The Jim Jones Revue

ALBUM - THE JIM JONES REVUE

Explosive debut from former Hypnotics and Black Moses leader's five-piece rock'n'roll revue.

Recorded live on four track in 48 hours, *The Jim Jones Revue manages to do what four Hypnotics albums and two Black Moses'
ones never quite did; that's capture the amazing Jim Jones in full-on, manic flight. The maelstrom 10-track set, the basis of their
incendiary live show, is an unholy amalgam of influences; Jerry Lee, Hasil Adkins, The Sonics, MC5, Elvis, with Jones screaming and
a-hollering like Gerry Rosalie one minute and Lux Interior the next over songs straight out of the Sun, Chess and Specialty stables.
Elliott Mortimer's pounding of ivory and guitarist Rupert Orton's rama lama lam-ing adds to the psychotic mayhem while bassist
Gavin Jay and drummer Nick Jones rocket along at the back. If Little Richard had written this, he'd still be boasting about it today.

4/5
Lois Wilson - IPC Media

SPIRIT OF ROCK 'N' ROLL

Sometimes, as Kylie sings, all you can do is step back in time. History has shown time and again how, when the mistral of
mediocrity whistles through the valleys of the music scene, recourse to an earlier, simpler, purer age is what’s needed to kick
open the door, let the bad air out and freshen things up a little.

It happened in Detroit in the late 60s when the MC5 lambasted the (as they saw it) ineffectual hippie movement. Then in London
in the 70s, Essex boys Dr Feelgood cut their hair to rail against the ponderousness of the prog behemoths. Now, presumably
as a brisk two fingers in the direction of Jameses Blunt and Morrison, et al, it’s happening again.

“When we met we were like kindred spirits,” says Rupert Orton, guitarist with The Jim Jones Revue. “We were just thinking,
what the f**k is going on at the moment? We were going out and seeing bands and they were depressing us. And we thought,
why don’t we just alchemise in reverse, take rock’n’roll down to its barest elements: Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, all the
people that inspire us?”

Although the London quintet takes its name from their frontman, the ex-Thee Hypnotics singer, Jones is adamant that this isn’t
just a solo vehicle for him. “It was just a working title for the project,” he says. “It started as a project where there was a pool
of people and we just got together at these sessions and we’d try to channel the founding fathers of rock’n’roll. There was a
really good vibe in the room and before we knew it we were going through the vortex!”

If you remember Thee Hypnotics from their early-90s heyday, you’ll recall that Jones was an incredibly dynamic frontman,
wholly given over to the cause of rock’n’roll. The same goes for his days in the garage-blues power trio Black Moses. The
Moses had been playing regularly at the Not The Same Old Blues Crap nights organised by Punk Rock Blues label head Orton,
whose own band had folded some while earlier. Their mutual affinity for that primitive rock’n’roll sound demanded that they
end up in a band together.

Although Jones still plays guitar in the band, having Orton as the main ??slinger frees him up to resume his role as Rock God,
equal parts Elvis, Rob Tyner and James Brown. At any given moment though, the band can double-up on guitar firepower.
However, a key element to the band’s sound is the pounding barrelhouse piano of Elliott Mortimer.

“He’s London’s best-kept secret,” declares Jones, obviously ecstatic to have him playing on his side. “And he plays like no one
else. He has that attack about his playing, which is what you hear with Jerry Lee and Little Richard. Music is meant to be
something to wake you up and get the blood pumping. That was one of our major concerns – to keep that white-hot energy
yet still keep that swing.”

The band is rounded out by the crack rhythm section of drummer Nick Jones and bassist Gavin Jay. The line-up complete, the
band went into the studio earlier this year [2008] to record their eponymous debut album.Mostly originals, democratically
credited to all five, the band couldn’t resist a couple of covers in the form of Lewis’s ??The Meat Man’ and a bone shaking rattle
through Little Richard’s ??Hey Hey Hey Hey’. Indeed the whole album is purpose built to wake the dead, recorded in glorious
speakerblowing lo-fi, its modest runtime of half-an-hour the only noticeable sign of restraint.

