tBS @ The Meat Locker, Montclair NJ 10/15/04

[Jeff Berry]

>Uh, it's not very different from the BOC version IMO. We've split the
>voicings of the two guitars with Deb playing a higher, lighter more
>sustained part and Ross doing the down and dirty chugging part. I also
>altered the melody to give myself some higher notes and changed some of
>the words to what Helen sang on the Archetype record. It's pretty
>straightforward now. I've done versions where the tempo was speeded up
>and other ones with Helen where the riff was totally different but now
>we're doing it more like BOC than ever except we play it heavier. ;-)
>Al


One thing I noticed was that the backing vocals seemed more together
now. It seems like David was singing more than I recall him doing
in the past (although I may just have noticed it more) but Ross is
also chiming in.  With all four members singing, the vocal sound
has some added chunk.

Moving on to more general comments  now ...

Ross has, naturally, added some depth and pyrotechnics to the sound.
It's nice to have a shredder in the lineup:-)  He's also got his
share and more of rock star charisma, so the visual aspects of the
show picked up some - one downside to all the singers is that they
often find themselves trapped behind mike stands. Even in the limited
space at the Meatlocker, Ross was able to get out from behind his
and show off some.

As for the three Senior Surgeons, they just keep getting better.  The time
as a trio seems to have paid off in their chops and playing.  All three
are playing as well as I've ever seen them.

The new material is strong and the old material was executed with style and
authority.  It's almost a pity that the BS back catalog is so strong,
since favorites are almost certain to be overlooked. (Time ... is a favorite
here, too. And I missed Il Duce.)  And that's ignoring both Al's and Ross'es
old bands songs. (But I'll never complain about hearing D&S.)

The bottom line is this:  this is the strongest lineup I think the BS have
ever had, and a lot of things seem to be jelling.  I really think they
could take off now.  I'm hoping to see them in some bigger venues soon
(BB King's, guys?  What about a double bill with Ian Hunter on Dec. 12?
There's no other act listed and Ian has worked with BOC before ...)

JB