The Next Big Thing

"Eric Ambel CD "Knucklehead" from Lakeside Lounge Records. "Roscoe's Gang" and "Loud & Lonesome" deluxe reissues too.

With the release of Knucklehead on his own Lakeside Lounge Records, Eric "Roscoe" Ambel - guitarist for Steve Earle & The Dukes and the Yayhoos clears the slate on 14 years of tracks that have been clogging his iPod. The record features 15 songs with various bands including various Roscoe's Gang configurations, the all Roscoe "Gringoman", the Bottle Rockets, Martins Folly, some pre-Yayhoos and the Yayhoos recording of the Del-Lords "Judas Kiss" with Steve Earle providing harmony. The record features some new Ambel compostions (Stepside, Garbagehead, Hole In My Head), some covers by the Backsliders Chip Robinson, Tom Waits, Neil Young and a previously unreleased Steve Earle tune (The Usual Time).

Lakeside Lounge has also re-issued Ambel's 2 previous solo records. Rolling Stone Magazine called Ambel's 1988 debut Roscoe's Gang "The record Keith Richard should have made". The core band is Springfield MO's Morells with Syd Straw and Peter Holsapple as guests. Loud & Lonesome is Ambel's '94 release featuring songs written with Kevin Salem, Dan Zanes, Dan Baird and Terry Anderson with a very raw 3 pc muscle car band featuring Andy York ripping through the tunes. Roscoe's Gang gets a blistering re-mastering from the original analog masters. All 3 titles are in the deluxe digi-pack format with extensive notes and photos."

You can order all of these fine recordings HERE! There's a special deal if you score all 3 at once.

I would imagine that a whole bunch of you folks would own at lease some of these already but it's worth springing for the set because the packaging and annotation by Roscoe and The Hound is boss. It should be noted that the great RG album includes the second part of the Power Lounger theme that was missing from any copies I ever came across of the original US and UK releases. KNUCKLEHEAD is a great trawl through the backwoods of 'scoe's career and includes The Yayhoos swampoid version of "Judas Kiss". The version of "Shake Some Action" from the final Del-Lords session is spine tingling. The version of "Always On My Mind" recorded with Martin's Folly is utterly haunting and performed with more than it's fair share of soul. K'heid underpins the importance of Roscoes contribution to the canon of rock'n'roll from 1990 - the present.