“That’s quite deliberate,” says Orton of the audio quality. “We did it in forty-eight hours straight, and we did it live. I know a lot of
bands say this, but there are literally no overdubs on this. We just locked ourselves in a studio, got a guy in to engineer it,
mic’d everything up and went for it: bang bang bang!”

“A lot of people try to go for that live sound and they record it live and then try and tidy it up,” continues Jim, enthused. “I went
for recording it live and try and f**k it up even more! It kind of captures that feeling you get when your ears fold over from
the volume.”

Yeah, that’s a good feeling. And indeed, live the Revue is truly something to behold. So intense is their good-time vibe, it makes
one wonder why all bands don’t sound like this. “Looking at what we’re doing,” ponders Jim, almost beatifically, “I think we’re the
only people doing this at the moment. And we really feel like we’re at the vanguard of some sort of renaissance, you know?
Where is anyone else? It feels really nice to be carrying that torch.”

Gerry Ranson - Rock 'n' Reel

INTERVIEW - JIM JONES

The JIM JONES REVUE have made the only rock ??n’ roll album you need this year, sounding like Jerry Lee Lewis reanimated and set
loose to wage war against the digital age. We caught up with frontman Jim Jones to find out more…

How did the Jim Jones Revue come to be?
“None of us had played together before, but from the first meetings of the JJR it was like opening Pandora's box. We knew straight
away we had a tiger by the tail. It was pretty instant.”

Can you tell us what happened with Thee Hypnotics/Black Moses? Was it a case of wanting to try something
different? How do you feel JJR stands apart from your other bands/projects?
“Thee Hypnotics ran its course and so did Black Moses. Sometimes you can write new songs and sometimes you need to just move
on to a new project. They were both stops on my journey to here... I think the difference with JJR is that it's quite accessible, don't
get me wrong, you're not gonna hear our stuff used as background music in Ikea, but what seemed like a small idea on the outside,
immediately had the feeling of tapping into some kind of main vein! 'One instinctively knows when something is right'!”

There seem to be, on the face of things at least, not many bands still keeping the flame burning for proper
rock 'n' roll – was this a conscious decision for the JJR to do? What other bands do you feel are keeping it alive?
“Carrying the torch for proper rock ??n’ roll can be a thankless task and a badly paid job at the best of times. It's not surprising there
are only a few who respond to the calling. But it is also an honour. JJR would never shrink for its responsibilities! Meanwhile,
musically, it takes a conscious effort to make it run the way it should: too rich means you're gonna run cold and no speed, too lean
means you can overheat or loose combustion at full tilt. It's hard work, but you have to get the mix right!

What's a JJR live show like and what does the combination of players bring to the mix?
“A band only exists on the energy that is put in. If there is no one putting energy in, then the band no longer exists. Everyone in
JJR brings something special and delivers it with gusto - maximum commitment. Playing live it becomes more so. It's quite religious,
probably the most purifying thing I've ever experienced. There is the sense of doing it for the cause. There is a message to deliver
and once you've got the good sisters dancing at the front the rest of the congregation will usually follow.”

What did you want to achieve with the album and do you think you've done it? What I think I love most about
is how it sounds like it's been dragged kicking and screaming from the '50s/'60s right through the mixing
desk – how was the recording process?
“Thanks, that's a nice way to put it. I really wanted to make sure we didn't end up with something that was just a mediocre, low
budget production. We knew we couldn't afford beautiful so we went for totally brutal. Brutality has its own graces.”

What are your top five rock 'n' roll records of all time?
•’High School Confidential’ - Jerry Lee Lewis
•Shake Appeal’ - The Stooges
•Too Much’ - Elvis Presley
•Ooh My Soul’ - Little Richard
•Girl Can't Dance’ - Bunker Hill & Link Wray

Complete the following sentence: The Jim Jones Revue is best enjoyed with...
“Your best scuffed dancing shoes!” - vivelepunk.net

ALBUM - THE JIM JONES REVUE

Forget critical analysis, I am biased towards this CD, okay there you have it! Hear me out on this one, I'll make no bones about
it, Jim Jones body of work has always remained a constant on my compact disc player. I love the guy's music. After all, the
singer / songwriter has distilled classic influences (Stones, NY Dolls, Stooges/Pop, 60-70s funk/soul), in the process added his
own palette of color and created a body of work that is exciting and rewarding.

