(2 disc CD/DVD edition, Universal)
When Dr Feelgood razored a rent in the kaftan of mid 1970s complacency, the Oil City Four also opened up space for all manner of sharp lads to pour through. Some, not beguiled by the art school contrivances of the small social clique responsible for the nascent UK punk scene, or politicised by the street level activism of those that followed in its wake, opted to take direction from the same sources as the Feelgoods, and thus set about imbuing rhythm and blues with further piss and vinegar.
Chief, and perhaps the most unfortunate among these groups, were Nine Below Zero. Surrounded on all sides by a variety of competing post punk zeitgeists, the South London quartet gained an enthusiastic following and widespread critical acclaim, but amid the flavour-of-the-week cornucopia of far less valid acts, this grass roots popularity never translated into sales. While A&M concerned itself with hyping a new wave of easily marketable, lowest common denominator dinosaurs such as the Police and Squeeze, Nine Below Zero were left to their own devices.
This, of course, wasn’t an entirely bad thing – as the band relentlessly ploughed its own furrow, developing into the tight, taut touring unit that is documented in this expanded edition of their 1980 ‘Live At The Marquee’ album. Originally recorded across two sweaty nights at the legendary Wardour Street club, this new edition sees an additional seven tracks tacked onto the end of the existing 14 song set. These are no mere leftovers from the cutting room floor – elements such as the scorching slide in ‘Madison Blues’ and a confident interpretation of ‘Stormy Monday’ clearly indicate that some of the material initially excised was just as good as many of those songs that made the initial cut.
Indeed, this edition represents a fitting document, recording the raw urgency and unpretentious authenticity of Nine Below Zero’s inspired live show. Demonstrating that the band’s interpretation of R’n’B was weighted toward the latter consonant, the group mix original material with covers that are made their own by virtue of a complete avoidance of any faux-deltaisms. Similarly, their raw energy often infuses anodyne source material such as The Temptations’ ‘I Can’t Help Myself’ or ‘Woolly Bully’ with engaging verve. Such turbo-charged injections are never forced – the quartet have sufficient mastery over their chosen form to understate their effort levels, yet still send songs coruscating through the sound barrier.
Much of this is due to frontman Dennis Greaves’ under-appreciated guitar mastery and down-to-earth live charisma. Backed by the foreskin-tight Clark/Burkey rhythm section and adorned by Mark Feltham’s transcendent harp embellishments, Nine Below Zero represented the very pinnacle of artisan rock’n’roll. At a time when a procession of wannabe ‘spokesmen’ wittered on unconvincingly about breaking down the barriers between audience and performer, the inclusive nature of Nine Below Zero’s gigs did just that without artifice or contrivance.
The second disc of this special edition is an 8 track DVD of the July 1980 Marquee shows. This completes the sense of document and eyewitness, enabling visual appreciation of their application and appeal. A decent conversion from the original 16mm tape source, the disc allows the viewer to see the sweat generated as the group toil away on the R’n’B shop floor. Here is rock and roll in the raw as it should be, south of the Central Line blues, baby.
Track listing
1) Tore Down
2) Straighten Her Out
3) Homework
4) I Can’t Help Myself
5) Can I Get A Witness
6) Ridin’ On The L&N
7) I Can’t Quit You Baby
8) Stop You Naggin’
9) Hootchie Cootchie Coo
10) Wooly Bully
11) Got My Mojo Working
12) Pack Fair & Square
13) Watch Yourself
14) Swing Job
“The Encore”
15) Rocket 88
16) (Just A) Little Bit
17) Twenty Yards Behind
18) Stormy Monday
19) Is That You
20) Keep on Knocking
21) Madison Blues
Live At The Marquee (Special Edition) is released by Universal on 22 October