The Sick Rose Shaking Street

Gerry Ranson – Vive Le Rock! (zine/web) – 22/02/2021

Legendary Italian garage band THE SICK ROSE have their classic second album reissued this month.

Formed in Turin in 1983, The Sick Rose were one of the best known garage revival bands on the European scene, contemporaries of US bands The Fuzztones and The Chesterfield Kings, Sweden’s Nomads and the UK’s Barracudas.

Taking its title from the MC5 song and featuring the indie chart hit ‘Double Shot’, Shaking Street caught the band at their early commercial peak. The band took most of the 90s out before returning in the 21st century with renewed vigour and a string of new albums including 2006’s Blastin’ Out and 2011’s No Need For Speed, both produced by The Stems’ Dom Mariani, and most recently, 2018’s Someplace Better, produced by The Posies’ Ken Stringfellow.

Limited to 300 copies, the new vinyl reissue of Shaking Street comes in a new gatefold sleeve with download code and a CD two bonus album outtakes.

Henry Hutton – Shindig #113 03/2021

Originally released in 1989, this was the second album from Italian garage merchants The Sick Rose, and from the relentless chord-driven rock of ‘A Kiss Is Not Enough’ to the haunting reverb throb of ‘Don’t Keep Me Out’ the tracks churn and snarl with primitive attitude. ‘Little Girlie Pearl’ is a battering ram of a song and the blasting ‘Little Sister’ brims with the ragged mindset of The New York Dolls.To provide even more value the band’s ’87 Double Shot EP is also included with a couple of their own compositions and covers of ‘Nothin” by The Ugly Ducklings and ‘My Time’ originally by The Golden Dawn. The album also highlights the Rose’s love of The Flamin’ Groovies by featuring not only an unreleased drawling,
jangly version of the titular ‘Shakin’ Street’ but also an accurately reverential take of ‘Yesterday’s Numbers’ as extras.

Vote: 3/5

Andy / Fear & Loathing – January-June 2021

The Sick Rose originally formed in 1983 and are regarded as Italy’s premier Garage rock band. This album was first-released in 1989 and consists of twelve great tracks, including a surprisingly sensitive version of the MC5 classic, a cover of ‘Raining Teardrops’ by obscure Australian singer Barrington Davis and a stomping version of ‘Up is Up’ by the Real Kids. But it’s their own songs that really make the mark, twisting the raw sounds of The Seeds and coming out like a nastier version of The Fuzztones. Plenty of melodic hooks that’ll keep you attentive even when the guitars are fuzzed-up to maximum, and vocals that will soon have you singing along. This is the kind of album that’ll have you searching the internet to hear everything else they’ve recorded… in the meantime, be sure to hear this. Light the fuse and get up close!

Bertrand Tappaz – Chronique 2021 – 16/03/2021 – VOIX DE GARAGE GRENOBLE

The Sick Rose tout au long de leur très longue (et passionnante) carrière ont eu une significative évolution stylistique : Garage Punk Revivalistes à leurs débuts (1986) leurs derniers albums étant eux très Power Pop classieuse et incisive.

Ce "Shaking Street" initialement sorti en 1989 étant lui comme son titre le laisse penser très orienté ROCK’n’ROLL avec des guitares tranchantes et un songwriting classique (dans le meilleur sens du terme) comme certains maîtres savaient le faire !

Comme on l’imagine, ils reprennent ici la chanson du MC5 et naviguent dans un univers musical qui correspond tout en étant très très marquant grâce à leurs compos, et une magie dans l’interprétation qui fait de cet album un MUST HAVE !

True R’n’R spirit ! Un piano bastringue quand il faut, du R&Beat dévié de sa trajectoire, un jeu tendu sur les titres les plus secs, mais aussi chaloupé quand c’est ce que la chanson nécessite… Un gros sens de l’arrangement simple, efficace et direct et une puissance émotionnelle dans l’interprétation.

A mettre entre les meilleurs enregistrements Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, et Dr Feelgood avec qui ils partagent le sens de LA chanson qui tue et le même esprit puissamment ROCK !