In this day and age, not many groups or artists can lay claim to remaining this consistent in their output. So now, after four
releases with the influential 90's group Thee Hypnotics and two with the exciting Black Moses, Jim Jones re-emerges with his new
group. The Jim Jones self titled CD continues in the raunchy tradition of his prior efforts but also places an emphasis on the roots
of his influences.

The first thing that strikes you with this self titled release is the beat up piano on the cover of the CD. The instrument is beat to
shit, worn out and looks as though it's received a heavy workout in some dirt road juke joint. Judging from the high intensity of
the playing of the Jim Jones Revue, the photo is very appropriate and fitting.

On the first track "Princess & the Frog", the band makes it very clear they mean business. Piano musician Elliot Mortimer introduces
the song with bluesy, boogie woogie intro and hurls the band towards backwoods abandon. Jones, more manic in his vocal approach
than ever before, spins a modern day version of the old fairy tale.

The second track "Hey Hey Hey Hey", a cover of Little Richard, maintains that wild eyed intensity of the Reverend Penniman, but also
serves as a blueprint for the band's sound. Other tracks on the CD such as "Fish 2 Fry" and "The Meat Man" are in the same vein:
heavy swing songs based on excellent keyboard playing, amped up - bluesy guitars and a toe tapping rhythm section.

On a disc filled with so many gems, a few tracks encapsulate the sound of the band better than others. &512&, with the timeless
imagery of driving in you car ("down the ole I-35"), is chock full of bounce and energy, making it a infectious listening experience.
Later on, the track "Make it Hot" starts off with a chunky guitar riff, followed by a heavy jazzy underpinning and display of volume.
The song has a nice start - stop time signature.

A key element of this debut CD was to record the band live to four track. The decision to do so works because the band is caught in
a fevered state which, as the next logical step, makes the listener want to hear the band in a live setting. Based on the band's live
video you can't help but feel that way. Man, I would love to get a ticket for that gig.

5/5
Arthur S - I94BAR.com

ALBUM - THE JIM JONES REVUE

Former Hypnotic gives rock its roll back.

The ear-searing, over-cranked sonic savagery of The Jim Jones Revue makes for a breathless listening experience. Easily
as visceral and desperate as anything previously committed to tape, this extraordinary debut immediately replicates a
brink-dwelling Jerry Lee crescendo, and clings on to its roaring mayhem for 30 exhausting minutes while tilting so far
into the red that it almost hurts.

Surging ever higher, urging their irretrievably damned souls towards a bug-eyed, finger-blistering, feral meltdown, former Thee
Hypnotics/Black Moses soul-flayer Jim Jones's 10-legged beast offers no quarter. From the tarmac-tearing wheel-spin of Princess &
The Frog, through the speaker-splintering sprint of Rock N Roll Psychosis, to the exhaust-fume blues of Cement Mixer, this is
rock's tired old jalopy stripped drag-race lean and thrashed until it chokes. Streaking past the comparatively limping latter-day
legacies of the MC5, Dolls and Pistols, The JJR positively redefine raw, untamed, born-with-a-tail rock'n'roll.

