaks to the lyrics ("Boom boom!"). 9. "The First Plane Home" - Taking another change in direction, this one is a clean Beat-style Pop-Punk number. The guitar riff sounds great and vintage, as well as the vocals and harmonies, and I love the harmonica break! The two bands played many live shows together. 10. "Meet Jacqueline" - A great tribute to Pop-Rock, particularly from the 1950's and early 1960's (with a deep voiced male vocalist making doo-wop style embellishments)! The ever-rolling drums and simple guitar riff add to the fun, mixing with the vocals to create an oddly charming song. 11. "Boysville" - A solid Blues number with a "Hoochie Coochie Man" style backbeat. Compared to The Headcoats' "Wily Coyote", which follows the same beat, this one has much more variety and excitement to it, having a 1960's Garage Rock chorus injected into it. 12. "Money" - And Thee Headcoatees' wrap things up by trying their hand at the classic "Money ("That's What I Want"). This one is actually a tribute to the Beatles' version, rather than the Barrett Strong original, being almost identical to their Liverpool Lads' take on it. Definitely the most unpolished song of the album, this one aims for raw Punk intensity and hits it right in the nose. Having finished Thee Headcoatees' debut album, there is only one thing I can say; I need to listen to more of their music! They have an amazing amount of versatility and variety throughout their songs, and have the unique ability to make their songs sound both hauntingly vintage and incredibly modern. This is one of the rare albums where I found myself constantly in anticipation of the next track, wondering what kind of crazy song they would come up with next! I don't say this often, but this album is a must-listen, being quite possibly the most fresh and engaging album by a Garage Revival band that I've ever heard. Now, who won the battle of the sexes? Was it the boys or the girls? Well, if you read my closing commentary on both albums, I think you already know which band takes the cake here. Without a doubt, Thee Headcoatees blow their male counterparts out of the water with an almost effortless ease! Where the boys are fairly formulaic in their approach to Garage Rock, the girls go all out with a wide array of sounds and techniques that makes "Headcoats Down" look like an amateur effort in comparison. So, the girls are the clear winners in this match, becoming the reigning queens of the garage! Last edited by Oriphiel; 01-04-2015 at 09:58 AM.