I was offered to write a review for this release, and agreeing, the first thing I did was to look for information about the artists – Mark “Sparky” Philips and The Hillbilly Moon Explosion band. But after a bit of thought, I decided that it would be much more interesting to do exactly the opposite for once – not to look for any information and go on a blind date. The thing is, I’ve never heard of anyone named Mark Philips. I do not know who he is or what he is famous for. I’ve also never heard of The Hillbilly Moon Explosion band. Damn it, I don’t even know what genre this album I’m going to listen to is in. But that’s exactly what I found interesting: I had a well-founded chance not to search for anything, not to check anything, but just to click on play, because I was offered to click on play. So now I’m going to arm myself with a simple cigar, a bottle of beer called Elvis Juice, and a pack of chips that for some reason says hip-hop – and just launch this record. Rock and roll!
This time, I think I’ll move away from the usual track-by-track description of each song and just look at the whole album. Not least because even after listening to the entire record from beginning to end, I can’t decide on the genre of this album – to be honest, it seems to me that it’s basically impossible. All the songs are a crazy, but at the same time very talented and exciting mix of … almost everything in the world. For example, the album opens with the driving, fast hard rock track Broken Love, which resembles Motörhead in every note, but with a touch of punk and female vocals. It’s a great start, by the way – I was definitely taken aback, and I realized from the first minute that I would definitely listen to the end. But the second track, Queen Of Hearts, is a bit acidic with a synthesizer. And the album’s third song, Stumble Through the Darknes, is pure blues rock with matching low-key vocals.
It’s the same with the tools: the guys use, apparently, everything that comes to hand – and damn skillfully. The sound is very dense, very rich and always fresh. What is it, for example, that appears in the second and a half minute of the song Baby I Love You? A xylophone? And the track Northern Crown suddenly starts with a piano – this is the eighth track of the album, and if I’m not mistaken, up to this point there is not a single sound of the piano keys. And already in the next track, Jackson, we are waiting for a fervent jump blues with the active work of wind instruments.
The fifth track on The Sparky Sessions, Baby I Love You, is essentially pop rock, while the penultimate song on the record is most likely country. But at the same time, something is playing in the background that subtly resembles the very themes that Ennio Morricone wrote for films starring Clint Eastwood – and then it all goes into rock and roll with the same piano and ends with a pair of very futuristic, electronic notes. And the last track of the record (My Love For Evermore) I can’t really describe it in any way, except as Western blues. Is there even such a genre?
Emanuela and Sparky definitely have a friendship…
…and maybe something more. Who knows?
Separately, I would like to highlight the song Can’t Take My Eyes Of You – before leaving for a well-known tune, we are waiting for a very melodic, slow intro, which inspired me with two associations at once. First, the fairy tale of Jeanne-Marie Leprance de Beaumont – Beauty And The Beast. And secondly, the track Dance With The Dragon by the symphonic metal band Dark Sarah. At the same time, the seventh song of The Sparky Sessions is not metal at all and, like, not really a fairy tale, but this melodic female vocals mixed with Mark Philips’ bass wheeze is… something with something. This combination will undoubtedly remind everyone of something different. Perhaps even something completely unbelievable.
But if you’re looking for classic rock’n’roll and rockabilly, then The Sparky Sessions record has track number six, Teddy Boy Flick Knife Rock’n’roll, just for you. I can’t hide that this name immediately caught my attention, but I honestly listened to all five tracks that were in front of it. Anyway, the name did not deceive – the sixth track is indeed an honest classic rock’n’roll. But at the same time, it is very unusual. No, there are no genre admixtures, and I didn’t even notice any exotic instruments. How then did The Hillbilly Moon Explosion manage to make an unusual track in a genre that is almost seventy years old? Well, first of all, it’s the wheezing of Mark Philips, of course. The song starts without him, first comes double bassist Oliver Baroni, but from the very first minute Sparky is back with us. But he’s not even what makes Teddy Boy Flick Knife Rock’n’roll so unique. What then?