8/10
Ian Fortnam - Classic Rock Magazine

THE JIM JONES REVUE

"Quelqu'un doit relever le flambeau. c'est un bomeur", déclarait récemment Jim Jones, l'ex Thee Hypnotics et Black Moses,
aujourd'hui leader de l'incandescent Jim Jones Revue. Sur la pochette un piano massacré, le pédalier ruiné et des touches
manquantes. Car ici. un seul but : ressusciter le rock'n'roll de Little Richard, en l'alliant au punk rock le plus sauvage. Londres
se prend pour Macon (Georgie) et ça fonctionne comme jamais. En guise d'introduction, Jim Jones et ses quatre compatriotes
de destruction électrique se lancent dans un "Princess & The Frog" véritablement atomique où la musique du diable prend une
sérieuse décharge, saturation étourdissante, appel à une transe vaudou. Sans attendre, ils enchaînent avec une reprise de
"Hey Hey Hey Hey" carrément hystérique. Les doigts du pianiste Elliot Mortimer, sosie de Tim Roth, saignent, aucun doute
possible. C'est impressionnant. Suit "Rock'n'Roll Psychosis", tout est dans le titre ! Nouvelle charge héroïque. Tout comme
"Fish 2 Fry. "512". "Make It Hot" et "Who's Got Mine ?", condensés de pur swing hanté par l'esprit des plus grands. Jerry Lee
Lewis et tous les autres rôdent pour le meilleur. "Another Baie" et "Cernent Mixer", moins rapides, dévoilent un groove à la
sensualité bien moite, séduction de crypte, rampante et teigneuse à souhait. A côté du Jim Jones Revue, Jon Spencer ferait
presque figure d'artiste pop et les Stray Cats de chats dodus et castres. Et quand on sait que ce disque viscéral et définitif a
été enregestre en moins de 48 heures pour un budget ridicule, on ne peut que se prosterner et à nouveau sourire.
Le rock 'n' roll est immortel.

4/5
Jerome Reijasse - Rock 'n' Folk

THE JIM JONES REVUE - THE JIM JONES REVUE

The Jim Jones Revue es un combo liderado por Jim Jones, ex-cantante de las leyendas del garage británico Thee Hypnotics
que obtuvieron un amplio reconocimiento en los 90's cuando formaron parte del mítico sello Sub Pop (Nirvana, Soundgarden).
El disco homónimo de The Jim Jones Revue ha sido descrito como un choque entre Little Richard y The MC5. Su estilo es un
rock n' roll supercargado inspirado por The Killer, The Georgia Peach y, por supuesto, The Memphis Flash y los hijos
trastornados de Detroit. Grabado en directo, sin overdubs, en una sesión continua de 48 horas, el álbum es una celebración
del mas puro y primitivo rock n' roll. - Inzona Magazine

En fulländad hyllning till gamla hjältar

Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry och Little Richards träffades av en slump i en bar i Detroit 1957. Följande meningsutväxling
skedde:

Jerry Lee – "Hörni grabbar! Vad sägs om att sätta ihop ett band? Bli världens första…supergupp liksom?"

Chuck: "Ja om du slutar vifta med den där revolvern och om sedelbunden är tillräckligt fet och skattefri så vet du att jag är
med på vad som helst!"

L.Richard: "Ja så länge vi hedrar Gud. Jag börjar få dåliga vibbar av den här musiken vi håller på med. Är inte rock n' roll
djävulens verktyg?"

Jerry Lee och Chuck i kör: "Nej för fan! Oroa dig bara för att pianot ska hålla vid inspelningarna."

När inspelningarna var klara lyssnade de tre deltagarna igenom resultatet och kon överens om att det var något som
saknades, något som skulle få världen att häpna. Det lät helt enkelt inte tillräckligt högt, skränigt och häpnadsväckande.
Därför beslutade de att inspelningarna skulle gömmas i en gammal lagerlokal i London, för att förhoppningsvis inte hittas
innan tiden var inne för det nya soundet.

2008 hittar ett band vid namn The Jim Jones Revue de dittills bortglömda inspelningarna i en replokal i London. Med
inspiration från 1960- och 70-talets protopunkrock-våg, med The Stooges, MC 5 och The Sonics i spetsen, spelar bandet
in den mest slamrande, svängigaste och rockigaste skivan som världen skådat på många, många år. Och de tre
föregångarna nickar allesammans samstämmigt: "Precis så där skulle det låta." För det låter inte snyggt eller städat.
Det låter snarare som om någon spelat in en repsession där målet är att förstöra instrumenten (och rösten) i rockens namn
och inte lämna någon överlevande kvar. "Princess & the frog" inleder lika starkt som någon annan skiva gjort, någonsin.
Och om ni ska lyssna på en låt om och om igen det närmaste året, låt det då bli " Rock n roll psychosis". Den innehåller
allt ni behöver. Och lite till! Och på den vägen fortsätter det, i ytterligare åtta spår. Visst, mot slutet är jag mer matt än
överväldigad, men vad ska bra rockmusik göra om inte golva mig, skicka mig tillbaka till den tid då jag inte var född,
och rocken precis hade fötts och lämna mig flämtande efter andan och önska efter mer?

