If there was one band I’d consider “quintessentially” American then it’d be The Blasters. Drawing deep from the well of Americana, they’ve a sound that incorporates everything from rockabilly to mountain music via rhythm and blues, country and gospel. So, I’ve often wondered how their sound would travel and cross cultural boundaries, and judging by Over There: Live At The Venue, London The Complete Concert the answer is very well. Originally released as a six-track EP in 1982 (with another four cuts appearing throughout the years), Over There now gets bolstered with a baker’s dozen of unreleased tracks to create a full show which captures The Blasters at their bombastic best.

London, 1982, was a strange place for The Blasters; the rockabilly revival that came to prominence at the turn of the decade had started to tail off, while the nascent psychobilly scene was in its ascendancy and while the band could feasibly fall into either camp, they had a timelessness that set them apart. It was this which allowed the band to fill The Venue to near capacity and a typically rowdy English crowd add spice to a recording that finds the band at the peak of their powers. That The Blasters are in such good form becomes immediately apparent with opening shot ‘This Is It’, a rendition that could awaken even the most ardent narcoleptic. From here they take us on a whirlwind tour of the States with songs from Oklahoma (‘Crazy Baby’), Texas (‘Border Radio’), New York City (‘I’m Shakin’’) and New Orleans (‘Hollywood Bed’) whilst hitting us with swamp blues (‘What Will Lucy Do?’), boogie-woogie (‘Tag Along’) and, of course, rock ‘n’ roll (‘Marie Marie’).

There’s a versatility to the The Blasters’ sound which finds them trying on different styles (see above) with ease and the amazing thing is that they all fit perfectly. It raises the question why other, less talented, artists achieved stardom whilst these skilful purveyors of Americana remained a cult band. It could be that there was too much talent in The Blasters; listen to Phil Alvin’s Jerry Lee Lewis affectations on ‘High School Confidential’ before he gets silky soulful on the following ‘These Arms Of Mine’ and all while keeping rhythm on this guitar. Then there’s his sibling Dave who has lighting in his fingertips and unleashes a series of snaky solos on the six-string. Drummer Bill Bateman and bassist John Bazz made the perfect tag team and were the fertile ground from which all else grew. However, in’82 the band performed with the brass section of Lee Allen and Steve Berlin and they all conspired to turn cuts such as ‘So Long Baby Goodbye’ into musical vignettes that condense a whole movie’s worth of imagery into three glorious minutes.

The Blasters were never a band to apply the brakes and in the live environment they become pretty much unstoppable (not unlike a runaway locomotive). Tracks such as ‘No Other Girl’ shave several seconds of their studio counterparts and the minimal space between songs only adds to the punchy nature of this recording. If you saw The Blasters live you know they were untouchable, if not, here’s your ticket to the hottest show in town.

• Over There: Live At The Venue, London The Complete Concert is released via Liberation Hall on vinyl for RSD on 29th November 2024 and on CD and digital on 6th December 2024 and is available from here.
• Official Website | Dave Alvin

Track List:

1. This Is It
2. Crazy Baby
3. No Other Girl
4. What Will Lucy Do?
5. Border Radio
6. I Don’t Want To
7. Rock Boppin’ Baby
8. Tag Along
9. I Love You So
10. Got Love If You Want It
11. Walkin’ With Mr. Lee
12. I’m Shakin’
13. Hollywood Bed
14. Go, Go, Go
15. Stop The Clock
16. Marie Marie
17. American Music
18. So Long Baby Goodbye
19. Roll ‘Em Pete
20. High School Confidential
21. These Arms Of Mine
22. Keep A Knockin’
23. Barn Burning