The Hillbilly Moon Explosion & Mark “Sparky” Phillips – Teddy Boy Flick Knife Rock’n’Roll
And secondly, throughout the song we are accompanied by Wilhelm’s scream. To be honest, I still haven’t figured out if this is an original sample or if one of the musicians skillfully repeated it. And as a movie fan, I really liked it. This shout once again shows the full talent of the band: it would seem that Wilhelm is something… I don’t know, is it comical? Somehow… It doesn’t mix well with the music. But no, The Hillbilly Moon Explosion were able to insert it into their song – and it worked. Yes, he’s comical, but at the same time, as it turned out, quite incendiary! Who would have thought that Wilhelm’s scream could be so rocking! And what could be more classic in a classic rock and roll track than Wilhelm’s Scream? 110 percent classic.
In general, in the end I was terribly pleased. The Sparky Sessions (2019) mixes instruments, genres, and sounds… This album mixes time itself, and it takes decades, and as a result it sounds really different and in a new way – at least, I definitely haven’t heard anything like it. In principle, I am ready to listen to the old sounds of worn-out rock and roll records for the rest of my life, but at least I just need to note the freshness of The Sparky Sessions melodies. Plus, it probably played a role that the raucous vocals throughout the eleven tracks of the album reminded me of Lemmy Kilmister, whom I was and will continue to be a fan of. By the way, a suspicion is creeping in that this is why they gave me this album.
02. Queen Of Hearts
03. Stumble Through The Darkness
04. Obsession
05. Baby I Love You
06. Teddy Boy Flick Knife Rock’n’Roll
07. Can’t Take My Eyes Of You
08. Northern Crown
09. Jackson
10. Black Ghost
11. My Love For Evermore
Download The Hillbilly Moon Explosion – Sparky Sessions (2019) (mp3, rar, 83 Mb)
The only negative, perhaps, is the following: if you are a sophisticated connoisseur of a certain genre, and not an all-consuming sponge music lover like me, then perhaps this whole mess may seem inappropriate to you. Nevertheless, I would advise you to try to select at least a few tracks from this album, based on the material written above, and listen to them at least. Who knows, maybe you’ll get sucked in. The Sparky Sessions are not just a few sparks. It’s a real explosion. The Hillbilly Moon Explosion.
P.S. If you can tell us anything interesting about the HME and Sparky group or share your opinion, please write in the comments. Thank you.
The single Queen of Hearts/Teddy Boy Flick Knife Rock’n’roll was released back in May 2018, Jackson and Black Ghost were released on the HME album “With Monsters and Gods” in March 2016, Northern Crown on Damn Right Honey! dated April 2013 (Hillbilly Moon Explosion definitely prefers spring releases!).
Here, “My Love Evermore” is the 2011 version recorded for the “Buy Beg Or Steal” CD, I was hoping a little that they would re-record it here, adding something new, maybe surprising, but they left it as it is. Maybe it’s for the best. Do not re-record your most popular song, leave this diamond in its original form.
There aren’t many duets in rockabilly songs, but at best I remember King Cry Baby by James Intveld and Rachel Sweet or ‘Till I Kissed You’ with Darrell. These “popsoviks” love duets and collaborations, but rockers prefer to stew in their own juice.
So Hillbilly Moon Explosion hit the bull’s-eye with its country-n-Western noir. The Hillbilly Moon Explosion is definitely one of the top five modern “billy” bands.
I don’t know about the pop stars, but from the outside it seems to me that they are all loners too. But those who really have a pack mentality are the rappers. They have a very well-developed business. And this sometimes results in simply awesome, international collaborations: Tech N9ne and Ceza (from Turkey), Ice-T and Liroy (from Poland), and so on. In this regard, rap is really cool, and it’s a pity that it’s extremely rare in other genres.
And I also wanted to say that I didn’t respond much to the comment, since it’s very difficult to classify The Hillbilly Moon Explosion as a billy band on this album. But now, after listening to some of their earlier tracks, I can confidently say that The Hillbilly Moon Explosion is an honest rockabilly band. Only The Sparky Sessions include such insane variability and experimentation – that’s how it turned out that the guys were playing, in general. according to the classics. I advise you to listen to their versions of Mambo Italiano and Zing Zing – cool carpets. I am especially pleased that Larry Williams was respected.
It’s rockabilly. And a wonderful one at that.