Det finns, som ni kanske kommer att märka, knappt ord tillräckligt starka för att beskriva hur mycket jag älskar den här
skivan. Det är som om 1950- och 60-talets rockhjältar väckts till liv för att revolutionera världen ytterligare en gång, men
med hjälp av punkrörelsens hänsynslösa inställning till hur det "får" låta. Det svänger som ingenting annat man hittar idag.
Världen ställs på ända och jag frågar mig varför ingen annan har gjort det här tidigare. Svaret på den frågan är att många
har försökt, men misslyckats. Att återvinna Jerry Lee Lewis furiösa pianospel, Little Richards desperata rop och Chuck Berrys
gitarrspel och låta helvetet bryta lös till ett inferno; det är vad The Jim Jones Revue lyckas med.

Jag hoppas och tror att den energi som Jim Jones, och dennes band, lyckas förmedla räcker till för att ni ska ge dem en
chans att göra er dag, månad eller ert år lite, lite bättre. Och om ni inte har råd (eller känner att musik bör kosta) så klicka
er vidare till deras MySpace och jag lovar alla er rockälskare att ni kommer att bli hänförda. Bortom alla gränser. Visa profil
Fler recensioner av samma skribent

Anders Samuelsson - Muziclandet

Vedere quel cadavere, sentirne il fetore, è sempre stato molto confortante, almeno per me. Potrete quindi immaginare il
mio rammarico all’ avvenuta putrefazione degli organi in anno 2008. Era chiaro fin dai primi vagiti del nuovo millenni, che
la verve somministrata dagli artisti piu genuini non poteva, per quantità, sopperire ai fabisogni di un corpo in decomposizione,
ma bastava per conservarne un ricordo onorevole. Abbrustolito dal tubo catodico, perennemente sintonizzato su x-factor, del
rock rimasero un cumulo di ossa. Questo in sintesi il succo del discorso affrontato proprio ieri sera con un caro amico, presi
entrami da una seria patologia del distacco. “ Secondo te chi è il parrucchiere di Morgan ? “ domandai per stemperare la
rassegnazione, senza ricevere risposta. “ Jim Jones!! Diavolo di un diavolo, lo pettina con la voce! “ mi autorisposi, suscitando
ilarità, ma non solo, forse anche un pizzico di speranza. Infatti per chi non lo sapesse c’è un tizio, uscito quest’anno che si
presenta esattamente come “Il messia rock’n’roll” possedendone tutti i crismi, e non accadeva da quando Lux si mise a
svolazzare come un umano volate. Immaginate Jerry Lee Lewis, si quello di great bell of fire, caricato a plutonio bombardare
la nostra sfiducia, saltellando e roteando contemporaneamente, come se fosse sui carboni ardenti. In realtà la Jim Jones
Revue non è altro che la nuova creatura dello stesso tipo conosciuto per la propria militanza in band come Thee Hypnotics
e Black Moses, non un pazzo qualsiasi, uno che i gradi di “svitato” se li è guadagnati sul campo. Tanta carica bluesman anni
cinquanta ma anche tantissimi Sonics dentro il debutto di questo figuro, che risolleva da solo l’orgoglio rocker generando
nuovamente baldanza fra i suoi adepti. Credo di aver visto anche un cumulo di ossa ballare, ma non sono sicuro fossero
le spoglie del rock, forse era soltando un povero cristo scomparso negli anni cinquanta in adorazione.

Alessandro Rossi - Rocklab

"Second album of glorious devil-running-through-their-grooves rock 'n' roll.

Their eight track second gathers their first four singles plus retrospective B sides and is every bit as wild and raucous as their self-titled debut of last year. Jim Jones's sandpaper-throated roar is still ripping it up as he steers his band into the red on songs that weren't recorded in a garage, but may as well have been. It's a brave man who takes on Elvis Presley and Little Richard but Jones throws everything into ridiculously distorted versions of Big Hunk O' Love and Good Golly Miss Molly. He breathes in briefly at the beginning of the squalling Burning Your House Down, but then it's back to whacked out rhythms with the raving psychosis of Freak of Nature and the crazed closer Elemental."

Lois Wilson, Mojo. - IPC Media