New albums from the Mel Outsider Reformation, Colne in Lancashire and Lewis Pugh from Leeds in Yorkshire.
In review by Alan Dearling
Mel Outsider
The Outsiders UK (Colne) released four albums from ‘Skin’ in 1990 through to ‘Everyone’s gone vintage’ in 2016. I believe that Adrian (Mel) Melling was the only constant member of the band. I think they were out of action between 2004-2016. The successor band, and the one featured on the new album is the Mel Outsider Reformation.
From Mel’s Facebook site, his self-description:
“The Mel Outsider Reformation is a prominent figure in the UK music scene, particularly in Lancashire, where he has been active for over five decades. Recognised as a flamboyant frontman and songwriter, he has collaborated with various notable artists and produced numerous albums.”
Mel told me:
“We released one album as The Outsiders titled ‘Skin’ in 1990 and then discovered on tours to the Netherlands that one of their biggest bands was in fact, ‘The Outsiders’ featuring Wally Tax as the singer. Turning up at venues people were asking “where is Wally Tax” we had no idea who he was until somebody told us, that was the moment that we realised we had to become ‘The Outsiders UK’. Two members of the Dutch band actually turned up at one of our gigs at Melo Melo in Amsterdam and we played together as one band which I thought was very spirited of them. We released another 3 albums as The Outsiders UK until the end. After 16 years dormant I decided to come back and knew that we needed a unique identity, thus The Mel Outsider Reformation was born.”
So, a bit of background. The Dutch Outsiders featured Wally Tax (vocals), Ronnie Splinter (guitar), Appie Rammers (bass guitar), Tom Krabbendam (guitar), Leendert “Buzz” Busch (drums), and Frank Beek (bass guitar 1968-1969). Their music was referred to as ‘Nederbeat’, described as a Dutch version of British beat music. They were likened to, and often compared to, the Pretty Things (who frequently toured the Netherlands) and the Rolling Stones. Indeed, The Outsiders opened for the Rolling Stones at their second Dutch concert on 26th March 1966. ‘C.Q.’ from 1968 is now considered a minor musical landmark – and a major garage rock album. They released over a dozen singles, including 1967’s ‘Summer Is Here’.
Wally Tax died in 2005. In 2024, an album featuring Wally Tax, entitled ‘The Outsider’ was released – it was initiated by my friend, Aja Waalwijk’s brother, Ben. Aja and Ben wrote songs with Wally that featured on that album. Here is Wally Tax accompanied by pianist, Ben Waalwijk, in a live recording of the song, ‘Let’s Dance’.
https://youtu.be/VuTSVr1S6Bw?si=klathGju_U-ZG0Eb
The new Mel Outsider Reformation album, ‘Mel goes Funky’
Here are recent video clips: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1494314581595779
The new album is packed with Andy Morel’s sax-led soul-blues.
The producer, Mark Pythian, has a considerable track record having worked with the likes of China Crisis, Icicle Works, Counting Crows, The Alarm and on the first three Coldplay albums. The overall sound is energetic, fulsome and definitely oozes ‘class’. Mel is in good voice. Plenty of incendiary guitar and cool sax rhythms. The album kicks off with ‘I’ve been unfriended’, a funked-up story of ‘living in the back of a van’, and there is added vocal support from Helen May.
Some of the tracks such as ‘Consider the Waitress’ make a nod or two back to the Commitments and the Blues Brothers, even Van Morrison, and perhaps a hint of Dr John. But, Mel has also made a considered attempt to employ a rap style, a talking, slightly sneering vocal rasp on tracks like ‘Making me develop a Gambling habit’. Plenty of fine guitar licks from Dan Arnold and fine keys from Nick Cornall. There are a lot of styles in evidence along with the ‘funk’ thematic. For instance, ‘Backroads again’ offers some nice pedal-steel guitar, giving it an echoing, glissando feel and Helen flies off on a vocal journey way into space, perhaps off to the ‘Dark Side of the Moon’.
‘Mel goes funky’ features a back cover with seven faces of the artists from the Reformation – and it is definitely a musical co-operative venture.
Lewis Pugh: Heretics and Heritage
The essence of the music on this new album is in the title. It’s about mavericks, dark outsiders and the social and cultural histories that are recounted in the twelve songs. Lewis is in full cowboy mode on many of the tracks. It’s country-folk-Americana. It’s very melodious. Plenty of sing-along tunes, lots of fiddle, mandolin and pedal-steel guitars in evidence. And from the off-go, the opening track, ‘Big Stone Lifter’ is a meld of bluegrass and hillbilly – think banjo and hoedown dances in old, rustic barns. Cajun rhythms, fast and furious. ‘Beaufort Country Jail’ offers a country lament, doing time, atmospherically in the jug. In between the country tracks there are more social commentaries. ‘They can’t put them back’ is a song about mining and loss of natural environments:
“They can blow the heads off mountains, but they can’t put them back.”
Here’s a lyric video of the track from the new album: ‘Holes’…. Lots of digging of holes!: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=910901205119837
In between the cheerful country songs, there are some traditional-style folk songs – all written by the talented Lewis. A good example is the unaccompanied song of slavery and ‘disguise’ – ‘The Ballad of Robert Smalls’. ‘Stolen Angels’ is almost a polka, and more social history, all played and sung with an Irish-lilt. ‘The Ballad of Maria Marten’ recounts the story of William Gordon who murdered Maria in the Old Red Barn. It all ends in prime jug-band territory with ‘Shotgun Billy’, a lively, kazoo-inflected sing-along.
If you like your folk situated in Americana – this offers plenty of variety and quality songs.
Here is the Lewis Pugh website with lots of music links and videos: https://lewispughmusic.com/
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