The Foreday Riders With Ray Beadle - Durn Tootin’ (2022)

Personnel:
Ray Beadle – Guitar & Vocals
Ron King – Harmonica & Vocals
Jeff King – Guitar & Dobro
Stan ‘Sleepy’ Mobbs – Bass
Rosscoe ‘Stinger’ Clark – Drums

Bluesy Floor Filler’s that Sound Like They are From the Early 60’s But Still Contemporary Enough for Somewhere Dark and Sweaty For Next Saturday Too.

While we receive most of our new music from North America and the UK of course;’ but over the years we’ve also built up some interesting and innovative contacts around the world especially in Australia; where this album originated.
Because DURN TOOTIN’ comes from Australia I’d never have heard of RAY BEADLE & THE FOREDAY RIDERS were it not for their Press Guy, Stuart reminding me several times ‘how much he thought I’d like these tracks‘ …. and how right he was/is, even though they have been ‘going’ in one form or another for 55 years!

This particular album was recorded ‘as live’ in front of a small audience in 2020 and has had very little added or taken away in the control room and the result is as sparkling as it is raw.
With no intros, the band just stroll into our lives with the sweet sound of Chicago via a slinky nightspot in Sydney ….. Close to You, which ticks all of my boxes for Blues music like this …. be that a pub band or an Arena filler.
The band then fire on all cylinders with the feisty instrumental, Cookin’ at The Continental which features Ron King on harmonica; and boy can he make it wail and cry; clearly overshadowing Jeff King’s awesome guitar playing.
Even the first night I played this I knew I was in for the long haul this early ….. and it all gets even better and better as the songs come and go like a Southern Breeze.
This is the type of music I cut teeth on in the mid 70’s when the Blues Boom was at its peak in the pubs and clubs of NE England; but no matter what my memory tells me about The Blues Burglars and/or The Young Bucks etc. they weren’t a patch on these sounds.
The songwriting too is quite exceptional; with the slinky No More Doggin’ sounding quite timeless; but the story is as contemporary as anything Ed Sheeran has ever recorded; and it’s a similar story with Evalina and I’ll Never Let You Go too; Classic Chicago Blues with a 21st Century twist in the tale.
Surprisingly; but not totally unexpected there are a lot of instrumentals included here; and the guys’ exceptional musicianship shines on each and everyone which are all totally worthy of your time; as if they were Jazz pieces …… especially the title track Darn Tootin’ and the slow and sleazy The Peeper which closes proceeding …. leaving the listener wanting MORE!
For my Favourite Track I have my usual dilemma …..initially it was going to be the quaintly monickered L+N, which comes at you like the actual train they romantically sing about right out of the tunnel; and it’s full of rinky-dink piano ala Professor Longhair, drumming that Charlie Watts would be proud of; some fiery guitars that remind me of both Kenny Burrell AND Duane Eddy …. all held together by Stan ‘Sleepy’ Mobbs’ humongous bass lines but I keep getting drawn back time and time again to the soft shoe shuffle of For Mods Only; which would surely have been a floor filler back in the clubs of the early 60’s as well as my time in the 70’s and no doubt somewhere dark and sweaty last Friday night and next Saturday too, so probably for the first time ever, on an album with songs on, I’m choosing an instrumental as my Favourite track.
There’s absolutely no reason that there wouldn’t be a vibrant Blues scene in Australia; just that I wasn’t aware of it ….. and if there’s more out there of this quality ….. you know where I am!